Need Commercial Scanner Advice

[Kirk Gittings]

I am trying to keep our local E-6/C-41 lab alive by helping them transition to some scanning for their clients. I can only take them so far as I only scan for myself. I scan the same subject matter from the sam e film of the same subject matter over and over again. But they have to deal with the variables of a very diverse clientel. They have an Imacon 949 and allot of good intentions, but little experience. Anyone out there have experiece in a commercial photo lab doing scanning that they can talk to about some business practices and technical stuff? You might just help save the only remaining film lab in our area.

[Ralph Barker]

I can't help them with scanning advice, but I'd be interested in which local lab you're using for color.

[Gordon Moat]

The biggest issues with an Imacon would be scans per hour and needs for repairs and service. If they have a good service rep, or good service agreement, then when/if the Imacon goes down, they would not lose business. Any high volume usage scanner should be considered as prone to failure, or in need of service at some point. That could be partially minimized by having a second identical set-up, or by going in a different direction.

Currently, I feel that drum scanners might not be as cost effective for a commercial lab as a high end flatbed. I have worked in pre-press and printing for nearly ten years, operated several drum scanners and high end flatbed scanners, and seen some solutions that provided more room for profits than others. While it would be nice to have the latest ICG drum scanner, I think it would be difficult to justify the cost, and likely take much longer to get a return on investment.

Which leads to the current high end flatbed designs. Fuji Electronic Imaging FineScan and Lanovia Quattro are one direction, though it unfortunately seems that support could be an issue in the United States. Another good choice is the Dainippon Screen Cezanne, also called the Screen Cezanne. That is a very heavy duty flatbed capable of many scans per hour, and long service life. Screen are predominantly a supplier to the printing industry, so it would be more common to see their products at a printing shop than in a photo lab. While I like the software for the Cezanne, it might be a hefty learning curve for infrequent uses.

A better choice would be one of the Creo iQSmart or EverSmart line of flatbed scanners. On a cost per quality basis, the iQSmart 2 might be one to investigate, though in reality an iQSmart 1 is quite good. Kodak bought out Creo last year, and I was a little concerned that the quality of service might be an issue, though it seems that many of the Creo people are still employed for these products, and there is nearly no difference in service.

Things to look for in a high end flatbed are: user can clean the glass bed on both sides, lamps could be replaced by the end user (if/when needed), software training provided by vendor/supplier, software continues to be updated/improved, high number of scans per hour is possible, mixing of different film format sizes for scanning possible during the same scanning session. Beyond that, there are some nice to have capabilities, such as direct CMYK, an oil mount station, or built in light table features.

Many vendors would probably be happy to run a test scan, which can help your lab find out if they want one particular scanner over another. As to a return on investment, they need to figure out how much they would charge for scanning, and then see how many scans they would need to do for the scanner to pay for itself. If they can figure out what their first year reasonable expectations might be, then they would have a good guess on what sort of budget they should aim to reach. However, if they are not so sure, or don't expect much volume, then a lesser scanner might be more profitable.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat

[Ted Harris]

Kirk,

I completely agree that the Creo lines and Screen Cezanne are the way to go. I have been working with the prepress folks at a local print shop on their Cezanne to start learning the software as I have one rriving in a few weeks as soon as my new studio is finished. The quality is excellent and the throughput is great for commercial purposes. The softwre is extremely full fetured and it may take a long time to learn it all but for general photo scans I don't think the learning curve will be that steep. See my PM for more.

[Henry Ambrose]

Chromatics is hanging in there and offering the same great service they have for years.

Pre-press equipment may not be the complete solution, maybe only part of the equation. I'd think the addition of a machine that is intended for high production levels with a very automated workflow would be appropriate if the volume of work is there to support it. Providing everthing from huge file size fine art scans to huge numbers of lower resolution scans will require more than one machine and workflow.

Look at Chromatics' web page on scanning- http://chromatics.com/Serv-scanning.htm - and notice that they offer a wide variety of services to fit most any need and budget. Read all the FAQs. Their "scans at time of processing" pretty much equals contact sheets in price at less than $1.00 for each 6x6 frame, or you can spend $120.00 for a huge drum scan or any number of intermediate levels of price.

My guess would be that emulating Chromatics' approach could be successful in any part of the country. I'd be happy to put you in touch with the owner - write me off list if you want.

[Kirk Gittings]

Sorry for the confusion. I was not clear, obviously.

This is a first rate E6 lab (Kodak Q rated lab) that is running out of enough film to make enough money to keep the doors open.They have a Hassy/Imacon 949 and need to make it work for them. They got it on a trade out deal. So the Imacon is the playing field that they have to work with right now. I know other pro labs that have made that Imacon work successfully like Praus in Rochester. I have not used Praus' scanning services but I have other of their services and they know what they are doing.

They need help with strategy, pricing, what services to offer etc. and the quirks of getting the scanner to work effectively. My experience with the Imacons is largely my personal b&w work, not production color for a very diverse clientel.

Thanks all.

[Ted Harris]

Ahhhhhhh....ok see my latest PM

[steve_782]

If this is Gail's Darkroom let me know, I can help them with understanding the scanner setups for different types of subjects and where to do that in the software, etc. As for business practices, they should have purchased Shawn's LightJet and processing equipment when he went out of business....