Microfiche scanning

[Paul Koning]

>>>>> "Zane" == Zane H Healy <healyzh at aracnet.com> writes:

 >> You'll also need a scanner with a "transparency" or "slide"
 >> capability.  That means a back-light, typically built into the
 >> scanner lid.  Those aren't all that common, though they are
 >> becoming more common these days.

 Zane> Most of these seem to be for film strips, in fact this is the
 Zane> reason I've kept my 300dpi scanner (though getting a Mac setup
 Zane> to use it would be "interesting").  My new Scanner which is
 Zane> 1600dpi (IIRC) has transparancy, but only for 35mm slides and
 Zane> film strips.  With my 300dpi I can can larger transparancies,
 Zane> in fact I bought it for scanning large glass slides containing
 Zane> 3D pairs.

I'm puzzled.  Yes, there are scanners specifically for film strips,
but I was talking about a flatbed page scanner with a "transparency
adapter" which is simply a backlight built into its lid.

Mine is a Umax Astra 4450, which is 1200 by 2400 dpi optical.  I
thought it was higher but my memory was faulty...  It offers that
resolution for any media, not just transparencies.  The transparency
backlight is about 4 by 5 inches, so it would serve for scanning
medium format negatives, though it might be a bit small for fiche.
(And 1200 dpi isn't enough, anyway.)  Besides, Umax didn't offer Mac
OS X support, I had to get it from a third party (which does work
extremely well, though).

Epson might be a possibility here.  The 4180 Photo is a 4800 dpi
scanner, with 2.25 inch transparency capability, for $200 according to
the website.  If that won't do, the 4990 Pro has an 8 by 10
transparency unit, plus more software bundled in, but the price goes
up to $500.

I haven't used any Epson products, btw... just looking at their
website.  

   paul