[Joddle]

I am trying to scan in high detail some very old large photos which have been mounted on thick card. The problem with my scanner is that although it can scan at the required resolution of 600dpi, the glass bed is slightly lower then the plastic casing so it is impossible to get the photos which are larger then the scanner bed in one direction to sit cleanly on the glass so the scans are not very good at all. Is there a scanner where the flatbed glass is level with the casing so a stiff photo can sit on it and then be scanned in sections? I have tried one of those hand held scanners which are widely advertised and although they are easy to use and claim a resolution of 600dpi, the image quality is simply not good enough for what I am trying to do. Any suggestions or recommendations?

[TeeGee]

You could perhaps try using a camera but you would need to provide both stability and even lighting. The only other altrnative that I can think of is to pay to have them done professionally.

[Joddle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeeGee

You could perhaps try using a camera but you would need to provide both stability and even lighting. The only other altrnative that I can think of is to pay to have them done professionally.

Thanks for that - I have tried using a so called "professional" who used a high quality studio camera but the quality was dire - They looked ok at a distance but when you zoomed to look at individual faces the beak-up was terrible - I got far better results using my cheap printer scanner although lost the focus a bit because of the way the photo sat a few mm above the flatbed due to the casing around the edges.

[mastanlem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joddle

I am trying to scan in high detail some very old large photos which have been mounted on thick card. The problem with my scanner is that although it can scan at the required resolution of 600dpi, the glass bed is slightly lower then the plastic casing so it is impossible to get the photos which are larger then the scanner bed in one direction to sit cleanly on the glass so the scans are not very good at all. Is there a scanner where the flatbed glass is level with the casing so a stiff photo can sit on it and then be scanned in sections? I have tried one of those hand held scanners which are widely advertised and although they are easy to use and claim a resolution of 600dpi, the image quality is simply not good enough for what I am trying to do. Any suggestions or recommendations?

What about asking a local printer I am sure that they have scanners that may do the job that you require.

[Nilrem]

Aye a local printshop or photo place will likely have a larger format scanner* (A3 or bigger) and will be used to doing similar jobs, which would let them put the photo including it's surround on the scanning bed. They'd probably charge a few pounds per scan at least, but if it's just a handful of pictures it'll likely be the cheapest option.
Having said that, if you measured the largest of the photos including the surround you may find a dedicated scanner from the likes of Canon that has a bed just large enough (I think my current Canon scanner has a bed that is slightly over A4 to allow for Legal and a B size).

I don't think there are many scanners that don't have the lip around the glass as it's part of the standard design** to make it easier to put the document to be scanned in the right place (you push it to the corners).
None of the scanners I've seen for consumer use are without the lip (and I've been playing with them for 10-15 years).

Handheld scanners are **** usually, as one of things that is required for a good scan is that the scanning element (optical sensor) is the same height throughout the scan, and it moves in a very precisely controlled manner (no sideways movement, preferably a steady very carefully measured lengthways movement, both of which are impossible to do by hand).

*Or even a photocopier that has an output to either a computer or some form of memory card.

**In the same way they usually have the markings for different paper sizes to make it easier.

[grahamlthompson]

scan the content in sections avoiding the edges raised by the glass being below the edges. Join the individual sections using a photo editing package that supports layers. When you have aligned all the sections, flatten the layers and crop off the content you don't need at the edges.

[Joddle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

scan the content in sections avoiding the edges raised by the glass being below the edges. Join the individual sections using a photo editing package that supports layers. When you have aligned all the sections, flatten the layers and crop off the content you don't need at the edges.

That's what I am doing with the more flexible photos, i.e. those on normal photo-paper - but some are mounted on card and its virtually impossible to get any decent amount of the required image flat on the scanner bed. Will l keep looking.

[grahamlthompson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joddle

That's what I am doing with the more flexible photos, i.e. those on normal photo-paper - but some are mounted on card and its virtually impossible to get any decent amount of the required image flat on the scanner bed. Will l keep looking.

Not sure if your scanner has some sort of auto focus or it's set to the glass plane. You could test this by experimenting with scanning 3D objects (a watch for instance, if the dial is sharply focussed it must be auto focus). This works with my Epson scanner built into my printer.

If so a thin piece of glass could be used to give you a flat focus.

[oilman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nilrem

Aye a local printshop or photo place will likely have a larger format scanner* (A3 or bigger) and will be used to doing similar jobs, which would let them put the photo including it's surround on the scanning bed. They'd probably charge a few pounds per scan at least, but if it's just a handful of pictures it'll likely be the cheapest option.
Having said that, if you measured the largest of the photos including the surround you may find a dedicated scanner from the likes of Canon that has a bed just large enough (I think my current Canon scanner has a bed that is slightly over A4 to allow for Legal and a B size).

I don't think there are many scanners that don't have the lip around the glass as it's part of the standard design** to make it easier to put the document to be scanned in the right place (you push it to the corners).
None of the scanners I've seen for consumer use are without the lip (and I've been playing with them for 10-15 years).

Handheld scanners are **** usually, as one of things that is required for a good scan is that the scanning element (optical sensor) is the same height throughout the scan, and it moves in a very precisely controlled manner (no sideways movement, preferably a steady very carefully measured lengthways movement, both of which are impossible to do by hand).

*Or even a photocopier that has an output to either a computer or some form of memory card.

**In the same way they usually have the markings for different paper sizes to make it easier.

A lot of professional printer/scanners in offices will scan directly to a graphic or pdf format, and are usually A3 size, and email result to user.
Why not ask some friends if they have this capabilty and they might be prepared to scan a few for you.

As another poster says, any good print shop should be able to do this - Boots do this
http://www.boots.com/en/Photo/Photo-...nning-Service/

[Helmut10]

Depends on the type of scanner. If you have the CIS type then tough luck, but if you have the slightly pricier CCD type then you can put a clear layer of plastic on top of the scanner glass to make it level with the surrounding plastic. I use a thin plastic layer for 3D objects (up to maybe 10 mm thick) anyway to protect the glass.
If the scanner gives reasonable results for 3D objects i.e. CCD type then worth a try.

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/...nner-type.html

It's a major point to purchasing a scanner, manufacturers tend to ignore this, the CCD type have a number of advantages.