ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
07.10.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


Scanning Paper Prints to Digital Photos On your Hard Disk

Author: Ziv Haparnas Author Ranking Blue | Posted: 20-08-2006 | Comments: 0 | Views: 279 | Rating:  (55) Article Popularity - Blue (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Sign Up Now!

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation when you have to scan paper prints, negatives or slides and store them as digital photos on your computer. Although the reason for doing that can vary there are some common considerations to scanning paper prints. In this article we will go over some of them and try to make your scanning experience easier.

There are three types of prints that you might be scanning:

  • Paper prints: the most common, usually at sizes like 4X6 and 5X7.

  • Negatives: also known simply as film. This is the processed film usually 35mm from which paper prints are made.

  • Slides: very similar to negatives used for projecting photos on a large screen.
  • Scanning paper photos prints.

    Photo paper prints are easy to scan. You can choose to scan them yourself at home (purchasing a scanner that can do the job is usually cheap and costs less than a $100). You can also choose to mail them (or hand them) to a professional scanning service that will scan them for you and mail you back the originals and a DVD with the digital scans (such services include www.digmypics.com, www.digitalpickle.com, www.britepix.com and many more)

    There are pros and cons to both scanning at home and using a professional service. If you have a small number of photos scanning at home is easier. If you have plenty of photos using a service might be easier but you can end up spending more money.
    When scanning at home consider the following:

  • Resolution: the resolution of a scan is measured by the number of dots per inch that the scanner can produce. Most scanners can scan at 1200 DPI or more. Usually the scanner can be set to scan at different resolutions. The higher the resolution the slower the scan and the bigger the photo file size will be. For most paper prints scanning at 300 to 600 DPI is enough but you can experiment scanning at higher resolutions if you feel it provides better results.

  • Speed: If you have a small number of photos speed is not an issue. If you have hundreds or more of photos scanning speed becomes important. To get fast scans you would have to scan at the lowest resolution possible that results in good enough scans - for most paper prints 300 to 600 DPI is enough.. Also if you're going to buy a scanner check the scanning speed (usually measured in the number of scans per minute make sure that you check the speed at the DPI you're going to use).

  • Photo feeding: if you only have a small number of photos this is not an issue. If you have many photos make sure that the scanner you buy allows fast and easy loading of photos. Some higher-end scanners will let you load a stack of photos and will automatically feed and scan them for you. These scanners are the right choice if you are planning on scanning hundreds or more photos.
  • Scanning negatives and slides

    Scanning negatives and slides is harder than scanning paper prints. In most cases it is easier and maybe cheaper to use a professional scanning service (such services include www.slidescanning.com, www.myspecialphotos.com, www.pixmonix.com and many more). If you want to scan at home your standard flat scanner will not be good enough. In most cases you will need to spend money on purchasing a film/slides scanner. Those scanners are more expensive than the flat paper scanners. Negatives and slides are small high resolution sources and thus require scanning at higher DPI than paper prints. In most cases 2400DPI or higher should be used.

    The considerations for scanning negatives and slides are similar to scanning paper prints. If you need to scan just a few negatives or slides speed and ease are not important but if you're going to scan hundreds or more you should spend more money on scanners that can feed the negatives or slides automatically or can just load a roll of film and scan it.

    Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

    Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/digital-photography-articles/scanning-paper-prints-to-digital-photos-on-your-hard-disk-48553.html

    Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
    About the Author:

    Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information digital photo printing printing and photography in general on printrates.com – a site dedicated to digital photo prints

    Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

    Article Comments

    Comment on this article Comment on this article
    Your Name
    Your Email:
    Comment Body
    Enter Validation Code: Captcha


    Got a Question? Ask.

    Ask the community a question about this article:

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Scanning pictures
    By: Ran Landau | 19-07-2008
    I'm looking for a photo scanner, with a good feeder, which will scan all my old photos, is there something like that in the market?

    I just cancel In running MBSA 2.1 scan on my ...
    By: gsriddle | 27-06-2008
    I just cancel In running MBSA 2.1 scan on my Laptop, it goes to about 75% but never completes and after long time I just cancel the scan. What is happening?

    How do I make and exact copy of a CD disc label?
    By: britcom61 | 18-05-2008
    How do I make and exact copy of a CD label? The label that sticks on the disc itself. I tried scanning the original and then sizing it to fit my label maker. Problem is that the scan has a shadow around the edge and the scan also shows the edge of the disc! There must be an easire way to replicate a cd disc sticker, does anyone know how??

    Best resolution for scanning old photos
    By: arutha | 12-11-2007
    I have a lot of old photos that I wish to scan. My scanner allows me to modify only the DPI. The available DPI options are as follows:DPI - 100x100, 150x150, 200x200, 300x300, 400x400, 600x600, 1200x1200, 2400x2400, 4800x4800, 9600x9600, 19200x19200.When I use a low DPI I get a low-quaility scan but it's fast. When I go up to 1200x1200 DPI it takes forever to complete a single scan. My question - is there any rule for which DPI to choose, or should I just go with the best combination of speed and quality (in my case - 600x600).Thanks..

    Looking for suggestions on current scanning/OCR technology to save time on blogging by posting in handwritten entries
    By: Ecrivaine32 | 07-02-2007
    I like to do my writing by hand in my notebook on the Metro, and I love to blog, but it's lighter and more convenient for me to go lo-tech, mostly because I haven't purchased one of the new ultraportables yet (yet, I say - I definitely have my eye on them).  I have a Palm Treo 700p, however, even though I purchased a lightweight, wireless keyboard to go along with it, I don't really have the space in which to use it when I'm on public transit (where I get most of my writing ideas and inspiration).  If I just use the Treo keyboard with its awkward, tiny keys that drive me bonkers, it would take me days to write one post.I really like the idea of writing my posts (albeit, neatly) and then scanning them in via some kind of device or software.  I have not messed around with scanning technologies in a while, so I was wondering if anyone could supply me any advice on this.I always seem to have more to say than time to blog, and I'm constantly missing out on good opportunities to write.  Any suggestions?Also, I like the idea of the handwritten images, which I think may add some character as well to my blogs.I will still type into my blog, so it will be kind of a mixed media project online.

    Slides to JPG
    By: Mr.Kelada | 03-08-2006
    I have a bunch of slides that I would like digital images of. Currently I'm getting prints from the slides and scanning them on a flat bead scanner. Is there a better or cheaper way of getting .JPGs from slides?

    Q&A Powered by:
    Powered by Yedda 

    Latest Digital Photography Articles

    Wedding Videos How to Choose a Wedding Videographer
    By: Andrew Gale | 03/10/2008
    Most brides spend years and years planning their wedding day meticulously and want every detail of the day to be perfect. What a shame it is that so many brides either don’t think to book a professional wedding video company.

    The World of Digital Photography!
    By: Decio Fernandes | 01/10/2008
    Since before it was done with the use of film, photographers would literarily take their time to study and get their shot right. They would make sure their settings were correct and their composition would be as perfect as they would picture it in their heads...

    Affix Lovely Moments Into Fine Photo Prints
    By: Thomas Jack | 30/09/2008
    Read this content to sharpen your awareness on the use of good photo prints. It would be surely helpful in developing a beautiful online photo collection. Don't stand behind others while making use of discounts which can reduce the cost of photo printing work.

    Photo Prints Retaining the Everlasting Memories
    By: Thomas Jack | 30/09/2008
    The uses of photo prints are infinite. Now, folk can go for making an album with the help of beautiful photo prints which are made by the reputed photo printing sites. Read the following lines to know more about their valuable products and services which are highly commendable.

    Photo Printing & It's Convenience in Today's World
    By: Thomas Jack | 30/09/2008
    Photo printing help you in getting multiple photo prints from the original film from your cameras. There are many upcoming photo printing websites which are excellent in providing their products and services.

    How to Get Cheaper Photo Printing Online Services
    By: Thomas Jack | 30/09/2008
    Save your money by availing low cost or free photo printing online services by using various online routes.

    Importance of Paper Size in Digital Photo Printing Services
    By: Thomas Jack | 30/09/2008
    If you have decided to use digital photo printing services, make sure you are aware of quality, size and shape of paper used to take out digital prints.

    Which Paper to Select for Digital Photo Printing – Glossy or Matte?
    By: Thomas Jack | 30/09/2008
    When getting your photos printed in the most high quality paper using digital photo printing services, you should choose wisely between glossy and matte papers.

    More from Ziv Haparnas

    The Advantages of Digital Photos and Digital Cameras
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 13/09/2006 | Digital Photography
    There is no debate that digital cameras are going to take over the photography market and with time we will see less and less film cameras sold and used. It is beneficial to take a moment and try to list the advantages of digital cameras and digital photos and put some order in why everybody likes them so much. In this article you will find that list.

    Facts About Flash Units and Taking Photos Using a Flash
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 12/09/2006 | Digital Photography
    For most of us firing the flash is something that happens in the background and that does not require our attention.. Flash photography was not always so easy to use. Flash is useful in many situations for example when taking photos in dark scenes or when getting rid of shades in fill in mode. It is beneficial to know some facts about flash usage and how it works.

    Selling Products Online With the Help of Digital Photos
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 08/09/2006 | Digital Photography
    The old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" was never more true. In the digital photography era photos can be used in more types of media than they could have before. Not limited to paper prints they can be used on web sites, in emails, in cellular phones, projected in presentations and more. When selling products online photos are a powerful tool that you must use. Here is how.

    Digital Photo Printing Paper Sizes - 4xd 5xd and Others
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 06/09/2006 | Digital Photography
    When you print digital photos on traditional paper sizes photos are either cropped or areas of the paper are left blank. The reason is that tradition paper sizes were designed for film and have different aspect ratio than digital photos. Digital paper sizes solve this problem and are offered by many - here is how.

    Exposure Value (ev) and Exposure Compensation
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 04/09/2006 | Digital Photography
    Exposure is defined as how much light hits the camera's sensor. It depends on the camera settings mainly aperture and shutter speed. Exposure value (known as EV) is a number that represents the exposure setting of the camera. We will explain what the number means and how it is used for exposure compensation.

    Photo Printing Made Easier With Dpof
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 03/09/2006 | Digital Photography
    There are many ways to print photos. For example you could download the photos to your computer choose the ones you like burn them on a CD and take them to a printing service. DPOF makes such photo printing easier - here is how.

    Digital Camera Modes - Shutter Aperture Priority and More
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 01/09/2006 | Digital Photography
    Digital cameras can be put in different photo shooting modes. The most used mode is automatic - the only thing you need to do is point and shoot. However understanding and using the other options will allow you to get better photos in certain scenarios. Here is how.

    Tips for Saving Money On your Online Photo Prints
    By: Ziv Haparnas | 20/08/2006 | Digital Photography
    Taking photos with your digital camera and viewing them on your computer screen is fun. Sometimes you'd like to make hardcopies of your photos. One of the easiest ways to print your photos is by using an online photo printing service. In this article we will give you some tips for saving money when using such services.

    Article Categories






    Give Feedback

    Sign up for our email newsletter

    Receive updates, enter your email below