Can anyone give me advise about which scanner to buy. I am a watercolor painter who wants to scan small originals and transparencies of my work, to be made into fine-art prints on my Epson 4000. AND I don't want to break the bank. Any suggestions?
Can anyone give me advise about which scanner to buy. I am a watercolor painter who wants to scan small originals and transparencies of my work, to be made into fine-art prints on my Epson 4000. AND I don't want to break the bank. Any suggestions?
Carmel,
What are the maximum dimensions of the art you will scan?
Ron, I do not think I can afford to scan anything bigger than 8.5 X 11", but am hoping to scan transparencies of my larger works so that I can reproduce them that way. I have previously paid a company to drum scan the transparencies, but I'm wondering if I can use a flatbed. I'd like to print out at least 16 X 20" good-quality prints. Thanks so much for thinking about this. All the reviews seem to tell me something different and I wonder if they are just backing the company of choice. It is overwhelming. Carmel
If you are not going to print anything larger than 16x20 on the 4000, an Epson 4990 is plenty of scanner for you for film up to 8x10. It will not scan anything larger than that reflective or film. To get something that will scan larger is very expensive.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
Carmel,
I have never used a scanner, but I have done lots of research and soon will purchase the Epson 4990. From what I have read on this site and elsewhere it will do what you need and anything better will be at least three or four times the price.
There is lots of pertinent information on this site, and the posters are generally very knowledgeable.
Recent post about the 4990: http://largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/501477.html
Kirk, I will only be scanning 4X5s. Do you think the 4990 is a lot better for this than the 4180? THANKS! Carmel
Just got Ron's link to the link to the poster's info. on the 4900. It is so nice to find a group who knows about this stuff! REALLY appreciate your help.
Carmel,
I have not used the 4180. I have had the 3200, 4870 and 4990 pro versions. Each has been a worthwhile upgrade.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
Thanks so much! I should be able to make a good decision with all the help.
The 4990 does a good job, but you should also take a look at teh Microtek i900.
It scans negatives to 4x5, and flat work to legal size.
The Microtek scans to a density range of 4.4, the 4990 to 4.0.
The Microtek scans negatives to 4x5 in a frame below the scanner so that the image does not pass through glass as the Epson does, therefore the scans are sharper and contain finer details.
Jim
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