Scanning raw cards
 

I'm struggling to scan large #'s of raw cards to prepare for sale. Can anyone offer any tips on the quickest/best way to do so. Could include fast/good scanners, general methods,etc. Here is what I am doing now.

Using a flat all-in-one printer/scanner. On my Epson I can do 3 cards at one time and then crop into individual files using Photoshop. I switched today to my wife's Canon Pixma MG7520. With slightly more space around me, I can scan 6 cards at once, but on both I still have trouble getting cards lined up straight. About every 3rd scan at least one or two are slightly askew and I have to re-scan. My eyes aren't sure enough so I use a group of top loaders as a spacer between the cards and the edge so I can get a border around all sides. Even then, I can't keep them straight and have had to live with a certain degree of crooked. I don't know photoshop well enough to straighten the pic once I've cropped it. Any help in that regard would be greatly appreciated. But obviously the goal is to do as many as possible as quickly as possible. Yesterday I scanned 130 cards front and back. Took me 8:30 of actual scanning time. The best I could do is 15-16 per hour.

Also, is 300dpi too high for raw cards? I've found sometimes the scan is picking up things I can't see with my eyes holding the card in front of me or even with a basic magnifying glass. Some scans make the cards look worse than they they look in person.

Lastly, I've read a lot of threads about scanning graded cards and the recommendation of CCD technology. Does this matter with raw cards? I'm attaching a scan of two graded cards I just scanned. Can anyone tell me just by the scan if the Canon MG7520 has CCD?

It's tough getting them perfectly straight all the time, especially if the cards aren't perfectly centered in their holders or sleeves.

Are you using the lid open/dark room technique? I found this method much easier as you can see the cards better plus it makes for better looking scans imo.

I have heard CCD scanners are much better as they supposedly just look for the pic/card rather than focus on the holder.

I have tried numerous settings, seen here, but gave up and once I was told out about lid open/dark room technique, I just went with it.
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=224696

This test area is at the bottom of the site and is a great place to practice.

Good luck.

I put my cards in the standard 9-slot plastic binder sheets (I forget the specific name of them). Then I flip the page to scan the backs. Very easy and efficient, and you're scanning 9 cards at a time. Most scanners are at least letter size (8.5" x 11"), so this should work for you.

I'm scanning 90% raw cards and am scanning to sell. Not sure I want them in sheets when posting to ebay or where ever. I like the idea though, just not sure about the presentation of the cards in sheets. Here is one grouping I just did a few minutes ago. They came out okay because they are all pretty straight to the edge. A few were off a bit, but those were all acceptable.

Irv, I've also noticed that some cards aren't cut straight and some have that slight curve to them and that throws things off a bit.

A quick suggestion would be to figure out how to adjust/straighten the scans in photoshop. Once you figure that out it only takes a few extra seconds per card to straighten them and there's really nothing to it.

Someone needs to invent/manufacture a plastic template that you place on the open scanner which has 6 or nine slots for cards to be lined up perfectly, then you just pick up the template, close the scanner and your good to go.
Not sure if that make sense, probably didn't explain it well enough.
I've actually fashioned a few myself with rulers and cardboard and tape. Works pretty good.

Fujitsu makes several different sheet fed scanner models in various price ranges that allow you to "sheet feed" the cards through. I can SAFELY scan 1000+ cards in less than an hour front/back, consecutively number the images (automatically) and finally insert the images into their appropriate listing in a few clicks.

Ten years ago I used hand place 9 cards on my flatbed scanner, crop/number each image and finally manually add each image to it's listing. With my Fujitsu scanner I can now, in less than an hour, do what used to take me 12+ hours to do. This scanner is worth every penny I spent on it.

If you are only listing a few 100 cards a month it may not be worth the investment and scanning in pages on a flat bed is just fine, but if you get into listing 1000's/month, you might want to consider it.

Before I started using a sheet fed scanner, I used card pages(as suggested by jollyelm) ...saved me a lot of time in not having to straighten scans.

I would suggest the free software from kronocard.com.

The software straightens the cards for you. It can also organize and list to sites. A lot of times I just use it to scan the cards and then take the scans to where I need them since I can do multiples quickly as it finds the edges and straightens while still leaving space around the card to clearly see the edges.

Here is a video about the software:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58K6ykJDTzY

PhotoShop already has an action under the File Menu called Automate/Crop and Straighten Photos. Try that.

Suggested models? Which do you use?

The issue with that is the "crop" part of that. It typically crops in a bit and may not show the edges and corners. I use this for doing my type 1 photos for my own reference, but it isn't good for selling items.

Fujitsu 7160 is the one I currently use. Previously I used the Fujitsu S1500....the 7160 has more options and works faster.

I have never used Kronzio, but here is my 7160 model in action in a Kronzio video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGi91cb1VqA

I use the software which comes with the scanner which auto numbers each scan. Then with a few clicks I link the scan of each card to it's corresponding listing. These two steps are what the Kronzio software appears to automate.

You're right, I tried that. No border at all. I was hoping there was just a straighten feature where it would detect the image and leave the background alone.

Do you scan vintage cards like that? How in the hell are they not getting damaged? Are the cards being scanned in that video raw, in soft sleeves, top loaders? I couldn't tell.

Comc
 

Not to change the subject but for $5-10 cards and under you might save your self the time and peace of mind and send them to COMC who will scan and pack your cards for you. I use PIXMA MP 990 and it does a good job as stated earlier cause it has that one element where you don't get that blurriness on graded cards.

I have noticed that as well with quite a few of my cards. Personally, I have a bugger of a time cropping my cards! I can never seem to get that figured as I either still have to much of the card saver showing or I end up cutting off part of the border. :o

As mentioned, the cards that get scanned are scanned safely using the Fujitsu..... Scanned 500k+ over the past 6 years without a single issue. I did ask the same question when I bought my first Fujitsu, so to answer it, I took some nice looking cards from the 70s, scanned them and had no issues. I have been using a sheet-fed scanner ever since.

In the video, the cards are being scanned raw.

What many collectors seem to forget is that cards were not packaged by hand, but by machine. A modern sheet fed scanner is probably much more delicate handling the cards than the machinery used to package cards a generation or more ago. A sheet fed scanner is designed to handle and not damage 20LB paper (probably could handle 12-15 LB paper also), so anything heavier should be handled w/o damage.

I've had great luck with several different scanners. The best advice I can offer is to place a black piece of cardboard behind the card, which really makes the colors pop. I scan cards at 600 dots per inch. Here's a link to my site: http://imageevent.com/ccmcnutt

Great collection!! Your stadium postcards are amazing.

X2!

Chris, just curious, was your signed Del Crandall card a recent pickup?

I kicked myself in the butt for not grabbing one a few weeks ago that was for sale (bin) on E-Bay for what I thought was a great price. As they say, snooze you lose! :(