Brittney
Customer Service

I'm happy to work at a company that doesn't take itself too seriously. We love our work, but we have lives outside of work as well.

I'm not sure if it is based on what we work on or coincidence, but we all seem to love movies. That means that we're always testing each other's movie triva knowledge. As a member of our family, it is your time for a test. Can you tell me what movies these lines are from:

•  "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

•  "Swing away Merrill."

• " I didn't know you could fly a plane. Fly, yes. Land, no."

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NO SCANNER - NO PROBLEM
USE YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA

Did you get a free scanner when you purchased your computer? Did you buy one when they had the $25 scanner special? Did your brother in law give you his "old work horse?" Or did you get suckered into thinking that your scanner was the state of the art - best one available only to find out that you could draw better with crayons than your scanner can scan?

No matter the reason why, if your scanner creates bad scans and you don't know what to do, we suggest that you try using your digital camera. After all, what does a digital camera do? It takes whatever is in front of the lense and turns it into a digital file. What does a flatbed scanner do? It takes whatever is put on the glass and turns it into a digital file.

A flatbed scanner does have some benefits over a digital camera. What ever is going to be scanned, is placed flat on the glass. It is also a fixed distance from the image capture portion of the scanner. Lastly, it has complete control over the light. Many flatbed scanners use florescent lights, so the scanner can color correct based on the color temperature of the florescent light.

SO HOW CAN I USE MY CAMERA AS A SCANNER?

In its simplest form, you point your camera at what you want to scan. Want to scan a piece of paper. No problem, but be sure to keep the camera lense parallel with the paper. You don't want the paper wide at the bottom, and narrow at the top. You also want to have the paper aligned with the camera. What does this mean? Most cameras take photos that are horizontal or landscape, but most paper is printed vertical or portrait. You want to make the most of your camera's lense by having the paper fully fill the frame of your camera. That way if you have a 5,6,7,8 or 10+ mega-pixel camera, the photo of your paper will be that large as well. You won't have to crop off wasted space later by not orienting your paper with your camera. And remember, just because you take your photo with the paper sideways doesn't mean you can't rotate the photo later. Don't worry that you can read it on the back of your camera. What is important is that it is readable on your computer later.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I CONSIDER?

Chances are you're going to want to scan or photograph more than paper. Just be sure that you keep the object directly in front of the lense. I did a family project to make digital copies of fifty years of family photos for a 50th Anniversary. I could have sat at my bad slow flat bed scanner. Did I? No I didn't. I set up my digital camera on a tripod pointing at the floor. On the floor I put a piece of construction project paper that I bought at Target. I think the paper cost about $1.50, but it was pure white with no creases so it made a great background for the photos. You might also want to consider a black piece of construction paper for your project.

I was able to take photos of hundreds of family photos in just minutes. I put the photo in a fixed place in front of my camera on the tripod pointing at the floor. I'd take the photo, and then swap out the physical photograph with the next. I made quick work of the stack of photos. That is because digital cameras are made to take photos quickly. Scanners don't take photos of base runners in baseball or kids playing soccer. Digital cameras are made to shoot photos quick, so they do a better quicker job of capturing digital photos.

You'll need to practice with your flash on or off. You might need to take your photos next to a window to the outside. Just be sure that whatever your taking a photo of has consistent light on all sides of it. You don't want one side too bright, and one side to dark.

TRY THIS TECHNIQUE OUT, AND LET US KNOW HOW IT WORKED FOR YOU