Scanning pointers?

[Tolyk]

I've recently discovered that not only am I horrible at scanning, but the scanner I have access to is absolutely horrid. At least for me it is.

I was wondering if anyone can give some pointers on how to get the most out of a poor scanner, or if I should just save up and buy something better. Currently using an all-in-one HP model, not sure which one at the moment.

 

[Rob]

Other than the obvious things:

Ensure the platen is perfectly clean
Ensure the original is perfectly clean
Ensure the original is absolutely flat to the platen
Check you are scanning into TIFF at maximum resolution
Update the drivers to the latest version
Disable any electronic dust/noise reduction
Ensure you are in picture scanning mode, not text or whatever

I use a very cheap and compact Canon LiDE 30 which is USB powered and uses LED lights and it's quick(ish) accurate and perfectly adequate for turning a 6x4 into a screen sized picture or identical sized print.

Rob

 

[mysteryscribe]

I use the even cheaper lide25 resolution is only 1200 (wish I had gone for more resolution) but it is adaquate for the scanning I do.

I scan a lot of black and white large format negatives so I guess 1200 is adaquate. I did notice on a scanner I had before this one, that it was sharp. I have no idea why but it was always soft. I have not had that problem with the last two scanners I bought.

I had a visioneer just before this one and it was high resolution but on a 4x5 4900 dpi scan I didn't have enough computer for it. When it died of some unknow electronics problem, I bought the cannon and am over all very happy with it.

I go along with all the previous commentator said. Not much you can do to help the scan of a photograph... It pretty much is what it is if you have the scanner set up right. I do note a difference in the software from one company to another. The canon software to me is easier to use and does much much better on xp than on win 98

 

[markc]

Get good scanning software, like Vue Scan. A lot of the included programs are crap.

Your software should allow you to pick your white and black points. This is important for getting good contrast and tonal range in your image. Otherwise it can get all blocked up, and trying to fix it afterwards won't get you back the lost data.