Slide Scanning News

Document imaging can involve photocopying and microfilm or microfiche output, in addition to scanning into digital images. However document imaging and scanning have become so closely associated as to become synonymous.

The reason could be that scanning is the primary step in transferring paper-based information into the electronic content repositories of modern organizations. Under today’s Enterprise Content Management systems, electronic content is the lifeblood that drives business operations.

How Does Scanning Transfer Info Into Electronic Workflow?

Scanning alone cannot put paper-based information into the electronic workflow. What slide scanning does is to create a digital image of a paper document. This image can be a “pure” image like the image of a photograph; or it can be the image of a text document.

While the images of text documents can be read by humans, they are just images to computers. Computers capture images in a bitmap format while text is based on ASCII, Unicode, and other character standards. The two formats are very different. Images of a page can take up to 50 times the space required for an ASCII text page.

To make the text machine-readable, further processing is required. Such processing involves using character recognition technologies like OCR and ICR. With these technologies, the images can be converted into true text documents that can be indexed.

Indexing is the step that makes the document an integral part of the electronic content. Indexing involves categorizing the document based on the full text or meta information attached to the document. Indexed documents can be retrieved through searching by the words in the text or meta keywords.

Why Transfer to ‘Electronic Workflow’?

What is the significance of transferring paper-based documents into the electronic workflow? The answer is that the benefits are many.

Firstly, electronic content can be retrieved in a few seconds with a few keystrokes at your computer workstation. Retrieval of paper documents would involve going to the file room, identifying the particular filing cabinet, retrieving the right folder, locating the particular document, taking it back to the workstation, and then putting it back into the folder/filing cabinet/file room.

Considering all the hassle of retrieving paper documents, people might just avoid it while making quick decisions. The result would be low-quality decision making. Decisions would be hunch-based instead of informed.

Next comes the distributed accessibility of the content, particularly relevant in the case of global enterprises. Electronic content can be accessed from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.

Security and safety are also improved when electronic content is used. It is easier to control access to electronic info using access rights and password-based access. Electronic content is also less prone to damage from humidity and disasters such as fires and floods (backups can be stored in a different location without too much hassle).

Cost is another factor favoring electronic content. With electronic copies available, much of the original paper documents can be shredded once they are scanned. This saves on filing cabinets and expensive file-room space.

Conclusion

With the innumerable advantages of moving paper-based content into an electronic workflow, modern enterprises have universally adopted this strategy. The primary step for such paper-to-electronic information movement is scanning. Document imaging and scanning have now come to mean almost the same thing these days.

Film scanners are made for the sole and express purpose of scanning film directly into your computer. Unlike their flatbed counterparts, which may be able to handle media of various sizes and thicknesses and can even scan film if a transparency adapter is installed, film scanners scan only one thing: film. But because the image to be scanned is taken directly from the original material – from the film, and not from a print – film scanners allow more direct control over image elements such as cropping and aspect ratio. In addition, film has more detail and dynamic range compared to prints – which invariably lose tonal range and color data during the printmaking process. These are real concerns to photographers and graphic artists, who rely on original slides and film – and film scanners – to ensure the integrity of scanned images in professional and commercial applications. So, if your work relies on scanning negatives, slides, and other types of film, a film scanner is the right choice for you. This buying guide tackles some of the more important things that you need to know when looking for a film scanner.

Style and Type Some flatbed scanners include either an external or built-in transparency adapter that is used to scan film. Other flatbeds are of a dual-bed design; i.e., with one bed – the glass flatbed part of the scanner -for scanning prints; and another bed – a transparency bay that looks like a pull-out drawer – for scanning film. If you intend to scan only the occasional slide or stray piece of film, and don’t mind the lower resolution as well, a flatbed scanner that can accommodate film may well serve your purpose. Be aware, however, that the resulting film scans will not be suitable for commercial or professional use. To obtain the best results, nothing less than a dedicated film scanner will do.

Bit Depth

A scanner’s bit depth determines the number of bits captured per pixel, which is related to the number of possible colors. The higher the bit depth is, the greater the number of colors that can be shown. Bit depth for film scanners on the market today can be 30-bits, 36-bits, 42-bits, or 48-bits. Always aim for higher bit depth when possible, as this allows the scanner to work with and retain a greater amount of color information. A 48-bit scanner, for instance, produces 65,536 levels or shades of color per R,G,B (red, green, blue) channel, resulting in a mind-blowing possible combination of about 250 trillion colors. In contrast, a 36-bit scanner produces 4,096 levels of information, or a paltry 68.7 billion colors.

Resolution

For scanners, the optical, or “true”, resolution is what matters, as this is the actual number of pixels being read by the scanner’s optics. Film scanners have much higher resolution figures compared to flatbeds, with optical resolution in film scanners ranging from 2700 dpi to 5400 dpi, and 4000 dpi being the most common. The high resolution in film scanners allows you to enlarge small images, creating enough pixels in the process to print in full-page size.

For instance, a full-frame 35mm color negative scanned at 2400 dpi will result in a size of about 3400 x 2200 pixels. If this 2400-dpi image is printed at 300 dpi, the resulting printed image will be 8 times larger than the original film size (2400/300=8). In actual terms, this means that your original 1.4 x 0.9-inch film (36 x 24 mm) can be increased by 8 times to 11.2 x 7.2 inches when printed at 300 dpi – without any loss of image clarity or detail. A word of caution: Because film scanners can scan in such high resolutions, file sizes can be big. Scanning the 35mm negative at 2400 dpi in the example just cited will result in a file size of 22 megabytes.

Film Formats

Most film scanners work with 35mm film. Some can scan APS film, but an optional APS adapter is needed to batch scan the full APS roll. Other film scanners, such as the Microtek ArtixScan 120tf, can scan medium format film as well, ranging from 6×6cm to 6×17cm panoramic. Check to see what types of film holders are provided with the film scanner; most models will include a 35mm slide scanning holder as well as a 35mm filmstrip holder. A few models offer optional autofeeders that accommodate 50 mounted slides to allow efficient batch scanning of film.

Interface

The hardware interface of your film scanner will determine how long it takes to transfer digital data to a computer for processing. Together with the actual operational speed of the scanner, the hardware interface plays an important part in determining scan speed. Most older film scanners have SCSI ports; the newer film scanners feature FireWire or USB (Hi-Speed or USB 1.1) interfaces. Models with either USB or FireWire interface are hot swappable – which means the scanners can be plugged or unplugged from other devices to which they are connected without having to turn the scanners off and on.

Dynamic Range

The dynamic range of a scanner measures how well it can capture the tonal range of an image, ranging from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows. Dynamic range is a more important spec in film scanners than it is for flatbeds, because film and other transparent media have a broader range of tones compared to photos or prints – something that film scanners are perfectly equipped to capture and show. Dynamic range is measured on a scale from 0.0 (perfect white) to 4.0 (perfect black), and the single number associated with a scanner indicates how much of that range it can tell apart. The minimum and maximum density values that can be captured by a scanner are called Dmin and Dmax, respectively. If a scanner’s Dmin was 0.2 and its Dmax was 4.2, then its dynamic range would be 4.0. The dynamic range of film scanners are usually advertised by their manufacturers as falling somewhere between 4.0 and 4.6, but these are intrinsically difficult figures to prove or validate, and a model claiming a higher number may not necessarily have better results to show, mainly because of variances in testing and determining the figure. A more practical way of assessing would be to visually check how shadows and highlights are reproduced by the scanner and then compare the results to the original image or to how other scanners reproduce those same tonal colors.

Dust-and-Scratch Removal, Film Repair

Software provided with film scanners can be specialized and varied. Like flatbeds, film scanners will include their own driver or scanning software, as well as bundle an image-editing program – such as Adobe Photoshop – into which scanned images are delivered and placed. In addition, higher-end film scanners may include a color calibration and ICC profiler program, which ensures consistent color by creating a color profile specific to the film scanner. With the ICC profiler program, an image – known as an IT8 target and containing industry-standard color values – is scanned, and then compared to values that the scanner actually recorded. The differences are then translated into a compensation scheme to even out color variations, so that accurate color results can be produced in the future.

Dust and scratches on film can present a big challenge for film scanners, as imperfections can take on gigantic proportions when the film is scanned at the scanner’s very high resolution. Film can also be damaged through improper handling, and what appears to the naked eye as a tiny scratch may render the image on a film practically useless. For this reason, a number of film-repair technologies have been developed to remove imperfections, allowing an image to be reconstructed and printed flawlessly, as though it came from a pristine original. These film-repair technologies may be implemented either through software alone, such as the dust-and-scratch removal feature from the SilverFast program by LaserSoft Imaging; or through a combination of hardware and software, as is the case with the DIGITAL ICE technology built-into some models.

Other technologies

Depending on the model, film scanners may incorporate proprietary technologies unique and exclusive to their manufacturer. Such technologies may include an auto-focus mechanism to ensure perfect image capture, a patented feeder mechanism, or specially designed holders for making film stay flat. These features may make a real difference in improving the quality of your scanning or streamlining your workflow.

Printing digital photos on canvas is one of the most popular means of enlarging photos digitally. Canvas is the ideal medium for enlarging and printing high resolution photos taken using digital cameras. Today, with high resolution digital slide scanning also being in the menu of most printing facilities, your original artworks, art reproductions and paintings can also be digitized and printed on canvas.

To meet the increasing demands in canvas printing, facilities offering digital photo printing services are equipped with the latest high-tech digital printers and can produce canvas prints directly from digital cameras or memory cards. These printers are capable of undertaking prints in bulk amounts and can also provide canvas prints in high resolutions with minimum colour distortion.

Canvases are so popular that they are the preferred medium commonly used in landscape and portrait image printings. To make canvas photo prints less vulnerable to fading, UV resistant inks are being used at most printing facilities. These UV resistant inks provide great resistance to constant exposure to light and heat and thus give an extended life for printed images.

For high quality digital photo prints, canvas made of high quality cotton fabric is the recommended option. Improved technologies in printing such as dye sublimation deeply fuse ink into the cotton fibres, thereby giving them extra protection from fading. After printing digital images on canvas, most digital printing facilities also professionally stretch them on to wooden frames so that they can be conveniently hung on the wall.

Most printing facilities have with them canvases in varying sizes which are ready to be printed. These printing service providers can also custom design canvases in specified sizes upon client request. These photo prints are highly suited to be displayed on a wide variety of occasions including exhibitions and tradeshows. They are also ideal for displaying in art galleries, exhibition venues, museums, and public halls. Digital photo canvas printing can give you impressive prints that add to the beauty of any interior space.

Today, more people are getting hooked over Digital photography. Since the birth of digital photography, it has been easier and more convenient for people to capture the best photos they desire. Digital Photography indeed has become the wave of today and in the near future. But what if you’re still using the old mode of taking photos- the film photography? Well, think again.

For those few people who are still using film photography, here are some good reasons why you should opt for digital photography:

1. Generally, one of the most excellent features of choosing digital photography is that its convenience. Aside from the fact that digital cameras are easy to use since they are user friendly, these cameras are also portable and you can just safely place it in your pocket anywhere you go.

2. With digital camera, you can save your time and effort. Digital cameras provide instant feedback once you take photos. It has a review button to let you view all the photos so you’ll be able to choose the best one. At the same time, it has also a delete button for those photos you don’t like to keep. In short, you can keep on trying until you get the right photo. Now isn’t that great?

3. The next good thing about digital photography is its capacity to have your photos printed immediately. Actually, you can it is much easier if you have a digital printer. You can just simply connect your digital camera to the printer and press the button to print. On the contrary, film cameras takes time before you get your photos developed. You also have to go back to the photo shop to get your pictures.

4. Another great thing you can get from digital photography is the capacity to modify or edit your photos anytime. Since the images are in digital files, it is much easier now to edit them. You can simply open the images in any photo editing software supported by the file. With the photo editing software, you can alter or adjust the color of your photos. You can also crop the photo and design your own photo. All of these in one photo editing package. It’s more than what you can get from film cameras.

5. If you want to put up a small business, then digital photography would be of great help. Let your creativity works. Digital photos cannot just be simple photos. Now, you can turn them into T-shirts, mugs, invitations, greeting cards, calendars and a lot more. This is for the fact that digital photos can be printed anywhere and in anyway. Just make use of the right photo paper, and surely, you can make lots of money from it.

6. Lastly, digital photography has the ability to share the photos you have you’re your love ones and relatives. You can simply give a copy of the precious moments to someone everywhere. Just attach the softcopy of the photo to your email and send. That easy. But with film camera, you will spend money just on slide scanning the photos, to be able to send them online. Of course that’s an extra work for a digital photographer.

Apparently, digital photography has really paved way for making photography convenient and easier at the same time achieving high quality photos. It just shows that there’s no other time to opt to digital photography than now.