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Digital Tools - Part Two

The Digital Scanner

Please read part one of the article, about Digital Cameras.

The other digital tool I recommend is a scanner.

If you don’t have a digital camera, or if you have old pictures taken before the digital age, you can scan these into your computer to edit or reproduce.

You can take old cracked photos of scenes long gone, like your grandparent's wedding portrait, and repair and reprint them digitally.

You can scan in images from books and magazines (be careful of copyright issues).

You can scan in and reprint images for collage or decoupage projects without risking the originals. You can scan in your drawings or paintings to incorporate into calendars or brochures.

You can even scan in fabrics and manipulate the colors or patterns for creating your own unique designs.

You can scan solid everyday objects to make backgrounds for printed paper crafts. For more information on using scanners, please visit Scanning Objects.

Finally a scanner turns your printer into a copying machine. Scan any document and print it out on your computer’s printer. You can scan and transmit documents, such as contracts, over the Internet.

Once your images are scanned and digitized, you can use them just like any other digital image. All the software programs mentioned above will work just fine with scanned images.

There is a downside to scanning rather than using a digital camera. I think photos, especially those in color, lose some of their fine detail when scanned and can become pixilated, so always use the highest settings if you want to maintain quality, although this problem is much less obvious with newer scanner models.

The Canon CanoScan 4200F Flatbed Scanner is a newer version of the scanner that I have been using, which has been discontinued.

One USB cord supplies the power and transfers data. It has 3200 x 6400 color dot per inch resolution and 48-bit color depth, for over 281 trillion possible colors.

If you want to scan photo negatives or slides for digital enhancement, consider the HP Scanjet G4010 Photo Scanner This scanner which is about $50 more expensive than the Canon has a resolution of 4800 x 9600, a 48 bit color depth and has an adapter that can scan slides and negatives up to 4 x 5 inches.

Automatic retouching and enhancement technology automatically removes much of the dirt and scratches that may appear on your originals. This digital tool even auto-corrects tone and optimizes highlights and shadows. 4 buttons allow you to scan, copy, e-mail or create PDF files. And the price is quite low.

The only bad thing about this scanner is that it only copies images up to 8 ½” x 11”.

If you feel limited by that size, you can consider a 8 ½” x 14” scanner like the HP ScanJet 8300 Professional Image Scanner. This scanner has features like a document feed and even scans 35mm negatives. It is quite a bit more costly than the Canon.

For larger sizes, you could also check places like Kinko’s or Staples. They might have large scale scanners. They can digitalize the image and give it back to you on a floppy disk or CD-ROM.

With a digital camera and a scanner, you will have two powerful digital tools to help you take your crafting to a higher level.

For more information about crafting by computer and other digital tools, please visit Computer Crafting, the gateway to all computer related articles on The Artful Crafter.

For more information on specific software programs you can use in crafting, please visit the following pages:

• Artistic Effects Using Photoshop
• Cross Stitch & Embroidery Design Software
• Graphics Programs for Crafters
• Bubble Jet Tips - How to Print on Fabric
• Quilting Design Software
• Quilting & Technology

Read part one of this article, about digital cameras.

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