Name:    Steve Kennedy
Email:   steve@pacair.com  
Subject: Scanner for photos and schematics
Thread:  12
Time:    Mon, 10 Dec 2001 00:49:47 UTC

Like anything else, choosing a scanner is a matter of personal need and pocketbook.


Personally, I have other needs so I couldn't go too cheap. I wound up with a 600 x 1200dpi Epson scanner with transparency adapter and paid about $200 a year ago.


You can get 600dpi scanners for about $50-$75 nowdays. Pick one you can connect to your computer. Some are USB, some come with a SCSI card.


Some good spots to shop for these would be:


http://www.ecost.com
http://www.buy.com
http://www.amazon/egghead.com


There are quite a few places you can find decent deals on color scanners. Just remember that the photos you see on screen are presented at 72dpi.


Submitting a finished image at a resolution any higher than 150dpi is usually a waste of bandwidth.


Many people are investing the money they would have bought a scanner with into a digital camera. Then you can eliminate the film and developing steps. However, a cheap scanner will create a higher quality image from a normal photo than most cheap digital cameras can do by themselves.


Steve