At some point in the future, I'd like to follow the recommendations of some various sites I've seen online and scan most of my paper archives to PDF. It looks like this would be the best solution (I'm a Mac user) – or, at least, that's the device I've seen recommended a few million times. However, I really can't see having the discretionary $417+ to purchase this device, not for a very, very long time. Does anyone offer this device for rental? (I live in Chicago.) Is there a RipDigital equivalent for this kind of thing (a very long time ago, they did the initial move of my music from CDs to MP3s)? Are there cheaper alternatives that are just as good?
posted by WCityMike on Nov 21, 2009 - 9 answers

I'm looking for some kind of scanner software that will automatically scan every X seconds/minutes so I can easily scan in notes for my class. Preferably free.
posted by gzimmer on Nov 16, 2009 - 5 answers

Can some one explain simply how to program a Radio Shack PRO-2018 Scanning Receiver Police/Fire/Weather/Air/Marine Radio? Bonus for finding Minnesota fire and police codes?
posted by randomthoughts on Nov 5, 2009 - 4 answers

How can I reduce the file size of a scanned document in Windows XP? [more inside]
posted by MrMulan on Oct 30, 2009 - 8 answers

Is there any way to deal with corrupt pages in non-OCR'd PDF files that occur after copying? [more inside]
posted by mjklin on Oct 15, 2009 - 2 answers

I'm looking for tips and best practices for scanning the contents of my grandmother's scrapbook. [more inside]
posted by rtha on Sep 26, 2009 - 3 answers

Looking for a scanner program that will allow me to set a custom size to scan and remember it for multiple scans. [more inside]
posted by tdreyer on Sep 20, 2009 - 4 answers

For purposes of "going paperless", when is an electronic, scanned copy of a document NOT enough? In other words, in what situations will a paper original of a document be required? [more inside]
posted by QuantumMeruit on Aug 21, 2009 - 18 answers

I have an Epson 1660 scanner, and a transparency unit that came (from eBay) without the medium-format mask. Is there anywhere where I can get one of these, or can I make one myself? [more inside]
posted by mippy on Aug 19, 2009 - 1 answer

Does anyone know where I can get a breakdown of the amount of time for each step in a scanning project? [more inside]
posted by marxchivist on Jul 28, 2009 - 1 answer

Fairly Urgent: Can I get this HP Photosmart 3310 All-in-One to scan sans ink cartridges? [more inside]
posted by romakimmy on Jul 23, 2009 - 5 answers

Need some input on a road warrior setup - Specifically would the Iriscan(express or executive) work for scanning ID's? or is there something better for portable scanning and printing/pdfing [more inside]
posted by Mesach on Jul 9, 2009 - 0 answers

I would like to photograph a fairly large number of archival documents and old books, and then make them look like a regular black and white photocopy. [more inside]
posted by agent99 on Jun 25, 2009 - 7 answers

Recommend a large format scanner. [more inside]
posted by cmoj on Jun 19, 2009 - 19 answers

What materials does Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz) use for his drawings, posters, etc? [more inside]
posted by Camel of Space on May 28, 2009 - 2 answers

A few days ago, I unknowingly spilled water on a pile of old photo prints that I am planning on scanning. They dried, and now, as a result, the bottom twenty are stuck together. How can I separate the prints without tearing or otherwise ruining them? If that is impossible, I still have the negatives somewhere; how can I best scan negatives into a regular flatbed scanner?
posted by not_on_display on May 12, 2009 - 16 answers

Where can I have a hardcopy document "professionally" scanned in New York City? I have a twenty-page document that I'd like to scan, and I need reasonably high-quality output. [more inside]
posted by DavidNYC on May 8, 2009 - 10 answers

My current scanner is causing banding and discoloration, and I need recommendations on finding a new scanner that suits my needs or help getting my old one to work right again. [more inside]
posted by shirobara on Feb 20, 2009 - 4 answers

What's the best bulk way to take scanned documents with black text on red paper and make them into normal black-and-white readable scans? [more inside]
posted by david06 on Dec 16, 2008 - 11 answers

Is there a print or copy shop in Chicago with a scanner with an automatic document feeder? [more inside]
posted by enn on Dec 8, 2008 - 7 answers

I have a USB hand held barcode scanner and I have an enormous pile of books I need to scan into some sort of usable database for sale online. What software would be most useful and where would you recommend selling them online? I'm using Windows XP Pro.
posted by JFitzpatrick on Dec 2, 2008 - 4 answers

How should I scan b/w film negatives? [more inside]
posted by lord_yo on Nov 9, 2008 - 8 answers

Is there a program that will automatically take scans of pages that contain text and images and then extract the images and place them in separate files? Open source would be best. [more inside]
posted by Mo Nickels on Oct 3, 2008 - 8 answers

I'm beginning a project where I need to construct a 3D model based off the "average" shape (I'm not sure that's exactly the proper term) of a number of similar real-world objects, and I'm not sure on the best workflow or process. Example: I have 25 bananas and I want to create a 3D model based off the average shape of all these bananas. [more inside]
posted by itchi23 on Aug 27, 2008 - 18 answers

Any good free (or really inexpensive) OCR software out there? I looked through the archives here but couldn't find any info that was quite right for my needs. [more inside]
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit on Aug 22, 2008 - 20 answers

I'm looking for advice/links on suggested quality/settings for the scanning of academic journals for archiving. The more detail the better. [more inside]
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics on Jul 29, 2008 - 4 answers

Quality film scanning service in Europe [more inside]
posted by einarorn on Jul 24, 2008 - 3 answers

Why does my photo scanner show images with "white flecks" all over them? [more inside]
posted by maxg94 on May 26, 2008 - 12 answers

I would like to go completely paperless. In order to accomplish this, I'll need an excellent bulk-feed scanner to turn all of my received bills and other important pieces of paper into searchable PDFs. Which scanners should I consider? [more inside]
posted by killdevil on May 1, 2008 - 16 answers

Recommendation for professional 35mm slide scanning services, either through the mail or in the Washington D.C. metro area. Best recommendation for extremely long term archival storage of slides. About 400-500 slides. [more inside]
posted by Pastabagel on Apr 28, 2008 - 7 answers

i'm about to embark on a document-imaging and archiving project. i have dozens of handwritten notebooks, a 7 megapixel camera, tripod, macbook, and large external drive. is iphoto going to be useful for this? (or sketchy i may use a separate iphoto library on an external drive?). are alternative software/strategies preferred for managing all these document images? (in case it matters, i'm not interested in putting them online at this point).
posted by garfy3 on Apr 25, 2008 - 12 answers

What are the UK legal system rules and regulations around storing financial, legal and official paperwork as scanned digital copies? [more inside]
posted by Scramblejam on Apr 9, 2008 - 7 answers

I want to digitise my paperwork! What is the best scanner/scanning program for this? [more inside]
posted by edbyford on Apr 7, 2008 - 7 answers

I'm looking for the best way to get good quality scans of old photos and then store them permanently in archival albums or envelopes. [more inside]
posted by sararah on Feb 25, 2008 - 6 answers

I would like to be able to scan in the bar codes on all the comics of my collection into a software that will track and allow me to manage my collection. Scanning being the main requirement. [more inside]
posted by Jonsnews on Jan 31, 2008 - 10 answers

What's a good, idiot-proof way for my mom to scan and manage her old recipes on her iMac? [more inside]
posted by SansPoint on Jan 20, 2008 - 15 answers

I'm intending to self-publish a short run book of photography - I need advice on image preparation (from original neg and tranny) for what will most likely be an offset printing process. [more inside]
posted by strawberryviagra on Jan 5, 2008 - 12 answers

Recommendations for shops in Manhattan that can scan a large quantity of polaroids. [more inside]
posted by spicynuts on Dec 26, 2007 - 10 answers

I'm scanning old family photos and the scanner appears to be adding colored pixels to black and white photos. What do I do now? [more inside]
posted by Jupiter Jones on Dec 17, 2007 - 16 answers

Will a Fujitsu Scansnap 500 (not 500M) work with a MacBook under Leopard (OS 10.5)? [more inside]
posted by alaaarm on Dec 9, 2007 - 0 answers

What do I do with my voluminous diaries (mostly in spiral notebook form) that span 20 years of my life? [more inside]
posted by desjardins on Dec 3, 2007 - 23 answers

Can you recommend any Windows software which will OCR photographed business cards, store them in a searchable database and work with Outlook? [more inside]
posted by mr_silver on Nov 2, 2007 - 5 answers

What software might a large Canadian IP and tech law firm use for scanning documents and records management? [more inside]
posted by onshi on Aug 27, 2007 - 5 answers

GenealogyFilter: I need a scanning strategy and general advice for family photos. [more inside]
posted by RavinDave on Aug 11, 2007 - 5 answers

Looking for a specialty printer who can print large-format pattern pieces (and possibly scan them, too) for a new line of sewing and knitting patterns. [more inside]
posted by bitter-girl.com on Jul 13, 2007 - 11 answers

I need OCR software which will scan a page of a book and then produce an output which has the image of the scanned page on one side and the scanned text on the other. So: side A = perfect copy of the original page; side B = the text as processed by the OCR software. Does such a thing exist?
posted by humuhumu on Jul 4, 2007 - 2 answers

Help! I printed out a long document last night on Microsoft Word (using ibook G4). When I looked at the file this morning, it only has two characters in it. I fear that I may have 'selected all' and then accidentally deleted it, then saved the document. But I have a clear double-spaced hard copy of the document. Is there any way to somehow scan the document and enter the text automatically, rather than retype the many, many words? (or some other way to retrieve the lost text?)
posted by dearleader on Jun 1, 2007 - 10 answers

How do I improve the legibility of the horrible old Cyrillic newspaper microfilm negatives I am scanning? The main problem is that the background is often faded and hard to distinguish from the text. Is there some clever software trickery that will solve it?
posted by thirteenkiller on May 13, 2007 - 15 answers

Desktop Publishing-Filter: I'm assisting someone in completing his memoir. He has a number of family photos that he would like to scan in and insert into the text in various chapters. Help me figure out what we need. [more inside]
posted by papakwanz on May 7, 2007 - 14 answers

I need a cheap way of developing and printing black and white film, but I have neither the space nor the inclination to build a darkroom. [more inside]
posted by ganseki on Apr 22, 2007 - 11 answers