basic scanning tips....
I’m often asked “what’s the proper way to scan?” I always find myself saying “it depends on your needs”. Scanning can be simple or cumbersome depending on the scope of the project and the individual needs. Below I outline some basics that will hopefully get you started...
I have found most flatbed scanners have more resolution than you will ever need and will get the job done nicely. I can’t say one brand is better than another, they're all about the same, but what I can tell you is that I have a wonderful EPSON (I’m biased) purchased new for less than $200. It has served my business well. If you’re looking to save money by purchasing an all-in-one unit, I don’t recommend it.
The first thing you need to do is determine whether the images you’re scanning are going to be used digitally (as in emails, Flash, Power Points or the web) printed (promotional materials, or personal home displays), or archived (put away and never seen again).
The beauty in using images digitally is that you can scan them at low resolution, not only do they look great (digitally that is) but they will save a ton of space on your hard-drive. There are two ways to scan:
Scan current image size.
To begin, I find the easiest thing to do is scan original image size at 72 dpi (a printer’s term for dots per inch), by doing so gives a little flexibility to reduce later on. The only downside is that if you’re scanning larger images over 8x10 or several images at 8x10, they will take up more space, in that case I recommend going with the second scan option described next.
Scan image to size you know
you'e
going to use.
Determine the size you WANT to use the image at, tell your scanning software your determined size then scan at 72 dpi. Say you have a 5x7 image you want to use it as a 3x5 on your website. If you tell your scanner, to scan the images as a 3x5 at 72 dpi, you’re good to go! It’s important to note however, once an image is scanned at 72 dpi, you can never print or enlarge it.
NOTE:
Digital images must be 72 dpi at 100% it’s size.
Same rules apply here as with digital uses. The only real difference is that for printing purposes the image must be scanned at 300 dpi or you will receive nasty calls from your printers. The upside to this is you will have archived images that you can always use in printing AND you can also reduce down for digital use. This way is most ideal if you want flexibility with your favorite images. However it is not ideal if you have several images to be archive and never printed. These images can and will quickly take up hard-drive space. There will never be reason to scan beyond 300 dpi. Anything more is wasted space. Printing companies have proven, anything beyond 300 dpi will not make an image better rather it may actually reduce the quality.
Scan current image size.
Place image in scanner, be sure to select 300 dpi in your scanning software.
Scan image to size you know
you'e going to use.
Determine the size you WANT to use the image at, tell your scanning software your determined size then scan at 300 dpi.
NOTE:
Printable images must be 300 dpi at 100% image size.
digital archiving
Many people find themselves adopting boxes full of old family photos and wonder what on earth they should do with it all. It’s becoming more common for people to “preserve” their photos by scanning and archiving them. This is where it can get very complex. If you scan all your images at 300 dpi, you may be facing a year long project AND you’ll fill your hard-drive fast! For most, it’s not worth it. On the flip side you can scan all your images at 72 dpi, but later down the road when you want to print a certain image on your home printer, it won’t print well. I have personally found a middle of the road solution that works quite nicely. Scan images at 150 dpi original size (100%). Why? Because later you have the option to use the images digitally or print from a home photo printer which can handle this resolution nicely, it also conserves on scanning time as well as hard-drive space. If you have personal favorites I always recommend scanning them at 300 dpi, just in case.
large format printing
A common misconception when it comes to large format printing is that an image must be a million dpi, not true. Quite the contrary, an image to be printed in large format only needs to be 72 dpi at 100%. Yep! That right! Why? Because large format printing machines are set at higher resolutions thus making them able to print beautiful images at only 72 dpi. Good for us! That means if you have an 8x10 image at 300 dpi, you can print the image up to 32x40 at 72 dpi. The image is enlarge 4 times, 300/72 = 4. When you scan something you know you want to print in large format. Keep this math in mind.
The tips outlined should be enough to get you comfortably started and will meet most of your needs. If you have questions, please email otherwise, ENJOY!
catch & release graphics
