Scanner

[MarieO]

Hello,

In the purpose of scanning books, I do not know which scanner I have to try. Do you have may be some advices to give me ? Is there a scanner specialized in scanning books ? I will appreciate this very much. Thank you for your time and disponibility. Marie.

[CWR03]

The only issue would be how you want to scan the book. If you hoped to lay the book flat and scan the two exposed pages at once, you'll need a large enough scanner to do so. Any flatbed scanner will work, but make sure you can remove the lid to make the process easier. I like my Lexmark X1185 scanner/printer combo - it's cheap, has a large bed and a removable top, and for some reason can scan at 9600 DPI.

[MarieO]

Thank you for your reply. Is there a way of avoiding to force the book to stay on the scanner ? Maintaining the book firmely open during the process of scanning is always a kind of gymnastic... Thank you, again, for your message.

[CWR03]

That's why I recommended one large enough to lay the book flat on the scanner. You could also extend the surface, like placing something of equal height next to the scanner to support the rest of the book if it's too large to scan all at once. I haven't scanned many books, but the few times I have it was certainly difficult.

[smiller667]

Just as there are special photocopiers which can copy right up to the binding of the book, there are also special flatbed scanners. Check out e.g. http://www.plustek.com/products/book.htm ...

Of course it always depends on how much you want to spend ... there are much more professional machines such as http://www.logos.com/features/bookscanner :p.

[CWR03]

lol, wow, that second one is impressive! I'd forgotten that as a possibility - a friend of mine called me looking for a way to merge a scan of a blueprint he'd been trying to save on his computer. I told him "why not take a picture of it with that nice 5.3 megapixel digital camera of yours?" He did, and he was kicking himself for wasting some four hours on the scanner when the digital pic took all of ten seconds.

[MarieO]

Thank you for your replies. They have been very appreciated.

[MarieO]

Is the Plustek Optic Book 3600 interesting ? What do you think ? Thank you for your precious time. Have a nice day. Marie.

[CWR03]

It looks nice, but you may even find something with a similar design at a retail store. Mine wouldn't work like that, as the edges are at least two inches wide.

[FredThompson]

There is a skinny glass frame scanner at most of the office stores. I think it's from Canon but don't remember exactly. The one I'm thinking of is designed for use with books, similar to the photocopy machines in libraries where the glass is at the end of the surface so the non-scanned part hangs over the side and you don't overly stress the book.

Another option is to get cheap paperbacks from used book stores and cut the spine off then run them through a scanner with a full-sized page feeder.

There is also a rod-shaped scanner specifically designed to be used for scanning books and papers. It's got an internal memory to hold about 50 pages. I dont' remember the name and you have to move it by hand. Kind of gimmicky, I think, but sometimes this might be the only option.

Well, I suppose you could also use a high-resolution digital camera aimed at a table top and a frame to hold the book open.

[MarieO]

Thank you for your support, that is very nice. I hope I will find the way... Not always easy.

[MarieO]

I do not know which one to choose. If you should give me an advice concerning a scaner for books, which one will you give me ? Marie. Sorry being silly.

[CWR03]

What is your intended purpose for scanning books? Are you planning to OCR them to text or do you want pristine images? OCR won't need as much quality, so a less expensive scanner would work as well. Some scanners are even bundled with OCR software which can be a $50-100 purchase alone.

[FredThompson]

What country are you in?