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Tips for Getting the Best Scan
Getting the best scan possible depends on several factors, including the quality of your
original and the resolution you select. The better your original is, the better your scan
will be. While you can make some corrections in your scanning software, you’ll need
to do major photo retouching in a program such as Adobe PhotoDeluxe to correct or
mask problems such as a coffee stain on the original image.
Selecting Resolution
Resolution refers to how many dots per inch (dpi) or dots per centimeter (dpcm) your
image contains. The best resolution for a scanned image depends on the type of image
you’re scanning and your final output device.
As a rule of thumb for most images except line art, use a scanning resolution that is
approximately one third of your output resolution. For example, use a scanning
resolution up to 100 dpi with a 300 dpi laser printer, and up to 200 dpi with a
600 dpi laser printer. For 1440 dpi ink jet printers, such as the EPSON Stylus
®
COLOR or Photo series, use a scanning resolution of approximately 300 dpi. Try a
scanning resolution of 240 dpi for 720 dpi printing.
Keep the following in mind when you choose a resolution:
■
The higher a resolution you select, the larger the resulting image file will be. For
example, an 8.5
×
11-inch original scanned at 300 dpi can produce a 24MB file.
The same original scanned at 72 dpi creates only a 1.3MB file. Large files take
longer to process and print, so consider the practical limitations of your computer
system and hard disk drive when selecting a resolution. To keep your file size
manageable, select the lowest possible resolution that gives acceptable quality. If
your final output is for on-screen viewing, you can scan at 72 dpi and reduce your
file size.
■
If you need to scan at a higher resolution, you can reduce the size of the resulting
image file by scanning only part of the image. For information about selecting
part of an image, see “Using Marquees” in your electronic
EPSON TWAIN User’s
Guide
.
Summary of Contents for Perfection 636U
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