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[Xhumed]

Originally Posted by APFelon

Okay... I have been scanning in PC games documentation in preparation for their eventual upload here to Abandonia. The folded and stapled docs are a breeze. The other stuff is not so easy with my Lexmark 9350.

I have photoshopped docs "back to normal" if they are bigger than 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches with pretty good results. However, I have some really, really cool old posters that I'd like to share. I suppose I could peacemeal them back together in Photoshop, but is there an easier way?

Secondly, many old docs are actually bound by glue. If I unfold them to get a good scan, I fear that I might break the spine. I read that it may be easier (and less destructive) if I take photographs using a digital camera (keep in mind that I want to create manuals/docs/literature of the highest quality possible). Any opinions on this?

Thanks,

APf

If you have any docs that can be laid flat you can try the older method that we used to use in a photography shop I worked in many years ago, you just lay the doc on a flat surface and place a sheet of glass on top, then light it with just bright natural light to avoid having to use a flash which will obviously cause reflection problems, you can also use a sheet of new clear perspex and weight the edges to hold the doc flat.

You can get very good results this way especially with digital cams with high resolution but you really need to use the cam on a tripod or once the cam is set up use the timer or a remote shutter control to avoid cam shake, it just takes some time in setting things up.

Some professional scanner business's use a scanner that only opens the pages of a book 90 degrees to avoid damaging the spine maybe you could use something similar to scan/photograph any docs that can't be unfolded fully, if you want to get serious about it have a look here for lots of info on making your own book/doc scanners, there called scanners but they actually take photos.