Scott Kehoe, Technology Consultant - Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System (NMRLS)
scott@nmrls.org / 978-762-4433x16 / AIM-bibliotechy / del.icio.us/bibliotechy

Scanning 101

TIP SHEET

RESOLUTION RULES OF THUMB

• Do Not use interpolated resolution, it’s fake pixels!

Know your scanner’s optical resolution (read and save your scanner manual).

• Email /Web pages = 100dpi
• Printing photos / OCR text = 300dpi
• Digital Master/ “Archival” projects = at least 600dpi (higher if possible)

Scanning from Magazines & Newspapers

• If scanning from a newspaper or magazine, use the de-screen option available in your scanner’s interface. This helps to smooth out the dot pattern (half-tone process) used when printing magazines & newspapers.

Scanning Text

If you plan to print the scanned text, convert it to a Adobe Acrobat PDF file, or run OCR software on the scanned text, then scan at 300dpi or more.

• If scanning from a newspaper or magazine, use the de-screen option as described above.
• Save file in the TIFF format. If you must compress to save file space, use the LZW Compression format (this is the most commonly used for text). The JPEG & GIF formats are not as kind to text images. They tend to make text look pixilated and hard to read.
• The above steps will ensure smooth looking fonts when printing and it is what most OCR and Adobe Acrobat software requires.

BACK UP YOUR digital scans!!!

If you don’t, some day you’ll be very sorry … Hard Drives are huge these days, but they will still fail at some point. Optical disks (CD-R / DVD±R) are a cheap, reliable, and easy to implement alternative.  CDs or DVDs can even be a back-up to your primary back-up on hard drives. You can also back up to a portable hard drive, tape drive, another computer or server, or even floppies, but BACK UP!

help!?

Use the Help menu for your scanner, or PaintShop Pro, or Adobe Photoshop!

It's there to help you and often offers very good tips and step-by-step illustrations.

Buying advice	where to Buy
CNET http://reviews.cnet.com/ (search for flatbed scanners) One of the “oldest” resources for all things computer on the web. Reviews (editorial & consumer) as well as price comparisons.	Dell State & Local Government Solutions http://www.dell.com/ Dell site to investigate available equipment & place orders using state-wide contract discounts.
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/ the insights and opinions by shoppers on all manner of products, including scanners.	GovConnection (PC Connection) http://www.govconnection.com/ Service for governmental and non-profit organizations.
Consumer Reports, computer & photography magazines	Check the Sunday sale flyers in your local paper.
ONLINE Magazine/Newspaper DATABASES offered for FREE at your local library! Try keyword searches by brand, model name/number.   Search by the words “flatbed scanner” and “review.” ProQuest eLibrary InfoTrac OneFile EBSCOHost

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update: SK - 3-25-09