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Most scanners are supplied with basic scanning software. Ring or email us to discuss if these are likely to meet your needs.
We work independently of all the main manufacturers and would be happy to advice you on any specific project requirements.
Need help installing / setting up the scanner? We can either come to your offices or talk you through the process on the phone.
Confused by the variety of maintenance options available.
Do you need to buy an extended warranty. Talk to us for an objective viewpoint.
We are a specialist supplier of scanning solutions.
Is the purchase of a document scanner really the best approach for your firm?
An alternative might be to investigate the costs of using our backlog scanning service.
Tel. 01464-
Large format scanners
Key considerations
What is the maximum width of document that you need to scan?
- A scanner's format size (image width) is usually the major factor affecting its price. Go for the size that fits.
After size, image sensor type, colour scanning, optical resolution and speed are the next major influences on a large format scanner's performance.
- CCD scanners usually cost more than CIS based wide format scanners. This is because they will scan and copy monochrome and / or colour photographs more accurately (more shades and better colour fidelity). If your documents are mainly blueprints, maps, CAD or other technical drawings, then a CIS large format scanner will provide sharp, well defined line details and capture all the colours in the document very well. However, if you need to scan mounted documents or heavyweight folded originals, a CCD based large format scanner will produce better results. CCD scanners typically have better illumination and greater depth of focus that is required when scanning mounted or badly creased documents.
- As you would expect colour scanners are more expensive than monochrome only wide format scanners. Some manufacturers allow you to retrospectively upgrade the scanner’s firmware after purchase to accommodate a change in your requirements.
- Optical resolution is the true measure of how well a scanner can 'see' fine image details and lines in a document. For years, 400 dpi was accepted as the benchmark optical resolution for a high quality wide format scanner. Most applications, whether archiving or copying, use images of between 200 dpi to 400 dpi so any scanner with an optical resolution of 400 dpi or higher will provide good results. Higher optical resolutions can be very useful if the document has very fine, closely spaced lines (such as contours on maps), but stored image file sizes rise very rapidly as dpi increases, as do scan times.
- Choice of scan speed is directly related to how many documents you need to scan, in what period of time and at what resolution. Scanning speeds are much slower for 24 bit colour scanning than simple B&W scanning
Contact us to discuss your possible requirements in more detail.
For smaller technical drawings and maps, we would recommend the Colortrac Ci24 range
of scanners. These CIS based devices will scan 24” (A1) documents at a maximum speed
of 10 inch/sec b&w and 3.33 inch/sec 24-
The Colortrac Cx40 range is best suited for large technical drawings and maps, and
will scan 40” (A0) documents at a maximum speed of 9 inch/sec b&w and 3 inch/sec
24-
The CCD based Colortrac Gx+42 can handle both technical drawings / maps AND also
photos and poster artwork. It scans 42” (A0) documents at a maximum speed of 12
inch/sec b&w and 4 inch/sec 24-