Scans are blurry (SGC)!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted By: Brad

I have seen some very nice scans with extremely good detail. I wish my scanner could produce clearer images like I've seen in some recent auctions. I feel a few of my scanned cards are not showing the fine details from my Lexmark 1150 scanner.


Does any one know a type of scanner that is used in these high end auctions?

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Posted By: Andy Cook

Brad, I had the same problem with my lexmark scanner. I bought an HP scanjet 3970 and it does a great job with graded cards.

Andy

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Posted By: T206Collector

$50 at CompUsa about three years ago. Love those scans...

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Posted By: Paul

I am unable to scan graded cards clearly because the card is not directly on the scanner's glass -- the holder is. But this thread shows that it can be done. Is there any special setting to use on the scanner? Or is it just the quality of the scanner that makes a difference.

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Posted By: joe

t206collector, where do you set your brightness, and other settings on your scanner? Your's scan looks great.

Joe

Ty Cobb, Spikes flying!

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Posted By: Fred Young

Hello to All--

My 1st post, but a long time lurker!

To T206--or anyone with info:

I recently bought a Canon scanner and am getting nowhere near the beautiful scan w/ graded cards that you are getting--or that I used to get w/ my old Visioneer!

Can you give some advice on settings that you use for your Canon??

I might add that flat cards come out perfectly for me--But the graded leave much to be desired! I would be forever grateful for help on this!

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Posted By: Dave

I also have the HP 3970. It's about 18 months old, bought at best buy for $99. I doubt this model is still sold, but they only get better.

Here's a full face scan plus a detail of the corner of the same card.

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Posted By: Andy Cook

Made on hp scanjet 3970

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Posted By: fkw

The problem with the scanner is it is preset to focus on the surface glass and gets blury beyond. You need a scanner that focuses on the item being scanned.

The scanner I have right now... a cheaper HP1315 All in One (with printer) doesnt do it, and there is no way to adjust the focus. So I just use my digital camera for graded cards. I need to get a new scanner one day. The next scanner I get, Im going to test it out before I buy it

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Andy, what settings do you employ on that scanner?

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Posted By: peter ullman

hp officejet 7210xi all in one!
pete in mn

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Posted By: Anonymous

I've posted the technical reasons a few times but ran into this myself. The very thin scanners use a different type of element for the scan, believe it is LCD or LED element. They do great on flat items but have a very limited range of focus.

The thicker scanners with the older bulb type device have a wider range of focus and can do graded card holder much better.

Price doesn't have a lot to do with it but the type of scanner does.

I ended up giving my thin scanner to my sister and buying another Canon for around the sam price, under $100. Works great.

Adam B.

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Posted By: Hutch

Adam B,
What model is it? I have a Canon LiDE 60 and, while it's thin, it's horrible for scanning graded cards.

Any other recommendations?

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Posted By: jackgoodman

Hutch, I tried the Canon and returned it. Finally found an HP4850 that works ok.

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Posted By: Andy Cook

Here's one I just did on the default settings on the HP scanjet 3970. The resolution is 200 dpi. The raw scan is 591 dots wide and I resized it to 400 wide. Andy

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Posted By: JK

Hutch,

The thin cannons are the worst for graded cards. Generally, thin scanners do not work well while the think ones do. Most of the Epson Perfections work great - this scan is from an Epson Perfection 1690 (Im sure they have a newer model now) - I use the professional mode and adjust colors manually until I get something that looks accurate (generally, Im able to get it a little better than the auto mode with some tinkering, but its hit or miss):

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Posted By: Hutch

Wow, those look great. Guess I'll need to get rid of the thin Canon and buy a new one. Any further scans/info for comparison would be appreciated.

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Posted By: joe

Here is one of my scans, I don't think it is very good.





Ty Cobb, Spikes flying!

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Posted By: Anonymous

epson...perfection 3490 or better...and use the descreening option.

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Posted By: JK

Joe - It might help to know what type of scanner you are using.

Murcerfan - Ive found just the opposite - when Ive used the descreener option, my scans were not as sharp.

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Posted By: Brad

Well it looks like I'm in the market for a new scanner!

T206Collector: very nice scan "CanoScan 3000F"

Dave(T-206Guy): The close up details of the corners look perfect "HP 3970", I will probably go with this model.

Thanks for all the great info!

Brad

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

Put me down as a HP 3970. H ave been very happy with it since I bought it.



Lee

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Posted By: jackgoodman

From my HP4850.

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Posted By: Jason Duncan

From my HP scanjet 4890

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Posted By: joe

JK, I have a Dell Photo All-In-One Printer 922. It came with my Inspiron 1150 Laptop

Joe

Ty Cobb, Spikes flying!

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Posted By: T206Collector

It might have something to do with the software as well. I use Ulead Photo Express 2.0 SE -- I'm pretty sure it's from the late 1990's. It is not the software that came with my Canon, but is the software that came with the first scanner I ever owned back in the late 1990's. Anyway, the two things I really like about the software is (1) it allows me to choose "magazine" setting, which scans the cards perfectly without giving the cross-hatching effect you sometimes see in scans of pre-war cards; and (2) it allows me to toggle the "lighting" which in effect is a brightness thing. I'm not sure how many DPI, etc., we're talking about here. I'm totally scanner illiterate, but I do know that I love the quality of my scans.

Another tip would be to always use a black piece of paper or cardboard to cover up your cards from the back. It makes the scans look much brighter, and the corners sharper.

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Posted By: Fred Y

Well, I think that settles it for me!!

I have a nice, fat HP5150 upstairs that my BILaw gave me right AFTER I bought the Canon slimline.

Going to hook it up this week & see if it will capture the beauty you guys are getting on the older HPs.

Thanks to all who responded--If it works out I'll post a couple of pics to see what they look like on the Board.

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Posted By: Anonymous

I've got a Canoscan 3000 ex that works pretty well. Seems like it was a Canon LIDE something or other I gave to my sister.

Adam B.

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Posted By: Fred Y

Just hooked up a HP 5400c scanner and the difference is quite noticeable, esp. on the reverse!

Scans 1 & 3 w/ NEW thinline Canon LiDE 60--Scans 2 & 4 w/ older, fatter (2001) HP 5400c.

Thanks to all for the good advice!!