The Framers Forum

Hi all,

just after a bit of advice on scanning v photographing for my art prints.

My current artworks are just over A3 - I'm wondering do the a3 scanners have the capability to stitch the scans together or my 300 x 400 are going to be missing an edge!

I also have 400 x 500 - is the only practical option to photograph these?

There a local suppler offering A£ scans for 25.00 just wondered how competitive that was?

Thanks as usual.

I have an old 11" x 17" scanner. That's approx. A3 size. They do exist , but more costly.

I also have 24 meg camera with a good lens. This another solution if you know how to set up a copy stand.

or this for A-2 sizes

amazon.com/VIISAN-S21-Auto-Flatten-Technologies-Multi-Language/dp/B0BB5Y47TT/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?crid=31BPGT9G5LIKR&keywords=book+scanner&qid=1696346670&sprefix=book+scanner%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-12-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.c3015c4a-46bb-44b9-81a4-dc28e6d374b3&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

We use an Epson 10000XL A3+ to scan watercolour, drawings and photos. Will handle 300x400, and you can do 500x400 in 2 sections, and stitch in PS.
I wouldn't use it for oils or acrylics, as the flat linear light source doesn't make them ring true to me.

If you photograph, a decent 20+MP dslr, with a good planar lens will give excellent results, and for oils etc, you can slightly bias the lights from one direction, to maintain the three dimensionality of the paint.

Thanks I did a trial yesterday with my Nikon Dslr & it worked pretty well, did slightly lose some of the finer detail though
& matching the colours was a bit of a pain but iat least i know it works up to a point.

Painting are acrylic on canvas but don't have much relief as the paint is kept to washes over a giclée print so the scanner may work.

I'd suggest getting an x-rite colourchecker passport - you can create a DNG profile to help process the files - helps with some of the colour adjustments, though to get a closer control, the colorchecker digital sg is recomended (and only a quarter the price of a used A3 scanner...)