8/16/2011

How to Preserve Photos and Books Through Scanning

By Catie Blatt


Knowing how to scan old photographs & books can be a good way to keep them protected for future use. It will safeguard those that are used often or perhaps in bad shape from further deterioration, and can be used to electronically create the information easier to find.

This is among the simplest ways to produce a repository of information that can end up being at your fingertips, both with the written word or through photos. This can make it ideal for genealogy research or books that are rare or out of print and protect them from further wear and tear since they will then be electronically available.

The different scanners have different uses to getting these digital. The flatbed scanner is the most common, and this is built like a small photocopier. It generally has a scannable area the size of a piece of paper of larger. This may crush books and break the spine if you are not careful. There are also photo scanners that has the benefit of doing negatives and slides. Other types can do photographs in general, but this is the way to go to get the other forms of pictures electronically scanned, and they include software to clean up the older photos as well.

Sheet feeds are smaller than the flatbeds, but they take only one sheet of paper or photographic at a time. This will not work with the books, although the portable types will work the best for them since they only scan down each page, saving the spine from wear. When you choose which one to use get the one that will work the best for you and your own needs.

After you get the image to your computer, save it to a location that will be easy for you to find again. These are typically saved in a JPEG or PNG format since most people can use these the easiest. From here you can upload them to photo sharing sites for blogging or burn them to a disk.

Always take care when getting the images of the items onto your computer. While you want to protect them and save them from harm, you also want to keep the original in as good of shape as you can so that you can redo the process if you need to. By using caution with the items, you can ensure that they are protected with electronic copies as well as preserving the physical one.

If you scan books, and photos that are not your own, check the copy right on them before you publicly share them. Some may prohibit any copying of them at all and you want to make sure that you comply fully with all the laws concerning them. This can save the items that are truly old and keep your from getting into any legal trouble as well.

Knowing how to scan old photos & books can provide them an extended life. They can preserve your history and allow you an invaluable resource at the touch of a button. Protecting these items can save them from being destroyed or lost.




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