Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with scanning

Going Paperless and need a Document Imaging Service

Merlin144 — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:20:04 -0800

What document imaging company do you recommend that is user-friendly, cheap, and secure? I need a service that will scan and OCR approximately 1000 pages of personal records. I can do the OCR'ing if that significantly affects the price.

I am considering using Pixily.com, however their prices are ridiculous. If I get one of their monthly plans and send in an extra envelope each month, it would amount to 0.29/page for one-sided documents. Ouch!

I'm looking for a service in which I can trust their security procedures because these are personal docs including taxes, bank statements, investement reports, etc.

Best digitizing options for dual-language documents?

JoannaC — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:11:14 -0800

Options besides PDF for digitizing dual-language books? I have some teaching guides I use in my work which are quite bulky and I would like to digitize them. They are fairly simple-looking documents except that the text is mixed between English and French. (e.g. it has prompts in English telling you what to say in French to the kids when you are teaching, for example "say 'je suis ici' while pointing at yourself.")

I am using a Macbook, and the scanner I got was a basic model, a Canonscan 100 scanner on sale. I tried to scan a few pages, and it was a bit of a mess. I got an okay picture when I scanned it as an image, but all attempts at PCR extraction were dismal. When I set the scanner to OCR mode and the language was English, I got gibberish. When I set it to French, things improved a little and it got much of it, but the text still needed a lot of cleaning up.

I thought maybe it was just that the software which came with the scanner was not that great. So I downloaded a few utilities which claim to extract text from PDFs. They had great reviews. They totally choked on the French parts.

The PDF looks fine (I made a two-page sampler for testing purposes), but displays a bit too small for easy reading on my Sony Reader. I uploaded it as a PDF, LRF and epub in separate files onto my Reader for testing. The epub could not zoom at all (i.e. the page stayed looking the same no matter what). The LRF looked just like the PDF on lowest zoom but when I tried to zoom in, the text got garbled as it had when I tried to extract it from the PDF.

So, there are three possibilities here:

1) The scanner is not that great
2) The scanner is fine and I just need better software
3) Dual-language files are too hard and I am stuck with PDF

What do you think? Is there anything I can do here, or will I go to all this work just to wind up with itty bitty text in a PDF file? If so, it may not be worth scanning them all...

Good options for digitizing documents like these? The books weigh several pounds each, and there are 7 in the set, so it's a ton of weight to carry around with me...

Rental of Fujitsu ScanSnap (or Similar) in Chicago Area? Or General Advice?

WCityMike — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:20:54 -0800

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?

Automatic Timed Scanning Software?

gzimmer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:13:55 -0800

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.

How to program a Radio Shack PRO-2018 Scanning Receiver?

randomthoughts — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:03:52 -0800

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?

How do I change default scan settings?

MrMulan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:44:46 -0800

How can I reduce the file size of a scanned document in Windows XP? I have narrowed it down to something in the XP OS.

Boss has a Canon MFP that would scan to his PC. Test scan file would be about 300Kb pdf.
Boss got a new PC. I installed the same Canon software and used the same settings his old PC used, except now the actual scan takes longer and the file is over 1,000Kb.
I uninstalled the Canon software on both machines and used the built in Windows fax and scan app...same thing...old PC creates a fast scan with small output file, new PC creates a slower scan with a larger output file.
Again, all settings, resolution, ect. are the same on both machines.

I know there is free third party software to reduce after the fact, but I don't want to go there and give him another step to do.

Can't find anything that applies to this scenario on G. As always, thanks in advance.

Is there any way to deal with corrupt pages in non-OCR'd PDF files that occur after copying?

mjklin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:47:57 -0800

Is there any way to deal with corrupt pages in non-OCR'd PDF files that occur after copying? I've been steadily scanning my backlog of personal papers with a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner, which scans to PDF. The older version of the ScanSnap could not automatically recognize (OCR) scanned documents, but rather treated them as image-based PDFs. I copied these files for backup and general use, often deleting the originals.

Recently, when I've tried to open these files, there have been several pages inside that are blank. In Adobe Reader I get the message "Not enough information for an image", while in Foxit Reader I get a garbled or smeared version of the page. This is annoying and fairly traumatizing since I often don't have the original.

So, a few questions for those who have experience with the ScanSnap and/or PDFs of this type:

1) Is there any way to recover the lost information?
2) Does this only happen with non-OCR'd PDFs? Could it ever happen to a "normal" PDF with a layer of text?
3) What if I scan handwritten notes, which have no recognizable text? If I OCR them (with the newer ScanSnap, which permits this), will they still be vulnerable to corrupt pages in the future?
4) Is there a "safer" way to copy that will not result in lost data?

Thanks much.

Help me preserve Grandma's travel scrapbook

rtha — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:02:03 -0800

I'm looking for tips and best practices for scanning the contents of my grandmother's scrapbook. I have my grandmother's excellent scrapbook. It's filled with souvenirs of her life and travels in the US in the 1920s and 30s: snapshots (mostly black-and-white, some sepia - either by design or due to fading); train tickets; menus; postcards; newspaper clippings. And so on. These are mementos of trips to Banff, and San Francisco (before the Golden Gate Bridge was built), and Los Angeles, and DC, and other places.

The pages are held together with a cord looped through two grommets; the photos and other items are held in with either glue or those little photo corners; many items are captioned in white ink.

I have access to a large flatbed scanner. I'd like to be able to scan the entire page when possible, at a large enough resolution that I can go back and crop individual photos and captions if I want to.

I don't know enough about this process to even know quite what questions to ask. What resolution? With photos or other items that are easily detachable from the page, should I just scan them separately (but that would lose some context - most of these are grouped together by event or time period). If you've done a project like this yourself, what do you wish you'd known before you started?

Suggestions for alternate scanning programs?

tdreyer — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:38:02 -0800

Looking for a scanner program that will allow me to set a custom size to scan and remember it for multiple scans. I'm on Windows 7 and I'm attempting to scan in a very large number of documents (600+) that are sub-letter size (8.5"x11"). I've found the the integrated scanning program that comes with win7 is a little inadequate.

Mainly I'm looking for a scanning program that is free and will allow me to set a custom size and remember it for multiple scans (ie. 6.5"x9.25")

Papers, please.

QuantumMeruit — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:16:51 -0800

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? I am working with a company that is trying to "go paperless" and some people are, understandably, nervous that the scanned copies of documents won't be enough. We know about things like needing to keep the originals of documents where the document itself is the "thing" (i.e., negotiable instruments, deeds). We know about a "gotcha" in 29 CFR 1910.1020 (which requires original chest x-ray films to be preserved).

Help me anticipate the parade of horribles, Hive Mind -- tell me your experiences when the original paper document had to be / should have been presented.

Scan til ya cannae scan nae mair

mippy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:58:31 -0800

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? I would be willing to buy a new transparency unit (I have friends with eBay accounts) if one came up, but most sellers seem to be based in the States, and the masks never seem to be sold. I only need the 120/medium format one anyway. Irritatingly, the EU-33 transparency unit was bought from Spain on eBay and to get a refund I would have had to send the damned bulky thing back by recorded delivery. Grrr.

Time Analysis for Scanning Project

marxchivist — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:46:35 -0800

Does anyone know where I can get a breakdown of the amount of time for each step in a scanning project? Part of my job is to give presentations on scanning paper records to digital formats. A lot of our audience (government agencies) wants to scan things like personnel files, client files etc. that can have a lot of different types of paper documents in them: different sizes, condition, paper thickness, staples, paper clips, etc.

We have been using this time analysis graph from a New York State Archives workshop from 2001. I know scanners have improved a lot since then and was wondering if anyone knew of something similar but more up to date. I have not had any luck with searching the internet.

Is there a way I can jerry-rig an Hp Photosmart 3310 so I can use just the scanner?

romakimmy — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:45:51 -0800

Fairly Urgent: Can I get this HP Photosmart 3310 All-in-One to scan sans ink cartridges? I just sent off a 45 page fax that didn't go through because the receiving party is having fax issues for the past 2 days. I need to get these docs sent via email now ASAP.

I have an old HP Photosmart 3310 that was lying around collecting dust since it was a bit of a lemon (bad rollers). We had a second one that worked better, and at some point we purloined the cartridges from the lemon. The second one is now at the ex's new place, along with any replacement cartridges that were lying around.

Pulled the lemon down, plugged it in and it promptly reminded me that there are no cartridges. Manual is useless vis-a-vis just using the scanner, as is the HP support site, and frantic Google searching. Pushed all the buttons on it to no avail.

Am I shit out of luck or is there a way I can jerry-rig this sucker so I can use just the scanner? Am handy and familiar with building a PC, so I don't mind cracking open the sucker if necessary.

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

Mesach — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:01:15 -0800

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 I need to get a Project Manager for my company setup with a portable solution for scanning and printing, he travels "A LOT" and needs something that he can tote around. I need to get a setup that he can print and scan with, mainly he will be scanning documents, but pretty frequently he will need to scan ID's and Permanent Non Resident cards.

I have looked at the canon line of portable printers, and I'm pretty much settling on the Iriscan scanners, but I need to know if they can scan id's and such, they can scan business cards, but i don't need the recognition, it really will only be for scanning and printing or scanning and PDFing to email to corporate.

Is there possibly a better solution?

How to photograph a document and make it look like a b&w photocopy

agent99 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:39:44 -0800

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. I have Photoshop, but am having a hard time applying the right filters, etc. Any advice on how to accomplish this efficiently and effectively? (I know this would be much easier done with a scanner, but the documents are fragile so this is not possible).

A scanner markedly

cmoj — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:07:44 -0800

Recommend a large format scanner. I'm no longer a college student, and so I no longer have access to my school's 11' x 17" scanner, so now I need to buy one. The last time I was looking to buy a scanner, though, it seems that things were simpler. They were all slow, and dpi for the price was king. Now, I can't tell the why one scanner is $1000 and another $200. I realize there aren't actually very many 11" x 17" scanner options, but what is the best for the price? I want pretty good (non interpolated) dpi, but I don't need top-of-the-line or anything. I will use it mostly for scanning originals for comics, which is why the oversize is desirable.

Am I better off getting a normal sized scanner and stitching the scans together? I have a pretty good 8.1 MP camera, too. Would it prove satisfactory for me to build a setup to photograph such things? How would I do that?

Jamie Hewlett's Drawing Process

Camel of Space — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:22:49 -0800

What materials does Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz) use for his drawings, posters, etc? I'm mostly interested in his more recent process and work, as it parallels how I'd like to work. Based on this interview
about Monkey, he says he scans the final drawings and inks them on the computer. This clip from Bananaz shows Jamie Hewlett doing a drawing for Gorillaz. So what does he do these pre-scan drawings with? Is it just pencil?

And, what sort of paper is he using on the light table before he scans the picture in?

I know this is the sort of thing where I should experiment with materials and find what I like, but I don't have the patience. I just want to find something that works well. Right now I enjoy drawing on paper, then inking with my tablet.

And a bonus question: What sort of scanner would you recommend for this process? I don't want to spend a lot, but I don't want to regret being cheap later, either. Being able to scan images larger than 8.5x11 in. would be good, and color would be good in case I need it in the future.

Tips and Hints for the Occasionally Klutzy Erstwhile Photographer

not_on_display — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:48:22 -0800

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?

High-Quality Scanning in New York City

DavidNYC — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:29:59 -0800

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. The civilian scanners I've used tend to reduce quality to an unacceptable degree for my present purposes - either they skew things, or introduce too many artifacts, or just plain make things look crummy. (I know that some of these things can sometimes be corrected after the fact, though why not avoid the problems in the first place?) I'm also reluctant to entrust this job to your ordinary corner Kinko's (though perhaps I am wrong to do so).

So I'd love a recommendation for some sort of print shop which will do a top-notch scan job, and then either email me the file or stick it on a USB drive (I need a PDF). The output doesn't need to be perfect (this isn't a commercial venture or anything), just good - so I'm not looking to spend a fortune. And if you've had success with a Kinko's-type place, those suggestions are welcome, too. The east side of Manhattan is preferred. Thanks.

Need to fix or replace my scanner

shirobara — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:12:45 -0800

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. I have a Canon CanoScan LiDE 50 that is a couple of years old, and I use it about once a day to scan drawings done on sketchbook paper with colored pencils. Lately, however, the quality of the scans have been very bad, with banding on areas of the scan and discoloration issues. I have a Mac with Leopard installed.

The banding doesn't go all over the outfit usually, just in the middle (see the bodice of this dress, which I tried and failed to fix in Photoshop, and the skirt of this one). Also, the color is getting worse: things are too light, a noticeably different shade from what's on the paper, or colored differently in different areas of the scan. (The original of the blue dress I linked to has the same color blue on the skirt and the bodice, but the bodice looks darker in the scan.)

I don't want to just walk into a store and pick out a new scanner, because I already did that and it didn't help much. I bought a Epson Perfection V200 Photo a few months ago, but whatever I scanned with it seemed faded and not true to the original color, and the background was always grey, not white. I couldn't find a way to consistently fix the scans with Photoshop or change any of the scanner settings to make it better, and I ended up returning to the old scanner. I already spend two to four hours a day drawing and writing a blog entry, so I don't want to add half an hour fiddling around with Photoshop to try to make it look like it's supposed to.

So is there anything I can do for my old scanner? And if not, which scanner would you recommend I buy that will scan accurately and not drive me crazy with the color being wrong? I'd like to keep it under $200 (although if that's unreasonable, I'm open to suggestions that are more expensive). Thank you!

Bulk editing PDF files

david06 — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:56:42 -0800

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? I recently bought a Scansnap S510M and I've been getting rid of paper as much as possible. It's great having everything as searchable PDFs.

I have several hundred pages of course notes which were prepared by a note taking service which I'd like to scan and throw away. To discourage students from photocopying them for their friends in the class, they photocopy these notes onto fairly dark (obnoxiously dark) red paper, so there's not enough contrast to get a good copy on a normal photocopier.

What is the best way in Photoshop to take a color scan of a document like this in (dark red background, black text) and turn it into a black-and-white image with black text and a white background? As in which "adjustments" option would be the right one for this job?

Then, to take it one step further, how could I automate the process if I had a PDF file with many pages like this?

Where can I scan a couple hundred pages in Chicago?

enn — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:50:17 -0800

Is there a print or copy shop in Chicago with a scanner with an automatic document feeder? I have a couple hundred pages to scan, and may end up having to scan similar volumes on a somewhat regular basis. Somewhat to my surprise, while both my neighborhood print shop and Kinkos have sheet-fed copiers, these apparently cannot be used to scan, nor are any of their scanners capable of handling more than a page at a time. I would rather not scan each page individually on a flatbed scanner. Is there anywhere in Chicago I can use an ADF-equipped scanner for a reasonable price? These are letter-sized, single-sided photocopies I'm looking to scan, so I don't need anything fancy.

Alternately, if buying equipment is my only option, can anyone recommend a scanner or multifunction device with a decent ADF for less than several hundred dollars?

How can I scan book barcodes and sell them online?

JFitzpatrick — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:22:18 -0800

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.

Scanning BW film

lord_yo — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:43:42 -0800

How should I scan b/w film negatives? I'm scanning my whole 35mm film negative archive in hi res, and there are a couple of black and white films among them. Will I get better results if I scan them in color, and convert them afterwards, or could I just scan them in b/w directly? Is there any reason why I shouldn't do the latter?

Program to find and extract images in book scans?

Mo Nickels — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:35:47 -0800

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. I have hundreds of pages of a scanned book that contain text and images. I'd like to have all the images grabbed out of those scans and placed in their own files, with unique names, and with some kind of indication in the image file names which original scan they came from. This is a monstrous chore to do manually, but it strikes me as something that should be fairly easy to do programmatically.