Flatbed scanner glass, dirty...

[trink408]

I was looking at the lower glass on my flatbed scanner last night and I noticed the underside of the glass is rather dirty.

Should I be concerned about this, and is there a way to clean that glass?

Thanks

[BarryS]

I guess it depends what you consider "rather dirty". Eventually dust and haze buildup on scanner glass can degrade the scan quality. On many scanners, it's not too difficult to remove the scanner glass, give it a cleaning and replace it. Try googling your scanner name + removing glass and see if you can't find some instructions. Sometimes, the instructions are available on the manufacturer's web site.

[trink408]

Thanks, found some links to diagrams online. I will have to try my luck taking the 4990 apart. The glass looks like someone attempted to clean it and left terrible streaks along the entire surface. Looks pretty bad in my opinion...

[trink408]

For anybody who has taken there 4990 apart, looking for some advice on how to remove the caps on the back two screws that need to come off before you can pull the scanner apart??? I'd like to leave some paint on them if I can...

[wclavey]

I drilled a hole in them, pulled them off with a small sheet metal screw threaded into the holes and then left them off... the caps seem to perform no functional role, only cosmetic. I tried several of the recommended ways to get them out preserving them, but none worked... mine were very tightly wedged into the holes.

[JimL]

For anybody who has taken there 4990 apart, looking for some advice on how to remove the caps on the back two screws that need to come off before you can pull the scanner apart??? I'd like to leave some paint on them if I can...

I put a circle of strong double-sided tape (i.e. carpet tape) on the flat end of something cylindrical (pen, plastic rod, wooden dowel), then press down firmly on the cap and give it a quick jerk upwards... now I just leave the caps off.

[trink408]

I put a circle of strong double-sided tape (i.e. carpet tape) on the flat end of something cylindrical (pen, plastic rod, wooden dowel), then press down firmly on the cap and give it a quick jerk upwards... now I just leave the caps off.

I ended up just using duct tape, pressing down on the cap and spinning it around to loosen it before a quick pull up and off they came. My caps are also staying off...

[Preston]

'Caps off' to you. Trink! :-)

-PB