Need a BIG scanner

[Barber]

I have a full color sign 48"X30". Does anyone in the southeast USA have the capabilities of scanning that. I have a scanner but it's to small and even if I tile the scans I can't get in the scanner. I tried to take a picture of it with my 10 mp camera but it not good enough. Maybe someone has another idea how this can be done. Thanks in advance.

 

[TwoNine]

I think you may be able to go to a copy shop that does blueprints. They have KIP machines - but I know VERY LITTLE about them...I don't know if they do color well, etc. Just a thought. Maybe it'll help?!

 

[Mosh]

Tell the customer you need digital art. I get people all the time thinknig I have a magic wand and can just copy something big like this.

 

[TheSnowman]

Doesn't Merritt do the blueprint thing? I was thinking they could scan large stuff for some reason.

 

[SightLine]

Digital Image in Savannah had a large format Cruse scanner. They got bought out a couple of years ago though so I'm not sure if they are still there or what they might be called now. I think UGA also might have one and will do scans for the public for a charge. Try googling large format scanning GA - should be able to find some place local.

 

[J Hill Designs]

'take a right about a mile before where that library burned down 20 years ago'

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Call up your local Photography they should have a large format scanner or an overhead camera.

 

[signage]

I think my local FedEx Kinko's has a scanned that big!

 

[Rooster]

Digital Image in Savannah had a large format Cruse scanner. They got bought out a couple of years ago though so I'm not sure if they are still there or what they might be called now. I think UGA also might have one and will do scans for the public for a charge. Try googling large format scanning GA - should be able to find some place local.

This is your best option if someone in your area has one of these (cruse scanner). Otherwise you can look for a place that specializes in doing fine art-reproduction that may have a similar method using a scanning digital camera back for a large format camera (4x5). Expect to pay about $100 for the scan.

 

[Billct2]

I was also going to suggest a photographer who does fine art reproduction. I have a guy here who photographs oil paintings for giclee printing and would be able to do something like that.

 

[Techman]

Do not use a point and shoot camera.

You need a regular digi cam and use a long lens such as a 100 to 150 mm. That will lose the distortion and make a good print for you.

I use a D3000 Nikon camera with a 150 mm lens just for this case..

 

[Chuck Osborne]

If you were close I could scan it.
I use digital scanback. No big deal.

 

[rjssigns]

I would do it with my D7000 in if you were close.

 

[Barber]

Thanks everyone for all the good suggestions.

 

[JoshLoring]

I'm about to buy one this year. We want to scan huge canvases so we were looking into a 48" or some crazy big one.

 

[phototec]

I have a full color sign 48"X30". Does anyone in the southeast USA have the capabilities of scanning that. I have a scanner but it's to small and even if I tile the scans I can't get in the scanner. I tried to take a picture of it with my 10 mp camera but it not good enough. Maybe someone has another idea how this can be done. Thanks in advance.

Good quality large size scanners are very expensive and take up a lot of space.

All you need is a good DSLR camera (I use a Nikon D700), with a longer mm lens than a standard lens so you reduce the amount of lens distortion, if you use a lens such as a 100mm and get way back from the sign, have your camera centered up & down, and left & right, you will get a very good image without distortion.

Now, if you need more resolution than available above, get closer and take separate images dividing the object into tiles, half or thirds, and then let photomerge in Photoshop stitch the parts back together, remember you must be centered and shoot straight on to eliminate distortion. On large objects, you can shoot 3 separate images and let Photoshop stitch them together, you can increase the resolution to almost 3 times, just remember to shoot each tile straiht on and overlap the images slightly so Photoshop can match up the pixels.

How to stitch photos together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN9HeOjiwgg&feature=related

More info here:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1018&message=39060227&changemode=1

 

[bob]

I have a full color sign 48"X30". Does anyone in the southeast USA have the capabilities of scanning that. I have a scanner but it's to small and even if I tile the scans I can't get in the scanner. I tried to take a picture of it with my 10 mp camera but it not good enough. Maybe someone has another idea how this can be done. Thanks in advance.

Any reasonably equipped blueprint shop should be able to scan this for you. Even if they have to do it in a couple of pieces you can easily stitch them together. Trying to shoot it with a camera will produce less than stellar results. That's why they make scanners.