Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum
 

'What scanner do I buy to get good results on this board'???

The following post I just made elsewhere.

I've removed the member's handle as it is not relevant, but it does serve as a useful pointer that many members THINK they have a great scanner, but sadly the results are less than terrific, when compared to others that are out there and quite cheap.

Often I see members here with collections clearly worth 6 or 7 figures, posting up scans on equipment that may well be Boer War army surplus.

I think many collectors end up using for scanning whatever the kids had bought, before they left home etc! Or what low end junk came 'free' with the computer etc.

Sure those WORK .. and are fine for scanning the odd document or invoice etc, but for stamps we need something a few levels up the totem pole than those!

I do not work for Canon, nor get a deal from Canon, but am only posting what I know to be true from personal experience and observation, that using current Canon lide series scanners work SUPERBLY for what WE do in the stamp bulletin board world.

I do not want this to be a debate thread about HP scanners versus Fuji or Lexmark etc ..... frankly I do not care what anyone uses, if it does the job for YOU.

However for as low as $A120 locally (and probably far less in the USA) you can buy the absolutely top of the range model the lide 70 and lide 90, that for STAMPS and COVERS work simply superbly.

I've used and owned both and they are brilliant. They are very small, light, compact and portable, and take up no room anywhere. (See actual photo below). I took mine to the Canberra Stamp Show in March, and it easily fits into lap top carry case, on top of the lap top.

I post my reply below, to that member for your info.

We are blessed with all having access to the free photobucket accounts.

I do hope ALL of you using them have read my request to go and re-set them to the new 800 max size, to stop our software "choking down" your images and making them fuzzy, if you are still using what USED to be OK here, the 1024 wide setting, that many complained made the pages here "too wide".

Full details on how to quickly do that are here:

viewtopic.php?t=5342

stampboards.com is the NUMBER ONE stamp board in the WORLD for one main reason .. the huge amount of photos I have always encouraged members to load up here.

In most cases they will stay here for years as a permanent resource and tutorial to others.

Often the info we have here is the ONLY place on the web it is to be found, as google searches show readily.

We now get about 350,000 page views a MONTH here.

Some large dealer websites have literally not had that much traffic in 5 years.

As the publicly accessible stats show, the numbers of collectors who are not members "lurk" and read info posted by others. Many sign up to be members after they feel they are comfy in this environment.

You load up the scans and I'll take care of the hosting fees etc, but the more photos the better has always been my number one motto here.

The QUALITY of what we post is therefore important. If members are in need of updating to a real purpose built scanner, as opposed to those fairly low grade "3 in 1" type deals many use, DO consider upgrading to a Lide 70 or lide 90.

Your own scans will improve out of sight in most cases, and the detail you can offer others via this board will clearly improve too.

Stamps are a 100% visual hobby. The better the visuals, the better we all enjoy it!

Members often ask for opinions on flaws, retouches, or shades. If the scans they post up are essentially rubbish grade to start with, it is hard for anyone to really assist.

The sharper the scan you post, the more feedback you will get back, it is as simple as that.

$120 is a minor drop in the bucket if you are told by others your stamp you always wondered about is now worth $500.

Think on that.

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http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll28 ... 0005-7.jpg




Alan, you'd have to agree (I hope!) this below looks nothing whatever like the actual stamp.

What brand scanner are you using?

Lots of us have bought the Canon lide 70 or lide 90, as the colour seem really accurate on them. And the sharp detail it offers is superb for these boards.

I bought a new Canon lide90 this week for $120.

http://www.shopbot.com.au/p-84074.html

That is absolute top of the range. They are truly dirt cheap, and anyone can install them in 2 mins. Add the free Google PICASA program to crop or straighten or enhance when needed, and you are set.

I am a total techno imbecile, and I can manage both in seconds.

The lide scanners do NOT need a separate power cord .. they simply plug into any of your USB ports, or laptop or desktops, so are very portable, light and thin. Yet allow thick books, catalogues and stockbook pages etc to be scanned, as they open up an inch or two via a very clever hinge at one end.

This below is a pair of £1 blocks in slightly different shades I had on my rarity page last month.

Then I blew up just now the 1 stamp DETAIL, from one of the blocks.

As you can see it bears no resemblance whatever to your 'Specimen', however they are the identical £1 Robes Thick paper stamp.

Honestly with all the quite superb material you clearly have, investing $120 to get a scanner that really shows the details and colors, will help us solve a lot of mysteries in your collection.










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The superb little Canon lide 90 scanner. Perfect for EVERY stamp collector to own!

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Click HERE to see superb, RARE and unusual stamps, at FIXED low nett prices, high rez photos, and NO buyer fees etc!

Glen

i use a Cannon LIDE 25 and it works fine for me. I bought this item after reading some of your earlier advice

Rgds

Colin

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Philatelists are not boring old F A R T S that smell of mothballs

Colin .. yes that one was what I had a year or so back, and is essentially the same as the one above, but even lower priced!

It look pretty much identical exterior wise as you know.

I need a higher resolution than most members will ever need for my magazine column photos, but the Lide 20 or 25 are just fine, for superb stamp scans.

I sold my LIDE 20 to a member here last year, who AFAIK is still using it happily.

In fact my LIDE 70 I have replaced, works perfectly fine, and is only a few months od, and I'll sell that to anyone local for $80 plus post if they need it, and that will save them $40-$50.

The LIDE 90 had one extra tech feature I needed hence the swapover.

Retail price is pretty much the same on both:

http://www.shopbot.com.au/default.asp?k ... ion=search
.

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Click HERE to see superb, RARE and unusual stamps, at FIXED low nett prices, high rez photos, and NO buyer fees etc!

Glen, often it is not the scanner but the software which accompanies it, that makes the difference.

I bought a new scanner, but it was slower and the software so complicated, I went back to my old HP.

Again, it is not the scanner which interprets the colour of a scan but the software and it is here, that the problem lies.

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.

Well you clearly did not buy a Canon LIDE which actually is what this thread is about.

Easiest CD Rom software load up of anything I'd ever done. Took 2 minutes.

Upgrade to my LIDE 70 for $80 Bill .. you'll never look back.
.

_________________
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Click HERE to see superb, RARE and unusual stamps, at FIXED low nett prices, high rez photos, and NO buyer fees etc!

I've always used Canon scanners. I must've had my current one for at least three years and it never skips a beat. The software is great as well.

I think scanner technology has come a long way since I bought a scanner in 1998 so I could sell things on that new-fangled Ebay. It was enormous, it was the size of a palette of bricks and just as heavy. I used to go through a scanner every 18 months or so, then the introduction of LED technology meant that the light source would stay invariable and bright for many years. They must be putting themselves out of business because they just don't break any more.

Mod - Dead link deleted

It took me longer to put the stamps in the Hagner for scanning then it did to scan and process them. (These aren't nice line-engraved issues like the 1 Pound Robes than Glen has in his post).

An important thing to point out is that a $100-odd scanner will give way superior images for flat objects (stamps, covers etc.) than a $1000 digital camera.

Scott

Scott .. yes that was the point of me starting this thread really.

Lots of members are using things 5 or 10 years old that belong is a museum, not a stamp den.

Big, bulky and of poor quality as they get older, and the internal lamp dims.

These Canon LIDE are the size of a 32 page stockbook, so fit anywhere.

I scanned this below to list up here for $30 - a cheap stamp, but when you can do it this quality, what a way to sell a recess printed, line perf ship!

viewtopic.php?p=78734#78734

To get this quality from something that only costs $120 brand new is amazing. In 2000 it would have cost you $1000.

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Click HERE to see superb, RARE and unusual stamps, at FIXED low nett prices, high rez photos, and NO buyer fees etc!

Glen, for a single stamp like the Granada, how many dots per inch (dpi)
do you customarily use? My scanner has a range of 50 to 1200.

Doug that is recess printed and has no dots on it, and I used 600 DPI for that one.

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Click HERE to see superb, RARE and unusual stamps, at FIXED low nett prices, high rez photos, and NO buyer fees etc!

Glen, thank you for your kind offer, but I have an almost new one and my HP.

So far no-one has complained about the quality of my scans. That is apart from the operator, namely me.

When people give me the hint that my scans are not up to scratch, I'll think about it.

cya.
Bill W.

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.

I just bought a CANON LIDE 25 off Amazon UK's website.

For any UK members interested, they're £35 delivered on that site at the mo' which I think is a pretty good deal

I have two scanners with me here which are Canon D1250U2, the other is HP. Both have been serve for my work more than 5 years, but they are still great with my current works. I prefer to use Canon nowaday due to its quality scan.

Hi kennywkt,

I also use a Canon Scan D1250 U2F, it's getting a bit old now but still going strong and I think my scans are reasonable.

Best regards David

Why not get a multi-function unit and save desk space. A Canon MP610 is a great scanner, photocopier and printer.

http://www.canon.com.au/products/all_in_one_printers/all_in_one_printers/mp610.aspx

Other features include:
Prints direct onto CDs and DVDs.
Accepts camera card for direct printing of photos or transferring them into computer.
B&W and colour photocopier can be used when the computer is off.
Double sided printing.
Ink tanks can be refilled to save huge $$$ on ink costs.

This scan is from an HP PSC 1410 all in one
Cost me £50 about 2 or 3 years ago
I think the scans are adequate
This machine can scan upto 19200 DPI.

I can even spot the aphids!

After admiring your Grenada 10/- scan Glen, it looks like it's time to upgrade my Canon LIDE 50 (doubt I can fine tune the software) ......the clarity of your scan is fantastic.

This is a scan of a finely-engraved stamp (pair) too, at 600dpi, but I don't think
it's as sharp (or bright) as the Grenada 10/. My scanner is several years old,
maybe time for a new model.

I'd have to agree with Waroff that often the problem does not necessarily lie in the hardware. To achieve good results in colour imaging on computer you have to have good software, and even more importantly you have to know how to use it.
You need to understand what happens when you save a file in a given format, what happens when you resample/resize your image, what effect different gamma, hue, saturation, contrast, brightness and intensity settings have.
Now, if the software that came with your scanner gives you control over these feataures of the scanned image, and is the only software you have, you'd best experiment with them until you gain a proper understanding of how your package works. Then you'll be able to get the best from your hardware investment.
Also, check to see if there are any colour calibration features in the package.
Some might say you shouldn't mess with the factory settings as these have been worked out by pofessionals, for the particular scanner. I disagree. If you completely mess it up you can always reinstall.
If you do have other software, (including MS Office XP onwards), then you may get better results and more control by scanning directly into that package.
Ensure you have the latest drivers for your scanner, there may be updates since you bought the box.
If your basic scan is good, but your published results aren't, then it is probably due to the resample/resize process. Photoshop does it very well, Corel Photopaint nearly as well, some others, very poorly. Typically the image becomes fuzzy/soft. Using a 'sharpen' tool then can introduce image artefacts and all of a sudden you seem have have discovered a new flaw!

Moral - don't edit at all if you can get away with it.

Consider this: If your final image is to appear on an 800 pixel wide screen, and your stamp is only 3/4" wide then you can afford to scan at a resolution of 1024 dpi. Anything higher or lower than that is a waste.
Most scanners have a range of true scanning resolutions, and above a certain level they adopt an 'interpolation' mechanism. I would not recommend scanning above the maximum true resolution of your machine. With a stamp you want to see exactly what is there, not some 'best guess' of the software.

If you are saving as .jpg, make sure you save as the highest quality, otherwise the compression algorythm will cause loss of clarity and introduce artefacts. Each time you open the file and save it the compression algorythm will be invoked, and even without making any changes at all picture quality will deteriorate.

I hope I haven't bored people, or insulted their intelligence or expertise with this perhaps overly long response to an already long thread, but maybe there's some people out there who can use the advice.

benjiboy

Most veteran posters on this board seem to agree that having a good scanner ranks somewhere between necessary and essential if one is to make any meaningful contributions to this board.

The Canon LIDE series has been recommended by several posters, but the specific models mentioned don't seem to be readily available (at least in my part of the world), having been replaced by newer models, LIDE 100 and LIDE 200.

It's been my experience that "newer" does not always equate to "better," and I wonder if anyone here has had any experience to report on either of these models.

Most of the reviews I've read have been quite positive, but there have also been some negative reviews noted. I operate under the double whammy of being both parsimonious and technologically-challenged, but I'd have to give more weight to the latter foible in this case.

The 200 is somewhat pricier than the 100, but if the 200 comes closer to being "idiot-proof" I'd probably opt for that model if I decide to take the plunge. Any comments will be appreciated.

Larry in Tucson

I've had a Canon lide200 unopened in a box for a month, which seems to be the same as a 90 pretty much.

They are all totally idiot proof as I've had 4 now.

All pretty much the same and should only be about $US100 - or less I'd guess.

No member of these boards can really function without a decent scanner .. and a modern one . . not those Neanderthal 3 in 1 things from a few years back, which are great for copying an invoice and nothing much else.

Get a lide and sign up for the free google Picasa, and you'll be able to post scans like this:

Larry, Glen,


You might want to leave it there, Glen.


I bought a LiDE 200 late last year - cost me $149. A disappointment. Quick, easy to connect, it scans quite fast, even at 600dpi, although it's not the most user-comprehensible interface I've ever seen (and I need plasticine-level easy).

Sharpness is okay, but it drops off badly at the edges (woeful if copying an album sheet). Colour fidelity is poor, and the machine consistently produces a too-bright image. A lot of messing around with post-scan editing to get a reasonable quality pic.

I've gone back to my old faithful, a Canon 8400F, which I originally bought to transfer all my old photographs, negatives and slides to digital. It's an absolute bottler, couldn't recommend it more highly - if you can find one around you won't regret it.

It's slower than the LiDE200, and it's bulkier, but if it's high quality images with faithfully rendered colour you are after, it can't be beat. And you can print up from film negatives and slides.

Clive

Clive .. I'll let you know about it when installed.

Luckily scanning colour slides is not something I need to do.

And bad colour rendering like this I can reluctantly live with.

Glen,



Me, too, and I hope you can get it from your 200. If you do, be sure to let me in on the secret of your success, won't you?

Clive

Well I can always go back to this lide90 if I don't like it.

I feel it not about the scanner but about the settings both above done on one of those new fandagle 4 in 1s
large done at 1200dpi about 27 sec to do
small done at 300dpi and about 6 sec to do
If you copy these scan and paste in a folder on your computer side by side they are the same size square, up the zoom on the 300 and you get nothing but blur, up the zoom on the 1200 and it's as crisp as the day it was printed.

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I AM ALWAYS IN THE MIDDLE
Post your KGV faults on the stampboard wiki.

I use a Canon Lide100 now. I find it quite good (see below) but I use a program called "Vue Scan" rather than the Canon programs (which are good, just i like Vue Scan.)

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.

Bill could you tell me what dpi that was scanned at please?

_________________
I AM ALWAYS IN THE MIDDLE
Post your KGV faults on the stampboard wiki.

As a rule of thumb, the higher the DPI/PPI number, the more accurate scanned image will look like (especially on print). The lower the number, the more details will be missing. This is the way these metrics work.

For example I personally use 300DPI for personal use, 600-1200DPI for professional use (like catalogues and print), and 1200DPI or more for film. Most scanners usually lie more or less about their accuracy - for example usually only the most expensive models provide true 1200DPI or more.

Resolution is by no means the only metric affecting the output quality. For example choosing a "bad" filetype/compression value might wipe out most the gains you achieve with higher resolution. So a good read trough scanners manual/handbook should prove to be very worthwile for anyone.

-keijo-

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See pics of my latest stamp findings at Stamp Collecting Blog.

All the scans in my posts have been done using Glen's very, very well used old Canon LIDE which is still going strong

I scan stamps at 600dpi and covers at 300dpi which is enough for normal posts. For real close in stuff (flaw details, etc.) I use a USB digital microscope which is about 200X mag.

I use MS Office Picture Manager which is nice and simple and does all the necessary cropping, file size reduction, etc.

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Tony

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If it erupts, don't blame me!!

I,m pretty sure that cover is 300 dpi, as the others said, any higher and it becomes too big a file, then photobucket wiil cut it down to fit the page anyway.

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.

I appreciate the input and opinions on the newer Canon scanners, but confess I'm no closer to deciding whether to get one or not. The opinions expressed here echo the ones I'd seen elsewhere...some think they are really great and others have been disappointed in them.

Perhaps just as important as the type of scanner to acquire is the question of whether or not I really need one. I can certainly see the value to the genuine philatelists who can use these images to show unusual material or to illustrate a facet of collecting. However, I'm just a guy who collects stamps; I have nothing to show that is particularly valuable or unusual anyway.

I thought it might be useful to show stamps I'd like to trade because they are either "dupes" or from countries I have no particular interest in collecting. However, I've always preferred mint stamps (although I collect used too), and have never had any qualms about acquiring hinged stamps even if they were issued after 1940. I doubt even the very best scanners would show the gum side very well , and that seems to be just as important as the face to most collectors.

Larry in Tucson

Quite the contrary, LarryD!

There have been several instances on these boards where scans of the back of a stamp have revealed a great deal.

And it's not always the value of what you scan and show that's important. I suspect that most images here are of inexpensive items. But researching what you have can be very interesting, fun and rewarding, and a scanner is a necessity to do that here.

Then there's all kinds of things you can use a scanner for besides your stamps, so don't limit youself to that when making your decison.

Scanners can show the rear of the stamps pretty successfully, except maybe for MVVVVVLH, where there is almost no gum disturbance. Remember it is not only stamps that can be scanned, but also documents ( both in and out.), photographs and a range of other things.

Scanning provides a digital record which is convenient to store of non- digital items. These items can then be stored on CD's/DVD for storage off-site or digitally in a repository.

Many of the houses destroyed in the Victorian bushfires are left with little or no proof of such things as Insurance Policies, bank account numbers, drivers licences etc. If these were stored off-site , digitally, then there would be fewer hassles.

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.

Has anyone had any experience with HP scanners?

I need a new scanner but my current computer is running Kubuntu. Unfortunately Canon scanner support is pretty weak on Linux but I've heard that HP support is much better.

But I thought I'd ask for anyone's experiences before I go and buy one.

Quite WRONG Larry.

We had a member here in the UK peterd123 buy many $1000s of stamps as "never hinged" that we showed to him were in fact hinged and regummed.

So he said "thank you" and went and got them replaced:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=9464

He later proudly posted up in thread above LARGE and CLEAR scans of the 3rd rate junk he'd been given as "never hinged" - he was delighted with them WHEN he posted them here.

I showed him he was out of his MIND if he retained them as unhinged and paid $1000s for them, so he got his money back.

This was one total dog he spent over $1000 on alone:





I then posted up a scan of the 1/- Lyrebird below .. done with a lide90 scanner that PROVES the stamp in NOT regummed .. I'd bet the house this one has original gum . .just by looking at the FRONT of it.

Why .. as I have 30 years of experience for one, and #2 go read the thread to learn for yourself.



LARGE and razor sharp scans are of ENORMOUS use .. more than you could ever know.

I have an old HP Scanjet which worked perfectly well until I got a new computer with Vista OS. Hp wouldn't supply drivers for it, and I had all sorts of hassles, so it relegated back to No2. computer where it works perfectly fine. Not all the bells and whistles of the Canon but a much better interface and I think quicker scanning time.

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.

OK, I stand corrected on the usefulness of a scanner in determining whether a stamp has been hinged (although I'll never understand why the gum side is so important to all serious collectors). I recall reading one of the selling points of a very (in my mind anyway) expensive dry watermark detector was that you could use it to determine a hinge mark that would otherwise be invisible...seemed like overkill to me.
Larry in Tucson

Don't forget a scanner can help identify difficult to see watermarks

By scanning the gummed side then changing the mid-tones/contrast using the scanners software, hard to detect w/marks are more easily identified.

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Tony

Re: Scans of the gum side, I think BOTH LarryD and Glen are right.

An accurate view of the back of a mint stamp depends much more on the quality of the scan (vs. the front).

I was fooled awhile back by a seller who offered a stamp as NH. I think he also used the phrase 'post office fresh'.
He provided a scan of the back and it appeared clean with a nice even light yellowish gum colour. Upon receiving the stamp, I found that most of the gum was actually washed off! I then realized that the sellers scan of the back was of low quality so that you couldn't discern the gum loss.

I returned it and was promptly refunded but I won't deal with that joker again. There is no way he could have mistaken the stamp for NH.

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#1 traders rule - lose your opinion, instead of your money!

Raichu
I've used an HP all-in-one scanner-printer with mixed results. I found that it had trouble reproducing the orange red shades of my small queens, etc.

I recently got a HP Scanjet G4010 with a new 6 colour technology and have been very pleased with it. It's a scanner only, so is better quality than an all-in-one type.

_________________
#1 traders rule - lose your opinion, instead of your money!

After a year with studying and dealing stamps and using Lide90 daily I can only say good words about it.

Seems like this google Picasa is a way to go if I want to upgrade quality.

Toivo

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My blog on philately http://toivostamps.blogspot.com

After several frustrating hours of trying to get my computer to communicate with the scan function of my all-in-one printer-copier-scanner (I know, I shouldn't have even tried since the results weren't likely to be acceptable anyway!) I've decided to "bite the bullet" and have ordered a Canon LIDE 100 from Amazon.

Whether or not it will work as well as the earlier models of the Canon LIDE series, and, more importantly, whether or not I'll actually be able to get it to work, remains to be seen. If I actually post scans at some future dates members will know this series is indeed, "idiot-proof."

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Larry in Tucson
APS#122570

LarryD.

I hope it works and you produce some significant additions to our scan library.
cheers,
Bill.

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.

Hi all,

Just got my hands on the lide 200 model for $129 and even i installed it.

The scans so far look great and it is so easy to use, will see what they look like on the site.

Martin

pandadog now don't over do it
Was once scanning covers over and over and over and over ended up having to stop. Wife standing at door in all the clothes she was born with, and found out later that she had been there for 5 min
True story so don't forget the missus


ar sh^* she there again.

_________________
I AM ALWAYS IN THE MIDDLE
Post your KGV faults on the stampboard wiki.

Hi,,I also just had delivered a two door 700l fridge so i should get at least 2 days scanning out of it, then i may need to look at the oven. Ill need help after that.

The hair-dresser is about a two-three hour job......then the nails and a facial.....

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Waroff49

The last chapter of the Never_Ending Story is being written.