Which scanner is the best for scanning cards??

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Posted By: Andy

I am about to purchase a new computer scanner for my office and was wondering which one should I buy. I have noticed that the scans from the auction houses are incredibly sharp and vivid. Which one do most of you have? Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Always looking for 1915 Cracker Jack PSA 7's & 8's.

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Posted By: Mark T

I have a HP officejet 5610 all-in-one....i think i paid $100 last year and i love it. Has printer,scanner, fax. easy to use.

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Posted By: fkw

Make sure your scanner can focus on the card. I have a cheaper HP all in one (1315) and whenever I scan SGC cards the slab is in focus but the card is not (its blurry) and there is no way to adjust the focus. My old Cannon scanner was better at scanning graded cards but it broke.

Bring a SGC card with you and test the scanners out.



I need a new one too.

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Posted By: Kevin Saucier

Ask John "WonkaTicket" his scans are off the chart.

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Posted By: Andy

Mark T & FKW

Thanks for your help. I want to make sure I buy the best available on the market as my current all in one is a Lexmark X1240 and the pictures are not as sharp as the ones I see at auction houses. I want to make sure I buy a good one this time around.


Please keep the information coming.




Always looking for 1915 Cracker Jack PSA 7's & 8's.

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Posted By: Jason Carota

I recently purchased a Canon Canoscan 4400f. It handles raw and graded cards well. Here are a couple of examples (PSA slab vs. SGC):

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Posted By: Richard

I just went through this process, so I can speak somewhat intelligently about it. You need to get a scanner with CCD technology.

This is the most important thing to look for. A lot of scanners out there, especially the all-in-1's have CIS technology which does not provide the scan depth that you need for slabs.

Get a scanner with CCD.

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Posted By: Andy

Jason

Those scans look great. I have a couple of questions. First, what do you do with your scanner in order to get those clear pictures? Second, what DPI does that scanner have?

Thanks for your help!

Always looking for 1915 Cracker Jack PSA 7's & 8's.

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Posted By: Anthony N.

I just got a Canon 4400f and am really impressed by it. I turned the sharpening up a bit (Jason, you might consider this too) and it got even better. For under $100 it was great.
I still get much better quality shooting copy shots on a high end digital camera back, but that involves a lot more set up.

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Posted By: Andy

Richard

Thanks for your help as well. Also, which one did you finally buy??

Keep the info coming.

Always looking for 1915 Cracker Jack PSA 7's & 8's.

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Posted By: Richard

I bought the Cannon MP970 all-in-1. I originally had purchased the Cannon MX700, but returned it when I figured out the CIS/CCD thing. I checked the Cannon 4400f and it also has CCD.

I have only had the MP970 for about 3 days, but all of the scans that I have taken so far look fantastic - PSA, SGC and BGS slabs.

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Posted By: Jason Carota

To achieve those results, all I did was scan the cards @ 600 dpi with the cover open. Then I simply resized them. The max dpi of the 4400f is 9600.

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Posted By: Andy

Jason

Since you have a Canon 4400f do you think this is a better pure scanner than a all-in-one? Also, the scans of Mastro Auctions to me, are the sharpest that I have ever seen. Do you think this scanner can achieve those results?

Griffin- Can you show a scan as well with your Canon 4400f . Try it on a Cracker Jack if possible.

Always looking for 1915 Cracker Jack PSA 7's & 8's.

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Posted By: Gene Palmer

Scanned with an Epson Perfection 2450 at 150 dpi. I've had the scanner for a couple of years so I doubt if this particular model is available, but I really like the Epson scanners...

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Posted By: jim

epson perfection 4490 photo, maximum resolution is 4800 dpi, this is at 600 dpi.

[IMG][/IMG]

I scan at high resolution to preview cards for submission

[IMG][/IMG]

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Posted By: Jason Carota

IMO, the 4400F is much better than an "all-in-one." I replaced my AIO with the 4400f because it would not scan a graded card well at all. As-far-as achieving the quality of the Mastro scans goes, I am not sure. I have a feeling they use a really high end scanner. With time I could probably achieve a similar result, but I believe Mastro's will still be better. For the price, the quality of the 4400F is amazing.

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Posted By: Ryan

I just bought a new scanner. I bought an Epson V200 from Best Buy website for $79.00. You need to make sure it has CCD. If not CCD, the card will be fuzzy on the scan, and the edges of case will be sharp.

Here is a scan:

[IMG][/IMG]

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Posted By: Bobby Binder

Just some tidbits for you scanners...all computer screens and websites show 72 DPI and if you are scanning for this purpose you should do so in 72 DPI with size at 100% of more. You need 300 DPI for print anything less and you get degradation. Scanning in high DPI and them zooming in to see imperfections is fine. Just understand that these high resolution scans are very big files and not practical for posting and sending via the web.

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Posted By: Trae R.

Regarding 72dpi
http://www.scantips.com/no72dpi.html




---
"There ain't much to being a ballplayer, if you're a ballplayer."
-Honus Wagner

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Posted By: Kyle

Do not buy a BROTHER scanner. I've had two Brothers courtesy of work.. a Brother MFC-7420 and a MFC-210C and they are terrible at scanning graded cards. Forces me to go to Kinkos and pay $5 use their computers.

HP's always worked fine for me before these Brother pieces of junk.

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Posted By: Fred C

HPs and Canons are good. Something to also consider is the resolution you use when scanning. Obviously, the higher resolution results in a better scan. You can also use a graphic program to reduce the size of the scan or crop the scan. I've used some off brand scanners and they typically seem to work fine, again - check the resolution. Just a thought - you can fit more cards on the scanners bed if you get one that does larger than 8.5 x 11 inch scans.

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Posted By: Paul

I have an Epson Perfection V350 PHOTO, & I'm very happy with it.

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Posted By: Joann

Trae et al,

I have read the material before as to dpi not making any difference in an image displayed on a screen, and it makes sense.

But what then should we adjust on our scanners to make better images? I don't mean the "sharpen" options in a photo editor, but on an actual scanner? If I pick professional mode over casual mode (or whatever different scanners call them), then what is it the scanner is adjusting? And are there characteristics I can adjust individually?

I have some kind of Epson photo 48xx (I think - I'm in St. Louis right now and don't remember what I actually have). I love the scanner, but the pics are simply not to the level as a few of those shown above. I don't know what to adjust on it to make them clearer, except to pick professional or magazine mode or whatever.

Is it really just a matter of CCD v CIS? And if you already have a scanner, how can you tell which of these it is?

What can be adjusted on a scanner?

(BTW, I don't think that in my case it's necessarily just the CCD v CIS. I understand that may make a difference in how the scanner focuses on a slabbed card. However, even my raw cards don't come out as well as some of the items above, so there must be something else in addition to the CCD/CIS thingy.)

J

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I've spent countless hours trying to get the best scans possible and here is what's worked for me. First of all, I have an HP scanner. I go with HP because: a) they seem to have decent customer service; b) I've never had problems with their software; c) I also have an HP printer and camera, so I only need one customer service phone number.

As for the resolution of scans, If you're sole interest is viewing scans on your computer screen (ebay, photo galleries, etc.), I've been able to get by with 150 or 200 dpi on larger cards (all Topps issues) and 200-250 dpi on smaller issues (t206, early Bowmans, etc.). The disadvantages to larger dpi scans are: a) the files are bigger; and b) the scans seems more vulnerable to getting dot patterns. My computer has a "descreening option," which I apply to every scan. At 250-300 dpi, even with descreening, the dot patterns emerge (at least on my scanner). If you decide to print out an image, you'll need 300 dpi, but if you're simply viewing them on a computer screen 150 dpi works fine. Amazingly, 72 dpi actually works, since that's all that's required to view an image on a screen. But by doubling it, you can blow up the image without it getting pixelated.

The final step in my scanning process is making sure I scan everything against a black background, which really bring s the colors out and diminishes shadowing on the edges, which can make a card look worse than it really is (compare Mike Wheat's black-background scans to Bill Henderson's scans with light backgrounds). The only problem with a black background is that it shows up every speck of dust. I use Photoshop to eliminate the dust.

Here are a few examples of recent scans ...

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

I have an HP OfficeJet G85. It is several years old but produces good scans of graded or ungraded cards. I put a black plastic sheet behind the holders when I scan them and set the output resolution to 150 dpi when I save the scanned image to a JPEG file. I then crop the image tightly around the holder using an image processing program called LView Pro.

Here is an example of a 150 dpi image of a holdered T206 card:

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Posted By: BlackSoxFan

Scantips.com is perhaps the best place for you to start when trying to understand how to improve your scans. It is an excellent resource and is geared toward beginners and intermediate users. In response to Joann - check out http://scantips.com/simple.html. It may get a "little" into the technical side of things - and if you have a hard time with it - feel free to email me.

DPI IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT FOR COMPUTER DISLAY. Montiors use pixels as a measurement - printers use dots as a measurement. It doesn't matter if you scan something at 10dpi or 500dpi. For those of you that use photoshop - what you have to understand is that when you change the dpi in the photoshop - you may also be adjusting the other settings. If you set your dimensions to a fixed number (but change dpi) your scan will look exactly the same.

To show you - here are a few scans borrowed from st.com
7dpi

72dpi

720dpi


All three have the same pixel dimensions but print different sizes.

There are many many factors that affect one's ability to produce a quality image. I'm not going to go into all of them here - that's what scantips.com is for. The quality of your scanner will make a huge difference. Some use higher quality bulbs and optics and there is just no replacement for that. As many have suggested - Epson perfection is a great line and many, many professionals use their top end models. Cannon and HP also make some excellent products, although I have found that their lines are not as consistent in quality. Just do some research and you'll be fine. Anthony Nex is a professional photographer (if memory serves me right) and he uses a Canon 4400f - so all of those in the market for a new one might want to look at that. The Epson perfection 4480 (or 4490 - which ever is current) is always a solid buy and will run you about $100-$150 depending on where you buy it from

Monitor calibrators are great - however - they are expensive and an item that will not garner a good ROI for many here. Setting the B&W points is a great way to get a better quality scan. Speaking of which - your software is also VERY IMPORTANT!!! Many scanners come with built in software and that can be okay. If you are comfortable learning and using new software - I suggest looking into 3rd party photo editors. Photoshop CS is wonderful - but cost prohibitive to a number of people. Elements is a nice alternative (http://tinyurl.com/36rb9f) - that's a linke to new egg for $72.00 with free shipping. Older versions can always be had for less and are often good alternatives.

Feel free to contact me at shoelessjoe@blacksoxfan.com or ted@cardpricer.com and i'll do my best to help you with your questions.


Regards,

Black Sox Fan

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email me
The Black Sox Blog

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Posted By: BlackSoxFan

post script -
Someone mentioned CCD earlier - which is a nice piece of technology - most new scanners that you buy will have it so don't fret if you don't see it written somewhere.

Regards,

Black Sox Fan

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

email me
The Black Sox Blog

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

Black Sox Fan -- well I'll be darned, I learn something every day. You're right, dpi output at scan time doesn't affect the appearance of the final image that is displayed. Here are two card images from the same scan; the top one was saved at 150 dpi and the bottom one at 300 dpi. Both were uploaded to photobucket.com and saved there as 478 by 800 pixel images. I can't see any difference.

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Posted By: John

Ted is correct and has hit a lot of the highlights. I use a high quality scanner, scanners are not unlike camera. People understand that optics and quality of components make a huge difference in cameras hence the reason you wouldn’t go on safari with a disposal camera.

Unfortunately cheaper scanners are essentially just that, nothing more than cheap Xerox machines decent for documents but not images. Also any scanner which essentially uses USB as its only power source can’t and most likely won't have good optics and bulb management, using USB alone as a power source cant support higher quality components.

Decent scanners can be had for around $150-200, but the real home runs for quality will run you in the area of $275-1500. The best deal in scanners now IMO is the HP Scanjet 4890 or the newer G4050 great scanners high quality both can be had fro around $190 or so.

As for using your scanner as stated above always scan against black, this will bring out detail and cut back on light splash behind slabs etc which can cause fuzzy scans or odd blurs to out of focus images. Also I highly recommend setting your scanner up with a photo program color setting or footprint. Don’t be alarmed this is pretty easy to do. If you guys are interested just let me know and when I have a little more time I’ll type a how to blurb for you guys. Its generally done by scanning against color plates and matching the colors for no bleed and color correctness then saving that as a profile so when you scan it adjust for any mistakes made etc.



As for DPI correct it will have no real bearing on image quality on web, unless you scan really low say 50dpi then your web program will be displaying at a higher size etc. But in general I really feel 150-200 dpi is the magic number. I always scan around 300 dpi myself. Mainly because if I decide later on to do any changes or play with images in Photoshop programs, having a higher image scan dpi will allow for better prints and image quality of any Photoshop.

I know it can sound confusing but learning good scan techniques can really pay off for you especially if you’re selling cards on eBay which I don’t do, but good clear scans with true to life color equal bigger sales that I will bet on. The best thing also if done right you’ll never get accused of bumping scans with ridiculous colors and contrast. You’ll never end up with customers asking alter on is the same card? By the way there is one seller on eBay who is awful and always has bumped color scans that are in no way close to real I hope he reads this and learns.

Most importantly if you’re forced to keep your cards in the bank etc. at least you’ll have as close to real life image to look at and share whenever the feeling strikes.

Here are some examples...

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Are there any specific scanners that do a good job with pinbacks in PSA holders (made for coins)?

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Posted By: Andy

I want to thank everyone who participated in helping me make the right decision on the purchase of my new scanner. I got to tell you, I learned a bunch and you guys are a wealth of information. Thanks again to everyone!

Now lets get back to collecting cards!!

Always looking for 1915 Cracker Jack PSA 7's & 8's.

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Posted By: Adam

I just wanted to say that I too greatly benefited from this thread. Based on the thread, I recently bought an HP Scanjet G4050 (it arrived via Fedex just an hour or so ago). I have never owned, nor ever used, a scanner before (I know, I was behind the times . . . I used to use my digital camera for everything).

Here is my question -- I have just completed my first 2 scans with the G4050. They are below. Everything was done based on the factory settings on the scanner, I have not touched a thing to adjust the default.

Based on these scans, does anyone have any suggestions as to any default setting(s) I should tweak in light of what the scans came out looking like? Or do these look like they should?

Thank you again,
Adam

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Posted By: Gene Palmer

Adam they look pretty darn good to me. Exposure seems about right and the clarity is very good. No problem reading the names on the cards. Not bad for out of the box factory settings!

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Posted By: Ralph

My opinion is easy the Canon scanners are great.They give the clearer scan very vivid & it picks up everything.Just my two cents ignore if needed

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Posted By: Brian Lindholme

Guys , I don't like bringing up old threads but I was searching for some help in the board archives and thought I should see if there are newer products or more recent opinions on the best scanner to use.

I just did a few scans on my crappy Lexmark all-in one and I'm ready to load that junker into the recycle bin. This is a very poor scanner. I want to buy a new one.

So, this thread is almost a year old and has some product recommendations.
I hope no one minds revisting this topic and providing some 2009 guidance.

Some of you have stunning scans of your cards...I have scan envy.

Thanks for your help
Brian L
Familytoad
Ridgefield, WA

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Posted By: Laura

I'm very fond of my Canon MP530 (had it for about a year now) and I use Photoshop for finishing touches. I prefer to scan against a grey background (rather than black) but that's just a personal preference. With Photoshop I can set it to descreen, and if need be, add in some Gaussian blur later (if the dot size is too distracting from the image.) The goal, of course, is always to properly reflect the actual image, not enhance, but to present the card on the computer screen as close as is possible to how it looks in real life.