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1b. Flatbed Scanning

Use the Epson flatbed scanner for Community Archives photographic prints, slides, negatives, and other photographic materials assigned by staff.

Do not use the flatbed for books, newspapers, scrapbooks, or fragile textual materials unless staff specifically assign that method. Use the Bookeye Scanner for those textual formats.

Photographic Prints

Use this section for loose photographic prints.

Default Epson Scan Settings

Setting Use
Scanner Epson flatbed scanner
Resolution 600 DPI
File format TIFF
Color photographs 48-bit color
Black-and-white photographs 16-bit grayscale
Adjustments Turn off automatic sharpening, color correction, dust removal, and similar enhancement settings unless staff instruct otherwise.

For small photographs under 3 x 4 inches, increase resolution to 800 DPI.

  1. Clean the scanner glass before scanning.
  2. Place the photograph flat on the scanner bed.
  3. Open Epson Scan and select the Epson scanner.
  4. Confirm the scan settings for the item:
  5. 600 DPI for standard photographic prints
  6. 800 DPI for photographs under 3 x 4 inches
  7. 48-bit color for color photographs
  8. 16-bit grayscale for black-and-white photographs
  9. TIFF file format
  10. Preview the scan.
  11. Adjust the scan area so the full photograph is captured with a small margin of blank space around it. This is visually verify that nothing has been cropped out of the original photograph.
  12. Scan the photograph.
  13. Review the TIFF before moving to the next item.

Scan quality comes first

Each scan should be sharp, straight, fully captured, and evenly lit. If the photograph is crooked, cropped, blurry, or has visible dust from the scanner glass, fix the issue and scan again.

After scanning, confirm:

  • each photographic print has a TIFF file
  • the full image is visible
  • the scans are in item order
  • obvious scanning problems have been corrected

Then continue to File Organization.

Slides and Negatives

Use this section for 35mm slides, color negatives, black-and-white negatives, and other film formats assigned by staff.

Default Epson Scan Settings

Setting Use
Scanner Epson flatbed scanner with film holder
Document type Film with film holder
Resolution 4800 DPI
File format TIFF
Bit depth 48-bit color
Film type Positive, Color Negative, or B&W Negative as appropriate
Adjustments Turn off automatic sharpening and similar enhancement settings unless staff instruct otherwise.

Film Types

  • Positive film / slides: Mounted or unmounted film that shows normal colors and brightness.
  • Color negative: Film with inverted colors, often with an orange base.
  • Black-and-white negative: Film with inverted grayscale tones and no orange color mask.

Slide and Negative Scanning Steps

  1. Clean the scanner glass and film holder to remove dust and fingerprints.
  2. Place the film in the correct Epson film holder.
  3. Open Epson Scan and select the Epson scanner.
  4. Set the document type to film with film holder.
  5. Select the correct film type:
  6. Positive for slides or other positive film
  7. Color Negative for color negatives
  8. B&W Negative for black-and-white negatives
  9. Set resolution to 4800 DPI.
  10. Set output to TIFF.
  11. Preview the scan.
  12. Confirm the crop boxes include the full image area.
  13. Scan the images.
  14. Review the TIFF files before removing the film from the holder.

Film handling

Handle slides and negatives by the edges. Avoid touching the image area. If dust or fingerprints appear in the scan, clean the holder and rescan before moving on.

Slides and Negatives Handoff

After scanning, confirm:

  • each selected frame has a TIFF file
  • image orientation is understandable for review
  • no frame is cropped off
  • dust, fingerprints, and blur have been checked

Then continue to File Organization.