Best way to scan a book image into a high-quality print?

May 4, 2011 12:35 PM

Hi all, I am a neuroscience student and I'd like to get my mentor a print of one of Santiago Ramon y Cajal's famous drawings of a neuron as a going away gift. Unfortunately, I can't find anywhere that sells prints or photos of these drawings online, but I was able to find a book at my university's library that has larger (12" x 24") high quality images of these drawings. My question: what is the best way to go from book to print? Are there particular scan qualities or types? Particular types of paper/material to print onto? Places (FedEx, architecture firms) to go to? Any advice would be really helpful. Thanks! Brian
posted by quickasfoxes to technology (3 answers total)

This might be a stupid question, but unless my googling is deficient, it doesn't look like it would be wildly difficult to reproduce. Have you thought about creating a reproduction of it yourself, or tracking down an arty friend to paint a reproduction of it?
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 1:06 PM on May 4, 2011

I am appalled that I'm the only one to respond so far. Hopefully the stunned silence of the Green means that I'm right? (and not that everyone else is too lazy!)

In other news...if the book is such that you can have it flat without breaking the binding, then you should be able to scan it. I think you're onto the right path with architects -- most consumer scanners seem to optimized to scan US letter or A4, not 12" x 24" which is more than twice that area.

That said...you're basically making a color photocopy. Go to FedEx, get a full-resolution copy run on acid-free paper, and get it framed nicely. If you've got a budget of $50-100, that's it done right there (although you might have to assemble one of those frame kits yourself).
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 10:43 PM on May 4, 2011

Thanks for the response(s) ivan. I'd really rather avoid reproducing the drawings, as I'd like to get as faithful of a reproduction of the original drawings as possible, and would really like to scan it.

Sounds like Fed-Ex is my best bet so far, and acid-free paper to prevent aging.

Thanks!
posted by quickasfoxes at 8:35 AM on May 5, 2011