Session 703 Book to Computer: Scanning Basics CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Session 703 Book to Computer: Scanning Basics Gaeir Dietrich Director High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges www.htctu.net

Overview Scanning and scanners Understanding scanning terminology Scanning workflow 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Scanning Scanning takes a picture. CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Scanning Scanning takes a picture. The better the picture, the less editing later on Similar technology to the copy machine but outputs to a digital file, not paper. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 3

Stand Alone vs. Multi-use Stand alone scanners… Provide more control over scans Result in better scans Multi-use machines are copiers first, scanners second. Final products require more editing during production But it is still better than a flatbed scanner 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Scanners When buying a scanner think about these issues: CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Scanners When buying a scanner think about these issues: Duplex (two-sides at once) Automatic feed (pages per minute) Color (for color dropout) We like Canon, followed by Fujitsu. Canon DRC-125, DR-3010C 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

No Money? A $400 20-page-per-minute scanner is a far better deal than four $100 flat-bed scanners If you can only afford a flat-bed, look for one with automatic document feed (ADF) 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Scanning Outputs Color scanning usually creates a JPEG. CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Scanning Outputs Color scanning usually creates a JPEG. JPEGs are single pages only!! Black and white scanning creates a TIFF. TIFFs can be multiple pages. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 7

What is a TIFF? TIFF files are graphics, i.e., pictures of text. CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 What is a TIFF? TIFF files are graphics, i.e., pictures of text. Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) Robust, stable standard file type No version issues Any program that can open multipage graphics can open a TIFF Good archival graphical format 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 8

But I scan to… If you get anything other than a TIFF or JPEG, you have used software to convert. If you scan to PDF, you have used software to transform your file. Scanning hardware does not create PDFs. Conversion runs the risk of losing data and increasing editing time. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Converting TIFFs TIFF can be converted to other formats, including other graphic formats like PDF. To get to the text you must run a TIFF file through an optical character recognition (OCR) program. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Scanning Is the First Step Settings for your scan will be determined by the end-format you want to create For text, you will scan then run OCR Optical Character Recognition See session 901 on Sunday 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Scanning Terms Duplex vs. simplex Skew/deskew Margin control CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Scanning Terms Duplex vs. simplex Skew/deskew Margin control DPI (Resolution) Mode Brightness Contrast Threshold RGB color Color dropout 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Duplex vs. Simplex Double-sided vs. single-sided Duplex = two sides at a time (one pass) Simplex = one side at a time Flatbed scanners are simplex scanners Look for true duplex (one pass) Not two passes with the program interleaving the scans 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Skew Skew is slant Snug the feed guides! Use deskew settings. i.e., the page is not straight Snug the feed guides! Use deskew settings. The computer can correct for some skew—too much and the text cannot be recognized 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Margin Control Scanner determines page size Avoids large black areas around the edge of the page On better machine, also removes need for measuring Better scanners will also have margin adjustment Note that usually *all* edges are adjusted the same amount. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

DPI (Dots per Inch) “Dots” in scanning are really pixels CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 DPI (Dots per Inch) “Dots” in scanning are really pixels Little squares like on graph paper Imagine drawing by filling in squares on graph paper…the more squares, the smoother the lines Higher DPI = better resolution However, more is not always better! 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

DPI Comparison 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Resolution—DPI Standard for text is 300 DPI CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Resolution—DPI Standard for text is 300 DPI Small text may require 400 DPI Thin paper may require 150-200 DPI Really large text may require 200 DPI Infty Reader for math requires 600 DPI 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Mode Black & white Grayscale Color Looks like line art Only choices for pixels are black or white Grayscale Looks like black & white photo Also called “halftone” Color Comes in different “bits” The more bits, the more color information 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Black and White Image scanned in B/W—file size 474 KB 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Black and White ED Image scanned in B&W ED (Canon DR 5080C)—file size 474 KB 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Grayscale Image scanned in Grayscale—file size 3,731 KB 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Choosing the Mode Black and white Black and white ED (error diffusion) CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Choosing the Mode Black and white Best for text; smallest file size Black and white ED (error diffusion) Better for graphics; slightly larger files Usually best to avoid grayscale Large files that do not OCR as well Color Sometimes necessary; large files 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Which Mode to Choose? It depends on how important the graphics are! Is it for a student who has some usable vision and needs enlargement? Grayscale or color may be needed Is it to create braille? Black and white will usually give the best OCR results. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Brightness Overall darkness or lightness of page Balance Scale 1-255 CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Brightness Overall darkness or lightness of page Balance Not too dark, not too light Scale 1-255 Lower numbers decrease brightness Down into darkness Higher numbers increase brightness Up to the light 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Brightness Example It’s just like turning on lights over an entire room. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Adjusting Brightness Default is 128 Too dark Too light CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Adjusting Brightness Default is 128 Too dark Letter shapes run together Too light Letter shapes are thin or broken Newsprint type papers often need increased brightness 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Brightness Guidelines Check the appearance of the scan If characters are thick and touching (running together) > increase brightness If characters are thin and broken (lines thin/missing areas) > reduce brightness 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Sample Scans Too bright Just right Too dark 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Contrast Difference between light and dark on page Scale is 1-13 CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Contrast Difference between light and dark on page Scale is 1-13 Higher number increases contrast Darks darker, lights lighter Lower number decreases contrast Darks get lighter, lights get darker Becomes more uniform 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Contrast Example 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Adjusting Contrast Default is 7 Low contrast High contrast CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Adjusting Contrast Default is 7 Low contrast Entire page is either “muddy” looking Or washed-out looking High contrast Extremes of light and dark May lose midrange detail Newsprint-type paper oftens need increased brightness 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Threshold In black and white mode Sets where gray will be seen CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Threshold In black and white mode Sometimes just see brightness (contrast settings disappear) Sets where gray will be seen Increased threshold adds more white More grays seen as white Decreased threshold adds more black More grays seen as black 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Despeckle “Erases” speckles Helps with small stray black dots CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Despeckle “Erases” speckles Helps with small stray black dots Works really well when having to scan a photocopy or newsprint Beware of going too far and erasing periods and umlauts 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Gamma…it’s complicated… Adjusts the middle tones Usually more useful for scanning graphics than text Can be altered to bring out more detail in shadows in photos Usually only on high-end hardware Try everything else first! 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Settings Summary Brightness = overall tone Contrast = difference in highs and lows Gamma = adjustment in midtones Threshold = on or off switch for grays Grays seen as white or black May appear as just the “brightness” bar 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

RGB Color RGB = Red, Green, Blue RGB color system is used by TVs, computers, and scanners! 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

“Additive” Color System 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Color Scanners Many color scanners for documents allow “color dropout” The scanner “ignores” a particular color “Erases” the color Red, blue, or green 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Color Dropout Drop out colored markings Yellowish pages CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Color Dropout Drop out colored markings Orange highlighter (drop out red) Blue pen (drop out blue and despeckle) Yellowish pages Drop out red (improves contrast) Tinted backgrounds Watch out for dropping out text Be aware of color with white text on it 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Scanned Page with Orange Highlighter 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Same Page with Red Drop-out 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Scanning Workflow Remove spine from book CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Scanning Workflow Remove spine from book Separate any pages still glued together Choose a few representative pages for a test scan 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 43

Procedure Continued Scan representative pages to TIFF Check image on screen for possible adjustments Run OCR on sample pages Error rate should be no higher than one per page Higher errors mean you need to adjust the scanner settings 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Ready to Scan With the settings determined, scan the entire book Now that you have a good picture, your OCR and editing should go quickly! 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Advanced Ideas Be aware of individual pages that may need additional adjustment A few pages may need to be scanned separately A few pages may need color Reassemble in your OCR program While checking test pages, also create OCR templates as appropriate 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Suggestion on Organizing Files Structure CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Suggestion on Organizing Files Structure Label chapters (or chapter folders): 01 Chapter 02 Chapter Label front matter to place it first: 00 Front Matter Label back matter just with its name: Back Matter This file structure will create a logical order. Be aware of how computers handle numbers numbers first for screen reader 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 47

Example CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 www.htctu.net 48 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 48

Timesaver: Create a Template Folder CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Timesaver: Create a Template Folder The template folder can be copied and pasted—all the inside folders are copied, as well! Putting the zero in front makes the folder easy to find. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 49

Miscellaneous Tips Chopping books Spines and flatbeds Guillotine CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 Miscellaneous Tips Chopping books Guillotine Exacto knife to remove spine and check with Fed Ex Office (Kinko’s) about cutting the pages Spines and flatbeds If you have to scan a book with a thick spine on a flatbed, get a large dark piece of cloth and cover the scanner—prevents the darkened area along the spine 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net 50

What Do I Scan With? First try the software that came with your scanner Often optimized to take advantage of all your scanner’s features With flatbed scanners, sometimes the software is not the best Can scan with OCR programs and some graphics programs (e.g., Photoshop) 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

High Speed Scanning and Static CTEBVI 2013 11/30/2018 High Speed Scanning and Static Dryer sheets hung over paper path Make sure to attach them well—don’t scan them! ;-) Add humidity Run humidifier Mist paper lightly with spray bottle 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference www.htctu.net

Keep It Clean! Clean your scanner often! Bits of glue and paper fall into scanner Clean glass Print builds up on rollers Clean rollers and feed guides 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

And the most important tip… Play with your scanner!!! Try big changes in the settings Push brightness and contrast to the edges and see what happens! Compare and contrast Try one page in B&W, grayscale, and color Try thin paper, glossy paper, newsprint 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Mammals Play to Learn Take time to learn your scanner Learning to enhance scanner settings will result in better “pictures” and less editing! Taking the time to create good scans saves time in the long run. 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference

Happy scanning! Gaeir (rhymes with “fire”) Dietrich gdietrich@htctu.net 408-996-6047 www.htctu.net 11/30/2018 CTEBVI Conference