How To Scan Pictures
October 27, 2007
As image technology improves, the smelly darkroom has become a thing of the past. In the world of modern photography you can scan your pictures with a good scanner and buying one is one of the first steps you can take. If you have heap of snaps, you can scan them onto your computer and go digital in less time.
Some tricky steps to follow while scanning your pictures
• First, all you have to do is to blow the dust from your scanner and printing area with canned air. The scanner bed and underside of the document lid with a damp must be cleaned before scanning.
• Get your computer and scanner on and connect them correctly.
• Lay the picture to be scanned level to the ground on the glass. Use the guides that are located along the edges of the scanning bed and square up the photo. After this process, close the lid of the scanner bed.
• If you plan to display the scanned image at larger-than-life size, then go for a higher dpi (dot per inch). Otherwise, you can select lower resolution.
• Now you can click the scan button on your computer’s scanning software window.
• You can get a quick look of the scanned image up on your computer monitor; it might ensue mechanically depending on your software settings.
• The system will help you to correct minute defects such as red-eye in the image.
• Accept the scan and save it to your hard drive. Do not forget to put your picture away.
Important tips to be kept in mind
The most important thing to remember before scanning is to clean and remove and dust, hair or fingerprints from the surface of the picture. The compression factor of JPEG files can compress the image to a smaller size for easiness of storage. If this factor is higher, the picture quality will suffer. TIFF does not have this feature but their file size can be 10 or more times bigger than JPEGs.
Always take special care for your scanner as it is a delicate device and dust can do harm to your scanner. Always keep it dust free.
BUYING TIPS FOR SCANNER
October 22, 2007
A scanner is an essential device in most of the offices today. It is the basic peripheral for PC users especially for publishing and imaging professionals to e-mail photos to anyone. The key purpose of this device is that it converts a hardcopy document into digital form. To choose a scanner, one should know about the basic functionalities of the device including the quality, output, speed and software equipments. Most of the scanners available nowadays have the advanced features like 4800 dpi (dots per inch) resolution, transparency adapters and USB 2.0 connections.
Key Features:
Optical Resolution: While buying a scanner, one should know about the resolution offered by the device. Dots per inch, shortly known as dpi are used to measure the resolution. 300 dpi is the standard resolution for capturing texts using optical character recognition. You can also scan larger images with a size of 8 x 10 inches at a very high resolution. But a 4 x 6 photo, 2400 DPI can consume a very large amount of space in the hard disk taking excess of time.
Transparency Adapter: A transparency adapter is required for scanning slides or films. A light source that shines through the film is generally detained in place with a template. These transparency adapters are built into a scanner’s lid as detached sections that plug in and sit on the scanner’s glass. A separate TA (transparency adapter) allows keeping the lid thin or incorporates an automatic document feeder into the lid. Transparency templates are of different sizes, the smallest holding only one slide, many others sized for three slides or a 6 Inch long filmstrip.
Automatic Document Feeder: This is helpful to handle high volume optical character recognition or for scanning pages that is much longer than a flatbed scanning surface. Typically ADF is used to replace the scanner’s lid. Epson, Microtek and HP offer aftermarket ADF for some of their models.
Interface: Scanners come with a USB 2.0 interfaces, which is backward compatible with the USB 1.1 connections. Some scanners also offer a fire-wire connection.
Colour Depth: The amount of colour and grey scale data, a scanner can recognise and save is the colour depth that is measured in Bits per Pixel. A scanner can save more data than its driver can save, so a qualifier appended to the bit-depth spec such as 48- bit internal or hardware colour describes how much data the scanner drive can save. Generally the 24 Bit external colour depth is sufficient.
Sensor Technology: A Charge Coupled Device CCD or a Contact Image Sensor CIS are the two types of sensor technology the flatbed scanners have. The CIS is the latest scanning technology, but they produce a slightly lower quality scanned images. They are much smaller and use very little power when compared to the CCD based scanners. The CIS can be easily powered with a USB cable.
Scanner Types: The prominent ones in use today are the flatbed scanners, called so as the scanning surface is flat. Other than the flatbed scanners there are sheet-fed scanners, handheld scanners, film scanners and multi-function peripherals that incorporate a printer, scanner and FAX machine in one device. Sheet-fed scanners are no longer popular as they are less versatile and work best for individual text pages. As the document slides in through a feeder, as in the case of a Fax machine, photographs emerge bent and books cannot be crammed into it either.
Software: To resize or crop the image, adjust the brightness and contrast or reduce the red-eye effect of the photography. Most scanners are equipped with the simplified versions of image-editing software that can touch up the imperfections or optimise the files for e-mailing and printing. Higher end scanner model includes the Adobe Photoshop for an extensive image manipulation. Many scanners are also equipped with Optical Scanner Recognition allowing one to scan a printed document and convert it to text.
The specs explained: The more advanced the technology, the higher is the price and better the components. When checking the resolution figures, the lower of the two numbers indicate how many dots the scanner can capture in each linear inch of the scan head, called the Optical resolution. The larger number is the number of ‘lines’ the head captures as it scans each inch of the photo or document.
On high-end scanners, a specification for Dynamic Range or Dmax specifies the sensitivity of the device in rendering the lightest and darkest colours and shades of an image. Dmax is a logarithmic system, so a scanner with a reading of 3.6 or 4.2 rating has a better range than the 3.2 Dmax rated system, which is quite good.
Scanner Shopping tips:
• The common model that is easy to use is the Flatbed model.
• Handheld ones are ideal for students and lawyers, as they have to scan short-text messages frequently. They are a bit expensive, but it is cost effective as most of the libraries do not allow taking their books outside the premises when copying is required.
• Lookout for a minimum of 2400 DPI optical resolution.
• Check for the PC’s USB port. Scanners can be connected to the PC with a USB port. If the PC is more than a couple of years old, then it’s likely to have a USB 1.1 Port. The current scanner modes have a USB with 2.0 ports, the connectivity providing a speedier and faster transfer. To use the USB with 2.0 at its optimum, either purchase a new one with 2.0 ports or install a USB 2.0 port in the prevailing PC.
• For businessmen and others who do high-volume or specialty scanning, advanced options like automatic document feeders, transparency adapters and a scan bed, large enough for legal-size documents can make quite a difference. Legal-size scan beds are ideal for scanning large illustrations, diagrams, paintings and labels (like that on product boxes), as well as tabloid-size pages.
Whatever the reason is for buying a scanner, options at economic prices are varied. There are different kinds of scanners in the market offering range of features. So when you plan to purchase one, carefully have a look at all the features and get the best for you.
Epson Perfection 4490 Photo Scanner
October 12, 2007
Epson presents to you its all-new Epson Perfection 4490 Photo Scanner to fulfil all your demands that you wanted to have in a scanner. The scanner provides a high professional level resolution of 4800 x 9600 dpi. It is added with 3.4 Dmax to give you that wide dynamic range and greater image quality.
If you have your childhood memories in faded colour photos, give them new life with Epson’s Easy Photo Fix that will restore your faded colour photos and give back your childhood to you. The inside of the scanner is made to be as a transparent unit. It is supported with a powerful software package for both photo and document scanning.
Some of its main Specifications to be noted are: -
It is a flat bed scanner that can be kept on your desktop. It uses Xe – gas cold cathode fluorescent lamp as its light source. The maximum size of the media supported by this flatbed desktop scanner is 216 x 297 mm. It has got an external resolution of 48-bit colour and is supported with an optical resolution of 4800 dpi x 9600 dpi. Its interpolated resolution is 12800 dpi x 12800 dpi and its resolutions come in the range 16 bit to 48 bit colour.
It is fed manually and the maximum document size supported by it is 216mm x 297mm, which is that of Letter A Size and A4 size. It is compatible with PC and Mac and its interface type is Hi – speed USB. You can scan transparencies, plain papers and films with this scanner. The dimensions are 27.2cm (W), 47.5cm (D), 11.3cm (H) and weight 4Kg. Indeed a best option for colour scanning when its features are given a serious look.
Plustek OpticFilm 7200 Film Scanner
October 10, 2007
Scanners can be classified into image scanners, document scanners and film scanners. Image and document scanners are mostly used in home or office. But film scanners are mostly used by professionals like photographers to get high quality scanning. This film scanning units are manufactured with advanced technology. Plustek Optic Film is a manufacturing company which has been sold Plustek OpticFilm 7200 Film Scanner which scans films efficiently.
• Optical resolution
This unit has the ability to produce resolution up to 7200 dots per inch.
• Slides
This unit has the stuff to make a maximum of 35 millimetres slides with high class printing quality.
• Interface
This product is availed with USB 2.0 interface for fast connectivity.
• Illuminate viewer
It is an essential element equipped with the unit to view mounted slides as well as negatives. This element is fixed on the top of the unit.
• Software
It has already loaded with a high class image editing software.
• Software solution
Make use of software solution to simply remove dust and scratches.
• Film Holders
It uses film holders that are needed for mounting film strips and slides and these holders are designed as user-friendly unit.
• Cover
The manufacture offers a magnetic cover in addition to the unit to keep the unit away from duct and debris.
• Quick scan
It is a useful feature, which helps you to take scan just by one touch. There are lots of scanning settings available.
• CCD Image sensor
It is used in this scanning unit to take colour images.
• Hardware resolution
The hardware resolution capacity of the unit has come around 7200 x 7200 dots per inch.
• Scanning area
The user can use an area up to 36.8 x 25.4 millimetres for scanning.
• Preview speed
The user can preview the image within 10 seconds.
• Scanning speed
This unit has the capability to scan just by 48 seconds with the resolution up to 3600 dots per inch.
• Colour depth
It has come with 48 bit colour depth.
• Weight
The unit has been marketed around the UK with 1.35 kilo grams approximately.
• Scanner Dimensions
This scanning unit has been manufactured and marketed with the dimensions 272 x 120 x 119 millimetres as depth, width and height.
• Other features
The users can get other benefits by using the unit namely:
1. Single pass scan mode.
2. Cold cathode lamp
3. Film holder
4. Mounted slides
5. 6 frames etc.
• Must-have system requirements
The user has to fulfil all the system requirements namely:
1. IBM Compatible PC,
2. Pentium II or faster CPU,
3. CD-ROM Driver,
4. One available USB Port,
5. 128 MB RAM (256MB recommended),
6. 160 MB free HDD space (300 MB recommended),
7. High Colour graphic card (VGA or higher),
8. Microsoft Windows XP, Me, 98, 2000 etc.
Canon CanoScan LiDE 70 Scanner
October 8, 2007
CanoScan LiDE 70 scanner from Canon is quite a good choice to keep it in your office if you have to scan books or papers. Let us take a look into the
features of this new scanner from Canon and get friendly with it. The first impression one gets about it when you see the scanner is that it is a flatbed scanner and is kept on the desktop.
The maximum size of the media supported is 216 x 297mm. The input type of this scanner is colour and hence very impressive. It has a resolution of 16 – bit that is 64K grey levels up to 48-bit colour. To enhance to this it is added with an external resolution of 8 – bit, which is 256 grey levels up to 48-bit colour. The optical resolution of this scanner is 2400 dpi x 4800 dpi with an interpolated resolution of 19200 dpi x 19200 dpi. The maximum document size possible to scan in this scanner is 216mm that is the size of Letter A size paper and 297mm that is the size of A4 letter size. The advantage of this scanner is that we can scan both plain paper and bulk objects, so books and catalogues are not a constraint for the scanner provided by Canon. The type of media feeder is manual load and the interface type it uses it Hi-Speed USB.
To install this scanner the minimum system requirements are
• Microsoft Windows 98
• Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre Edition 2004
• Apple MacOS x 102.8 or later
The Dimensions of this Scanner is 25.8 cm (W), 37.4cm (D), and 4cm (H) and the weight 1.7 Kg.
