The XYZs of scanner selection · 2002. 7. 2. · Equally important, according to McAllister, is the...

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The XYZs of scanner selection

Industry players offer advice for choosing the optimal input device for high-endapplications.

By Courtney E. Howard

Faced with the task of selecting a professional scanner? Few things are as dauntingas the mountain of hardware specification sheets with which potential buyers are ofteninundated. Whether the secret to finding the best scanner lies in those sheets is thesubject of some debate. Some believe a scanner's true quality is revealed in itsspecifications, whereas a growing number of experts feel that a scanner's worth lies ini ts added value.

Hardware specsAlthough you might like to, you cannot simply ignore hardware specifications whenshopping for a high-end scanner. Specification sheets have long provided buyersquick access to a wealth of information about scanner hardware. Yet, when comparingscanners, buyers often find that they boast nearly identical specifications. In othercases, buyers are faced with a trade off in which they must sacrifice one specificationfor another, such as choose between a larger imaging area and a higher maximumdensity. So, which specification is most important?

"Actually, a number of importantcharacteristics go hand in hand," saysRay McAllister, senior manager ofproduct development at Screen USA."If I were looking for a scanner, Iwould see what the scanner offers inoptical resolution. Typically a higheroptical resolution gives you moreversatility. I want to have the bestoptical, rather than interpolated,resolution." The higher the resolutionthe better the results, right? McAllistercautions, "Some people might thinkthat because, for example, themaximum optical resolution is5000dpi, the scan would look better than at 4000dpi. This is not necessarily so. Ahigher resolution enables you to make a bigger file."

Prof. DolinThere is a resource guide to high end scanners in the January 2002 issue

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Innovation in VisualComputing

McAllister also gives weight to the maximum density or dynamic range. He cautions,"Some people will quote a maximum density but they don't start from zero, so they'renot telling the whole truth. Buyers need to investigate and be sure the measurementstarts at zero and covers the entire range." Screen's SG-8060P Mark II drum scannerboasts a 4.3 maximum density. "If it's anything less than that, it would be my secondchoice, I guess," McAllister says. "I would look for the best density range."

Although drum scanners traditionally offer a higher maximum density, flatbedscanners are getting closer and closer to drum quality in that regard. For instance,Screen's Cézanne Elite flatbed scanner starts at zero and can achieve a 4.2 maximumdensity. "The Cézanne is so close that it has cut into drum scanner salessubstantially," McAllister mentions. "The shadow detail on the Cézanne is supurbbecause it reaches in the shadows and covers almost the complete range of theoriginal. One more tenth of a point, offered by the drum scanner, makes a difference tothe purists, such as adverstising agencies that want to squeeze out every bit of detail."

Equally important, according to McAllister, is the color depth, expressed in bits perpixel. "I would look for 48-bit depth of color, rather than 24 or 32. It's true that Photoshopas of yet can't completely cover 48-bit depth of color, but it will one day. So, if you'regoing to be archiving your scans, scan them at the highest possible rate. EventuallyPhotoshop will be able to utilize 48-bit and you'll have the optimum amount of colordata in your scan."

For Clive Green, sales manager for Digital Products at Global Graphics HardwareLimited, the overall quality of the scan is of utmost importance. As well as consideringa scanner's true optical dynamic range and true optical resolution, Greenrecommends analog as opposed to digital scanning. "Be aware that the analogmethod of reading the original is the most accurate way of reproducing the color anddensity range of an original transparency. The analog method has other benefits too.Many transparencies are chosen for the content, and the exposure and lighting areoften outside of the photographer's control." According to Green, analog scanners,including Global Graphics' ICG 370HS/S, can correct the photographic errors in eventhe most underexposed, overexposed, or color-casted transparency. "The reason isthat the original is an analog medium used in an analog device, a camera."

Too close to callThe aforementioned advice should prove very valuable when selecting a scannerbased on hardware specifications (for a comparison chart of today's scanner offerings,refer to the Resource Guide to high-end scanners on pages 28 and 29). However, agrowing number of experts do not recommend that you base a purchasing decisionstrictly on these measurements. Rather, many advise buyers to use hardwarespecifications only to narrow one's decision to a select few models and to base thefinal decision on other scanner characteristics, whether software, performance, oranother trait.

As an example, Eric Neumann, assistant product development manager for InputProducts at Fujifilm Graphic Systems USA, believes flexibility is an importantcharacteristic to look for in a professional scanner. He explains, "In today's market, youneed to purchase a scanner that can accommodate a wide spectrum of materials."Neumann advises buyers to be sure a scanner is not limited in the type of originals itcan scan. "We can scan transparencies and reflectives like everybody else, but alsocopydot and three-dimensional originals." Because you never know what type or sizeoriginal you'll need to image for a client today or in the future, it's important to choosean input device flexible enough to tackle virtually anything you'll need to scan. After all,as Neumann states, "When you're spending more than $20,000 for a scanner, youwant to get as much for that money as possible."


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Evolutionary inputIn addition to flexibility, Neumann imparts the importance of a scanner's ability to growas the user's needs grow. "When you're making a large investment, you wantsomething that's going to grow and not become obsolete. As a high-end scanner istypically much more of an investment than a desktop scanner, you want to make surethe scanner you purchase can grow—through hardware and software enhancementsand upgrades—as your needs grow." One example of improvements Fujifilm GraphicSystems USA has made to its equipment is the Sprint upgrade to its C-550 scanner.The upgrade increased scanning productivity by about 40 percent, added copydotoptions, and offered the ability to upgrade to newer interface software, such asFujifilm's ColorKit color management solution.

Admittedly, some hardware limitations can prevent a scanner's evolution. Neumannnotes, "We physically couldn't change the amount of resolution the Fujifilm C-550scanner was capturing, but we have made it more efficient. We've increased itsproductivity." Whereas the C-550 was originally specified to achieve a maximum speedof roughly 40 scans per hour, it's now scanning about 60 scans per hour through theaddition of new hardware in its Sprint upgrade.

Neumann continues, "That's always been Fuji's way of doing things: adding as manyenhancements to its hardware through software as it can. We're one of the onlycompanies that really has a legacy drum scanner that they've been able to upgrade tocopydot. You won't see most of the old Hell scanners or Screen scanners being ableto mount scan separations. Yet we were able to go back and actually make somephysical hardware changes to the drum scanner in order to accommodate that."

In this way, buyers are investing not only in hardware, but also in the manufacturersupporting it. You want to be sure to partner with a reputable vendor dedicated to theimprovement and support of its products.

Strong relationshipBuyers are encouraged to research not only their purchase, but also the companybehind it. Product manager of scanners for Purup-Eskofot, Lars Jensen mentions, "If Ihad to purchase a professional scanner I would consider the optical resolution,number of bits used when scanning,

Sufficient softwareOne critically important, albeit often overlooked, scanner attribute is the softwarebundled with the hardware. In fact, many experts find the software to be as importantas the scanner itself. Bill Gillooly, EverSmart product line manager at Creo, believestwo schools of thought exist with regard to scanner software. "One is to capture thedata and then do everything in Photoshop. The other school of thought is that thescanner should have a strong toolset to get color, contrast, sharpness, and otherthings right before you take your files into Photoshop. We at Creo belong to the secondschool of thought. The main reason that it's better to do everything with the scanningsoftware is that it has access to the raw data and can manipulate color, contrast, andso forth using the high bit depth of the raw scan data." Again, because Photoshop haslimited tools for working with high-bit files, you can preserve the scan's full range oftone if the image is optimized within a powerful scanning package, such as Creo'soXYgen. Gillooly notes, "Color, productivity, and a number of things have a lot to do withsoftware."


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Rather than requiring scanner operators to customize the settings before scanning,oXYgen enables them to scan raw data files to disk and adjust the file with all thescanner tools at a later date. Says Gillooly, "oXYgen offers repurposing because youcan scan one file to disk and adjust it for individual purposes without having to put theartwork back on the scanner." In this way, one raw data file can be used to produce avariety of projects. "Say you need an RGB JPEG for a website, an RGB high-res file fora trade-show backlit piece, and a CMYK file for the cover of the annual report. For thefirst time, with oXYgen, you can scan the artwork once, and produce output for thosethree applications with no quality loss."

Ease of use is another strong point of scanning software. Gillooly points out that theright scanner software can increase multishift productivity. "After 10 minutes of training,someone can make raw scan files without mistakes. A relatively low-budget person onsecond shift can do all the scans, so the high-priced color person that comes in duringthe day never needs to wait for the scanner." Additionally, because the file is adjustedand processed with the scanner software, users are assured that all the data thescanner can see is in that file, with no loss of quality. Creo's oXYgen also has remotecapabilities, in that the software can be run on remote workstations. One workstationcan be dedicated to inputting the scans, and another to adjusting the scan files.Gillooly predicts, "oXYgen is really going to change the way people work in a scanningenvironment."

On the subject of scanning software, Global Graphics' Green notes, "Productivity andease of use are important. The high-end scanner market has entered a new phasecaused by the World Wide Web, digital photography, and digital printing. Thisrevolution has moved the production of high-end digital imaging away from thecommercial printer to the creative side of the industry." It is important, then, thatcreatives not be burdened with learning a new and complex technical softwareapplication. Green points out, "Global Graphics' ICG ScanXact software does notrequire special training and can be readily used by any Mac operator."

Test driveIt's clear there is little agreement as to the single most important factor in choosing thebest scanner to meet your needs. Yet, at the same time, few disagree that a test driveis of tantamount importance to discovering the true quality of an input device.

Given a harried schedule and the advent of the Internet, a growing number of buyershave gotten away from studying scans and, instead, make purchases based onspecifications alone. Screen USA's McAllister admits, "Specifications are good andthey're something I would look at first. They separate the men from the boys. But thendo the actual demo. I think it is important. Fewer and fewer people are doing it, but ifyou really want to have a good feeling about your decision, base it on practicalexperience with the scanner. It's like test-driving a car in some ways."

When testing scanners, it is important to use your own originals. Advises McAllister,"Scan a few originals that cover the complete range of what you typically do in yourshop. Use those as a benchmark." Green recommends using the most challengingoriginal to test a scanner's capabilities. "When evaluating a scanner use a fairly difficulttransparency, as this will expose the limitations of a product."

After you've produced your scans, be certain to study the file to uncover the scanner'sstrengths and flaws. Says Creo's Gillooly, "Sharpness is built-in by the manufacturer.No amount of work you do in post-process will ever make a file sharp that isn't. If thescanner isn't sharp to begin with, you're never going to make it sharp. When youcompare brand to brand, you want to definitely look very carefully at sharpness."


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An informed decisionIf, despite all you've read, heard, and learned, you're still uncomfortable making apurchasing decision, consult the manufacturers. Most companies are happy todiscuss your scanning needs and concerns. Gillooly mentions of Creo, "We do abusiness analysis to determine what customers are doing, what they need to produce,how they're doing it today, what problems they're encountering, and more." Yet, headmits, "More than 50 percent of our customers know up front what they need. They'vedone re-search on their own and understand their business."

Be sure to take advantage of all the resources available to you to determine the best fitfor your business. "If you feel good about your decision and you've done yourhomework, you should never have to look back," recognizes McAllister. "Go on withyour business. You will be fine."

Courtney E. Howard is managing editor.

SourcesAgfa Corporation978/658-5600www.agfa.com

Canon USA800/652-2666www.usa.canon.com

Creo781/275-5150www.creo.com

Epson America Inc.800/463-7766prographics.epson.com

Fujifilm Graphic Systems800/800-3854www.fujifilm.com

Global Graphics Hardware609/530-1300www.globalgraphics.com

Heidelberg CPS888/546-6265www.heidelbergcps.com

Heidelberg USA888/472-9655www.heidelbergusa.com

Hewlett-Packard Company800/752-0900www.hp.com

Howtek603/882-5200www.howtek.com

Imacon Inc.


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425/861-6434www.imacon.dk

Kodak Professional800/235-6325www.kodak.com

Lexmark International888/539-6275www.lexmark.com

Microtek International310/297-5155www.microtekusa.com

Nikon800/645-6689www.nikonusa.com

Océ USA800/877-6232www.oceusa.com

Purup-Eskofot770/427-5700www.purup-eskofot.com

Screen USA847/870-7400www.screen.com

Tecsa+44 1379 641184www.tecsa.com

UMAX Technologies510/651-4000www.umax.com

Xerox Corporation800/275-9376www.xerox.com

Electronic Publishing January, 2002Author(s) : Courtney E. Howard

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