To Scan or not to Scan
Today I find myself once again browsing through scanners and reviews online, contemplating spending $1000 on a high-end scanner for making high quality prints of my artwork. If that's the way I want to go, a good scanner will save me money in the long run. If it doesn't work out, I'm out $1000. What do you think?
posted by Unknown at
1:46 PM
8 Comments:
For that type of money, can't you get one of those draw on screens? Not the one you write on and it shows on the monitor, but an actual monitor style tablet?
May 8, 2011 at 2:01 PM
Yes, you could get a Cintiq for that money.
I'm very curious what a $1000 scanner will do! Can you use that to scan and print hundred dollar bills or something?
May 8, 2011 at 5:31 PM
Is it a really BIG scanner? I just bought a $100 scanner and I'm not sure what a x10 one would do.
May 8, 2011 at 6:52 PM
$1000 gets you an 11x17" flatbet scanner. I think it's the scan size that's the price point. For example, a decent high resolution scanner for 8.5x11 runs a few hundred bucks. I might have to just deal with the fact that scanning large prints is out of my price range.
Mid-range scanners seems to be a mixed bag. I had a cannon 3-in-1 printer that did great scans. But eventually the printer portion died and I had to replace it. My replacement printer, a similar design at a simlar cost, does a terrible job of scanning.
A draw-on screen would be cool, but it's not really my thing. Drawing is a way to get away from the couputer for a while. :)
May 8, 2011 at 8:57 PM
I just dropped $1600 on a cork floor for my woodworking workshop.
That's a lot of money for a workshop floor, but I want something inviting, where I'm comfortable spending time. So goodbye concrete floors and 2x4 walls.
I figure if I use it a couple nights a week for 20 years then it was money well spent.
You'll have to make a similar decision, I think.
Is it worth the extra money to be able to scan the larger images? If you don't get the expensive machine, can you find an alternative source for scanning the occasional 11x17 image? Or would it completely limit your art to the smaller sizes?
May 9, 2011 at 6:14 AM
I just scanned a piece of art last night and I had to do it in 2 pieces and cut-and-paste them together in PhotoShop. You could do the same with an 11x17... but it'd certainly be nice if you didn't have to. For me, I'm okay with the $100 scanner for now.
@Ethan: Cork flooring is nice! :)
May 9, 2011 at 6:44 AM
My dad is a professional photographer. He tried many different professional and high quality scanners over the years.
In the end, he never got quite satisfied with them. They always caught dust and dirt, and it showed in the scans. It was always a hazard to clean the images and remove all those unwanted particles.
Besides, when you scanned something from a book it always showed the printing color separation (which you had to deal with during post-production).
Nowadays, he prefers to take a high res picture of whatever he needs digitalized, and he finds the whole process faster and way more controllable. (He uses professional a Nikon digital camera, which of course he uses for a lot more stuff besides that.)
Of course, he hasn't used a scanner in 4, maybe 5 years. The technology might have improved in all this time. Who knows!
May 9, 2011 at 9:28 AM
Would a $1000 camera and tripod notwork for you? It least you can use the camera for other things.
May 9, 2011 at 2:46 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home