Scanner Info.

[Mal]

Just got a new scanner and need some advice. First, I probably don't know enough to ask the right questions, so any help you can give me would be appreciated. Scanner is a HP 5300C. In which mode do I scan? what preferences should set for best resolution? what format should I save the scanned object in? what else should I know that I'm not asking?? Thanks in advance!!

[Boatnut]

I'm no expert by any means, but in general, if i'm scanning pics to send as attachments to email or to be posted on a website, I generally scan them at between 72 and 150 dpi and save as a .jpg file. That way they transfer pretty quickly. I'm not sure a monitor can display much higher then that anyways. If you were scanning to print out, then you may want to scan a lot higher and save as a .gif or .tiff file BUT..the file will be HUGE...i'm talking megabytes. You can always delete after printing it out though.

Mike(boatnut)

[Gunga Din]

I've got an HP, just a few models up. It's best to set the output type to match what you're doing right off. I typically set it to True Color, but sometimes use Grayscale or B&W.

Also, make sure you realize that you have to scan twice--the first scans the entire bed, the second scans just the selected area you choose. Once you have a selection, you can change the output type and watch the changes on-screen.

Boatnut is correct, your monitor can only display 72 dpi, but as you change the size of a picture this will change too. The thing to think about with this is the size of the output, whether on screen (web, email to friends) or print. Also remember that viewing size is relative to the resolution of the monitor (an image looks bigger on a 640x480 display and small on one set to 1280x1280).

I also recommend scanning to some kind of imaging software, such as Adobe Photoshop (I think they have some scaled down versions) so you can resize, crop, and otherwise manipulate the image. Save pics as low-to-medium quality JPG files when sending as emails or for the Web.

Happy scanning.