Legal Size Scanner thread. 48 48

[drewincanada]

Any of you scanner pros have any opinions on this scanner?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Photo-Scanner-B11B200201/dp/B003RRY8CO/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1295323206&sr=1-3

 

It's about my price range and what I was looking for. However, I am pretty clueless when it comes to scanners.

 

The scanner bed is letter-sized, so you won't be able to scan a slab in a single piece. You'll have to do it in two sections, and then piece them together in a photo editing app like Photoshop.

 

As well, even though it says it scans 3D objects, that doesn't mean it will be able to focus properly on the comic within the slab. Most scanners on the market can't discern between the plastic slab and the comic within, so they focus on the closest object - which is the plastic slab. As a result, the comic itself will be out of focus.

 

I'm not saying that this will be the case with this Epson scanner, but unless you can return the scanner after trying it, it's not worth taking the risk. Did you search the boards to see if anyone else has tried this scanner?

[passion4comics]

Any of you scanner pros have any opinions on this scanner?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Photo-Scanner-B11B200201/dp/B003RRY8CO/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1295323206&sr=1-3

 

It's about my price range and what I was looking for. However, I am pretty clueless when it comes to scanners.

 

This will not scan slabs. It uses stitch software to put two larger images together. The problem I had with slabs on my Epson is either both sides are elevated which blurs the scan or one side touches the glass (not as blurry) but the other side is elevated. For raw books it would be fine. Just try and turn off all of the auto-enhance software when scanning or it will adjust your levels where whites and blacks are not true; meaning off white becomes the new white.

 

For slabs it may be better just to get a nice digital camera? Don't use a flash and try to minimize room reflection as much as possible. Keep it as close to f2.8 if you can set it so if there is room reflection it will blur out a bit.

 

Hope this helps

Edited January 20, 2011 by passion4comics

[drewincanada]

I picked up a Microtek i800 Pro (legal size scanner), which had a number of positive reviews on the boards. Here's my thread where I posted my first slab scan.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=4513655&Searchpage=3&Main=211514&Words=drewincanada&topic=0&Search=true#Post4513655

[DiceX]

I have a 10 year old Microtek scanner that made beautiful slab scans. I think I've lost the power cord though.

 

 

[passion4comics]

I picked up a Microtek i800 Pro (legal size scanner), which had a number of positive reviews on the boards. Here's my thread where I posted my first slab scan.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=4513655&Searchpage=3&Main=211514&Words=drewincanada&topic=0&Search=true#Post4513655

 

Great scan. What OS are you using?

[ckp1680]

I recently bought the HP8500 legal size printer scanner etc at Staples. So far my scans are blurry .... so I'm underwhelmed, but because I am a novice at scanning will continue to tinker, but right now I get a much sharper picture from my digital Kodak camera than I do my scanner.

 

I bought the scanner new on sale for less than 300 ... and it was the only Legal Size scanner they sold.

 

If anybody uses this is there a way to sharpen the scan? Maybe it's the field or depth issue mentioned earlier in this thread, but it maybe there are things I can do to get a better scan and I don't know what they are.

 

 

That was the first scanner I bought and unfortunately there is not a thing that can be done to help fix it. I took mine back right away although I loved everything else about it, the scanner was terrible and a deal breaker

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

I recently bought the HP8500 legal size printer scanner etc at Staples. So far my scans are blurry .... so I'm underwhelmed, but because I am a novice at scanning will continue to tinker, but right now I get a much sharper picture from my digital Kodak camera than I do my scanner.

 

I bought the scanner new on sale for less than 300 ... and it was the only Legal Size scanner they sold.

 

If anybody uses this is there a way to sharpen the scan? Maybe it's the field or depth issue mentioned earlier in this thread, but it maybe there are things I can do to get a better scan and I don't know what they are.

 

 

I could be wrong but i am pretty sure that if your scans are blurry there is nothing you can do. It's the type of bulb and the focus point of the scanner that is the problem and that is something mechanical designed into the scanner...not a software problem.

 

If you are referring to Depth of Field, you are right. This phenomenon is particularly evident when scanning slabs, wherein the edges of the slab are what the scanner focuses on, causing the raised portion that sits off the scanning bed (and which contains the comic) to become unfocused and blurry. I actually recommended a HP AIO last year to a fellow Forumite, because it was a newer version of my HP 7780 (which takes fantastic scans), and his took terrible scans of slabs (though scans of raw books were excellent).

 

 

[dopy02]

I have a 10 year old Microtek scanner that made beautiful slab scans. I think I've lost the power cord though.

 

 

My old Microtek x6el legal size scanner uses a standard 3 prong computer cord like the old crt monitors use. Contact me if that is what you need and I will send you one.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Here is a 7780 that's ending soon on ebay....looks like the only reasonably priced one too..most have prices of $200 or more.

 

 

 

 

[DiceX]

I have a 10 year old Microtek scanner that made beautiful slab scans. I think I've lost the power cord though.

 

 

My old Microtek x6el legal size scanner uses a standard 3 prong computer cord like the old crt monitors use. Contact me if that is what you need and I will send you one.

 

Nah. It was one of those with an inline power supply and a strange end on it.

 

 

[drewincanada]

I picked up a Microtek i800 Pro (legal size scanner), which had a number of positive reviews on the boards. Here's my thread where I posted my first slab scan.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=4513655&Searchpage=3&Main=211514&Words=drewincanada&topic=0&Search=true#Post4513655

 

Great scan. What OS are you using?

 

Mac OS 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard)

 

I use the scanning software that came with the scanner: ScanWizard Pro 7.71, and I left it on its default settings. No sharpening, no contrast or saturation adjustments.

 

With previous scanners, I've installed their Photoshop plug-in so I can scan directly within Photoshop, but I couldn't find a Microtek plug-in for Photoshop CS5.

[comicwiz]

I picked up a Microtek i800 Pro (legal size scanner), which had a number of positive reviews on the boards. Here's my thread where I posted my first slab scan.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=4513655&Searchpage=3&Main=211514&Words=drewincanada&topic=0&Search=true#Post4513655

 

Great scan. What OS are you using?

 

Mac OS 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard)

 

I use the scanning software that came with the scanner: ScanWizard Pro 7.71, and I left it on its default settings. No sharpening, no contrast or saturation adjustments.

 

With previous scanners, I've installed their Photoshop plug-in so I can scan directly within Photoshop, but I couldn't find a Microtek plug-in for Photoshop CS5.

 

Glad to hear you got a scanner that you're happy with Andrew.

 

I'm curious - is the off-white colour of the back cover and interior pages in the scan you provided representative of the actual book?

 

As far as sharping/resolution settings are concerned, it is native to the controls of my scanner software and don't need to be tweaked in post-capture mode using any editing software.

[drewincanada]

I picked up a Microtek i800 Pro (legal size scanner), which had a number of positive reviews on the boards. Here's my thread where I posted my first slab scan.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=4513655&Searchpage=3&Main=211514&Words=drewincanada&topic=0&Search=true#Post4513655

 

Great scan. What OS are you using?

 

Mac OS 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard)

 

I use the scanning software that came with the scanner: ScanWizard Pro 7.71, and I left it on its default settings. No sharpening, no contrast or saturation adjustments.

 

With previous scanners, I've installed their Photoshop plug-in so I can scan directly within Photoshop, but I couldn't find a Microtek plug-in for Photoshop CS5.

 

Glad to hear you got a scanner that you're happy with Andrew.

 

I'm curious - is the off-white colour of the back cover and interior pages in the scan you provided representative of the actual book?

 

As far as sharping/resolution settings are concerned, it is native to the controls of my scanner software and don't need to be tweaked in post-capture mode using any editing software.

 

I'd say that the contrast and brightness of the scan are accurate, but the colour has shifted. The scan is too yellow. The actual book is a light cream colour. I haven't had time to play with the settings in the scanning software to correct this.

 

Like your software, the app that came with my scanner has a myriad of controls to adjust the quality of the final scan. I'm so familiar with Photoshop, however, that I tend to my final tweaking there instead.

[comicwiz]

I picked up a Microtek i800 Pro (legal size scanner), which had a number of positive reviews on the boards. Here's my thread where I posted my first slab scan.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=4513655&Searchpage=3&Main=211514&Words=drewincanada&topic=0&Search=true#Post4513655

 

Great scan. What OS are you using?

 

Mac OS 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard)

 

I use the scanning software that came with the scanner: ScanWizard Pro 7.71, and I left it on its default settings. No sharpening, no contrast or saturation adjustments.

 

With previous scanners, I've installed their Photoshop plug-in so I can scan directly within Photoshop, but I couldn't find a Microtek plug-in for Photoshop CS5.

 

Glad to hear you got a scanner that you're happy with Andrew.

 

I'm curious - is the off-white colour of the back cover and interior pages in the scan you provided representative of the actual book?

 

As far as sharping/resolution settings are concerned, it is native to the controls of my scanner software and don't need to be tweaked in post-capture mode using any editing software.

 

I'd say that the contrast and brightness of the scan are accurate, but the colour has shifted. The scan is too yellow. The actual book is a light cream colour. I haven't had time to play with the settings in the scanning software to correct this.

 

Like your software, the app that came with my scanner has a myriad of controls to adjust the quality of the final scan. I'm so familiar with Photoshop, however, that I tend to my final tweaking there instead.

 

I figured that much. This not only happens with scanners, but also with camera's, and white's tend to be the most difficult in terms of capturing a colour accurate representation of the item.

 

On the matter of CGC slabs, the scanner I use has a sharpness setting (see page 4 of this thread) which I find as essential to use as the settings to determine which resolution to use.

 

I have tried to run the scanner using Windows capture software and the difference is day and night. I have also tried to simulate adjustments to sharpening the blurriness that a suspended comic encased in plastic creates, and again, the results aren't quite the same.

 

I find that in my case, the OEM scanning software that shipped with my scanner is a must when working with slabs. For my treasury's I use a different scanner (Brother MFC-6490cw) which uses a led bulb and while it isn't ideal to use with slabs, it is great for raw comics and the platen size makes it suited to scan all comic formats.

[3319comics]

Any legal size All- in- One printers?

[VintageComics]

I'd say that the contrast and brightness of the scan are accurate, but the colour has shifted. The scan is too yellow. The actual book is a light cream colour. I haven't had time to play with the settings in the scanning software to correct this.

 

Like your software, the app that came with my scanner has a myriad of controls to adjust the quality of the final scan. I'm so familiar with Photoshop, however, that I tend to my final tweaking there instead.

 

That's a great looking scan, Andrew. Thanks for taking the time to post all that info.

 

I'm really happy with the color representation of my HP8250 scanner but unfortunately am stuck with the glare.

 

I might have to move into a Microtek.

 

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Yes, the HP 7780 and its successors, but as I mentioned before, some of the newer ones apparently have the depth of field problem with the scanner. I would buy one from a store that takes returns in case the scanner is a disappointment.

[GACollectibles]

Yes, the HP 7780 and its successors, but as I mentioned before, some of the newer ones apparently have the depth of field problem with the scanner. I would buy one from a store that takes returns in case the scanner is a disappointment.

 

Exactly, the raw scanning is much better but the slab scans are blurry. I have used the HP AIOs for 10 years and am mucho bummed about the quality of the slab scans on the 8500A.

 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

HP OfficeJet 7410 All-In-One

 

Default settings. Windows XP. These are old scans and I forget the DPI.

 

 

 

Wireless legal sized scanner, color printer, fax machine, copier.

[VintageComics]

CC, those are amazing scans.

 

So it seems you do get what you pay for. My 8250 does great color representation but most of the time makes the glare happen.

 

Do you have any thick slabs that you've scanned (GA or Giant Size slabs)?

 

The reason I ask is because the glare problem seems to be more prevalent on those thicker slabs.