Mary Van Court's presentation on optimal scanner settings for the RML Rendezvous, March 10, 2010.

1. Not Through a Glass, Darkly Tips and Tricks forOptimal Scanner SettingsMary Van Court University of WashingtonHealth Sciences Library

2. Before you start… What do you want to scan? What kind of digital file do you want? Do you have the right software?

3. Do you want to scan a photo or a multipage document?

4. Photos are usually scanned asJPEG or GIF files Use JPEG for complex images > 16 million colors Not as sharp as GIF Use GIF for line art or logos Sharper than JPEG 256 colors

5. Multipage documents are usually scanned as PDF or TIFF files Most people are more comfortable with PDF Some applications require TIFF (such as Ariel for Interlibrary Loan) Lots of programs to convert between theme.g. DocMorph from the National Library of Medicine (http://docmorph.nlm.nih.gov/docmorph/).

6. Look at the software The software that came with your scanner will usually do a good job of scanning photos, but will it do what you want?

7. Every scanner/software combination is different

8. Some walk you through the process step by step

9. Some show all your scanningoptions on one screen

10. Some give you a few optionsand make you look for the rest

11. Sometimes there are multiple places to look

12. Select the file format

13. Select the resolution For web display 100 dpi For standard printing 240 – 300 dpi For glossy printing or posters Scanner maximum dpi = dots per inch

14. Sometimes the resolution setting is explicit

15. Sometimes there are sliders This one shows the relationship between resolution and file size.

16. Select the image type/mode

17. Sometimes it’s more cryptic 24-bit color 256 colors 8 colors RGB colors Line drawing Half tone Text + photo Generation

18. Set the physical parameters It’s often automatic, but sometimes you have to set: Paper size Flatbed scanner vs. document feeder One or two-sided original Scanner accessories

19. Adjust the image parameters Brightness Threshold Contrast Dithering Despeckle

20. Sometimes settings are pictures – not words

21. Settings are not consistent from scanner to scanner Does the scan get lighter or darker when you increase the brightness?

22. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) A Lots of programs to convert paper image to text Need to scan at 300 – 400 dpi 97-99% accurate Can create searchable image

23. Post scanning editing Variety of software Lots of different features Shop around for what you want

24. The bottom line is … There are a lot of choices. Keep looking until you find one that works for you.