I'm getting a new inkjet printer!

[Badger]

wow... ya ...that is a nice price... I didn't want to be nosy and ask... so I spent the better part of 4 hours looking at printers... I think i'm blind in one eye... but what i'm really looking for is a good flatbed scanner... the kind with no indentions so I can scan a large (18x24) into chunks and piece them back together in Photshop or Illustrator...

Any suggestions on something like that... (affordable) wouldn't hurt my feelings... (or my eyes)

[mathuwm]

epson scanners are inexpensive and do a nice job.

i use one at work.

a couple thoughts on scanners

photoshop can make up for an OK scanner

OCR is way better than it used to be

and descreening filters included with many scanner sw can do wonders when scanning artwork with halftone screens

[Gamerprinter]

Last year I was looking at replacing my 11 x 17 scanner, and was searching for something bigger. The larger the area of a flatbed scanner, the exponentially becomes the cost. Very quickly a roll-fed 36" scanner becomes far more reasonable.

Standard Legal size (8.5" x 14") scanner can be found for less than $100, even less than $50.

An 11" x 17" scanner ranges from $150 to $1000 (depending on resolution and features).

I've got a 12" x 18" flatbed which I paid $1500 for - that was my replacement.

There are two 18" x 24" flatbed color scanners out there - both cost from $15K - $21K to purchase.

There actually exists a 24" x 36" flatbed scanner created for scanning museum pieces which costs $50K USD.

That was a year ago, though.

You can get a roll-fed scanner, a few available with a flat scanning path allowing rigid material scans (nothing too thick though) that cost around $8K to $15K

[Badger]

ya.. see the part where you say ... "Less than $100" ... I just can't find one that is actually 'flat' .. they all have lips on them so that scanning anything bigger than its designated scanning area means bending whatever medium you are trying to scan...

Is this actually possible? ..

[Gamerprinter]

I just can't find one that is actually 'flat' .. they all have lips on them so that scanning anything bigger than its designated scanning area means bending whatever medium you are trying to scan...

Is this actually possible? ..

Yes, sort of. If you consider the best focal length is when a document is flat on the glass of the flatbed scanner, however I often scan documents that ar 24" x 36" on my 12" x 18" flatbed by scanning in quadrants and the join areas between the quadrants (6 scans) to capture the entire image. It's very slightly less quality than flat on the glass. I don't worry about the "Lip" or trying to fold it so document touching the glass. I scan it with 1/8" above the glass.

I place on flatbed - use light adhesive tape to hold it down straight. Then scan. Remove, move it over with a slight overlap of previously scanned area, until its all scanned.

Open your raster app, open all pieces of the document (map), create a blank document at same resolution of scans at the final size of the original document. Cut and paste originals onto new document. Some may require a slight rotation if you didn't scan straight.

Do not optimize, adjust colors or anything of the scanned pieces until document is completely put together, and flattened, then optimize, etc.

Yes, very much a pain in the ass. But am doing this at least once a week for customers desiring to scan large documents.

Sure I wish I could roll-feed or flatbed scan these documents in one shot - got $15K you give me?

Just to give you a procedure for what you ask. Remember the more pieces you are required to scan the tougher it is the keep all straight when putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again!

GP

PS: I've even scanned convex pressed old photos on a flatbed - weird old photos that actually is rounded oval. If you place flat on a surface. The edges of photo touch surface, while center is 2" above same surface - its truly convex. The center touches glass of flatbed, the edges are now 2" above the scanning surface. I throw a 3' x 3' square of black velvet over convex photo and scan without the cover on scanner...

The two inch focal loss at edges are both dark and blurry, but with a little practice you can compensate to some degree. I've done this over a dozen times - convex photo scans that is...

[RobA]

ya.. see the part where you say ... "Less than $100" ... I just can't find one that is actually 'flat' .. they all have lips on them so that scanning anything bigger than its designated scanning area means bending whatever medium you are trying to scan...

Is this actually possible? ..

Could you lay a piece of glass thicker than the lip on the scanner, and scan on to of that? (Or would it be out of focus?)...

-Rob A>

[Gamerprinter]

Could you lay a piece of glass thicker than the lip on the scanner, and scan on to of that? (Or would it be out of focus?)...

-Rob A>

As long as the glass is perfectly flat, flawless and clear - it might work. However, I know from experience that you don't want to scan a photo still in its frame behind glass. Clients have brought photos in frames that have water damage and the photo is permanently stuck to the glass. I've tried to scan these, but they are dark and out of focus.

Really, if you lay rigid document that sits above the glass on the housing itself, it seems to scan fine, if a slight bit dark, just make color and contrast adjustments and you should have no problem.

Trying thicker glass is a worthwhile experiment, but no guarantee its going to work.

GP

[Redrobes]

Friend of mine has a scanner which if it has creases then its ok and scans them too. Mine on the other hand. One micron off the glass and it goes black. A real pain for real folded maps as all the creases go black. I think it very much depends on the scanner model and make. In general I have found that those scanners for which the sensor bar is positioned right behind the glass have short focal length and those that have a bit of a gap have longer focal length. Those that are longer seem less susceptible to focus issues for non flat pages. Putting a dirty big pile of books on the top of mine when scanning helps but it can flex the glass and the motor sticks giving juddering marks in the scan. I really should spend some cash and get a nice one but I am a notorious miser.

[waldronate]

If you can afford it, there is the option to buy an inexpensive scanner and remove the plastic upper lip. That lip is usually just there to hold the glass in place. A little glue and/or careful work with a hot wire will give you an area that's most of the size of the scanner at the cost of the lid. For scanning maps and such I always use a black sheet behind the item to be scanned to reduce bleedthrough of the back side of the page so I don't normally have the lid attached anyhow.

When I did the scans of the Forgotten Realms trail map for the FRIA globe program those many years ago I diced up the trail map. I had lots of little files that I ended up putting together in Photoshop but the end result was certainly good enough for production work. These days I would use the modified scanner and still have something other than a pile of pieces for that lovely map.

[Gamerprinter]

My scanner is too expensive to do anything like that to it. If I had an old scanner laying around the shop I might give that a try.

Like I said, though, I scan documents too large for my scanner all the time. Because they are client documents, I cannot cut them into pieces to fit. So I scan a section of it and move the document to a new section, scan it and so on, until complete, then I piece it together in Photoshop. Pain in the ass? Yes, but I do it all the time. I get this kind of work at least once each week.

GP