Using scanner upside-down?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Merlin Haas
  • Start date Start date
M

Merlin Haas

Ok, this sounds silly, but will the average flatbed scanner work if
it is turned upside-down? I have some huge bound volumes of newspapers
from which I would like to scan selected articles and photos, but it is
almost impossible to put the volumes on the scanner without causing
damage to the pages and binding.
So I wondered what would happen if I just turned the scanner over
and put the glass plate on the open volume to scan it. I'm guessing
that the mechanism isn't designed to work this way and all I'd do would
disrupt the alignment of the light; but I figured someone here might
know the answer.
I don't think they make hand-held scanners anymore (at least for the
Mac.) Can a digital camera be set up in a way to get reasonably high
resolution photos of newsprint? (suitable for OCR, for instance)

Thanks -- Merlin Haas
 
Merlin Haas said:
Ok, this sounds silly, but will the average flatbed scanner work if
it is turned upside-down? I have some huge bound volumes of newspapers
from which I would like to scan selected articles and photos, but it is
almost impossible to put the volumes on the scanner without causing
damage to the pages and binding.
So I wondered what would happen if I just turned the scanner over
and put the glass plate on the open volume to scan it. I'm guessing
that the mechanism isn't designed to work this way and all I'd do would
disrupt the alignment of the light; but I figured someone here might
know the answer.
I don't think they make hand-held scanners anymore (at least for the
Mac.) Can a digital camera be set up in a way to get reasonably high
resolution photos of newsprint? (suitable for OCR, for instance)

Thanks -- Merlin Haas
Click to expand...

For OCR, you need a scanner that does 300-600 DPI, and that is just about
any on the market today.

Check this HP 4670 see-thru scanner. It may be what you want for book
scanning.
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/ho/WF06b/15179-64195-215155-15202-f25-303640-303642-303643.html

And yes, you should be able to use a standard flatbed scanner turned upside
down with the lid removed.

The problem is seeing the alignment.
 
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