Professional Documents
Culture Documents
T
HIS ARTICLE concludes our report on our tests of nine high-
end flatbed scanners. We began with an analysis of produc-
tivity aspects of scanning (see Vol. 28, No. 9). Here we focus
on the interlocking issues of resolution and image quality.
To recap our productivity results, none of the nine machines
excelled in all areas tested. The Scitex EverSmart Pro did well on
all tests and took top honors in the batch scanning of 20 transpar-
encies. In scanning a single transparency at 250%, the ScanView
ScanMate F8 Plus was fastest, followed by the Heidelberg Prepress
QuickStep. In scanning a single transparency at 850%, the Fuji
Lanovia C-550 was fastest, followed by the F8 Plus.
As you will see from the results presented here, the most pro-
ductive scanners in the first phase weren’t necessarily the ones pro-
ducing the best quality. Potential buyers will have to balance quality
and productivity factors in shopping for a scanner.
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March 2, 1999 The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
resolution is not a significant indicator of quality, nor can optical In the vertical (or y) direction, the resolution is determined by
resolution alone be used as an indicator of quality. the number of incremental steps made either by the optical system
The quality of image obtained can be affected by other fac- or the scanning bed. This vertical resolution can be different from
tors, including vibration in the scanning mechanism, the quality of the horizontal resolution, which is why some manufacturers state
the sensor and its supporting electronics, and the software that different resolutions in the two directions (e.g., Agfa, with its
processes the scanned image. AgfaScan T5000 resolution of 2,500×5,000 ppi).
Calculating resolution. In flatbed scanners, the light-sensitive Interpolation. When an image must be scanned at a resolution
element is a CCD array. A scanner’s maximum optical resolution is that differs from the available optical resolutions of the scanner,
a function of the number of elements in the CCD array and the the software must calculate the missing image details based on the
width of the smallest area that the optical system can project onto pixel information a scanner has been able to capture. This calcula-
the CCD. (In the case of the machines we tested, there were typi- tion, called interpolation, commonly occurs in these situations:
cally 8,000 elements, although the number varied from 6,000 to • If the degree of enlargement required is greater than the maxi-
10,500.) mum optical resolution achievable with the scanner, interpola-
A scanner with a lens system that can project a width of 40mm tion may be used to reach the target resolution. This situation
(1.6 inches) onto an 8,000-element array has an optical resolution can occur with scanners employing either zoom or fixed (non-
of 200 lines per millimeter (about 5,080 pixels per inch). This is zoom) lenses.
typical of the highest-resolution scanners in the group we tested, • With scanners employing fixed lenses, even if the desired resolu-
comparable to the resolving power of good-quality film. For ex- tion is lower than the maximum optical resolution of the scan-
ample, Kodachrome 25 Professional transparency film has a reso- ner, the scanner may not be able to scan at the desired resolution.
lution in the range of 50–100 lines per millimeter. Scanner optics (For example, if the machine’s scanning resolutions are 300, 600,
can be designed with still higher resolution, but it is not useful. 900, 1,200 and 2,400 ppi, it would have to interpolate to scan
In the end, quality is a function of resolution, the scanner’s at 1,800 ppi.)
optical and electronic systems, and the control software. Although • With scanners that operate at non-square resolutions (e.g., the
high resolution is an indicator of the scanner’s optical capacity, it Agfa T5000’s 1,200×5,000 ppi), the final image must have a
is only one factor and cannot be used as an absolute measure of the resolution that is the same in both directions. To achieve this, it
scanner’s ability to yield a pleasing result. must interpolate data in at least one direction.
How good? Interpolation algorithms work very well for 50% en-
Optical vs. interpolated resolution largements and well enough for enlargements of even 200% or 300%,
but the results are rarely acceptable much above this. Some scanners
It is important to understand the difference between optical and have raised the optical resolution in the vertical direction by increas-
interpolated resolution. On a conventional flatbed scanner, the optics ing the number of steps at which data are captured. This can be use-
are positioned along a path that traverses the center of the scan ful for interpolation algorithms, but there is a point beyond which
bed, with the CCD array oriented perpendicular to the path. As we interpolation adds irrelevant image data, creating unnecessarily large
just saw, it is possible to calculate the optical resolution for a scan- file sizes while making little contribution to image quality.
ner based on the number of elements in the CCD array and the All of the scanners we tested offer interpolated resolutions that
minimum image width with which the optics are designed to work. go beyond their optical resolutions. One of the questions we wanted
This can be called the resolution in the horizontal (or x) direction. to answer was whether this additional interpolation is useful.
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This feature only applies to line-art scans, which can be and “Lite” versions for Windows already
difficult to set up if the original contains items are being distributed by Heidelberg CPS
such as a wide variety of text styles or sizes, under different names. A supplement
positive and reverse text, and so on. to LinoColor is the software suite
Fuji also has added Color Open, used to produce
punched holes to its mounts and edit ICC-profiles for the
to enable automatic identifi- monitor, scanner and output
cation and to allow the image devices.
acquisition to support copy- LinoColor, which is the
holder profiles. The scanner soft- scanner control software provided
ware automatically captures either with the QuickStep, comprises three main
the preview or high-resolution scan, software modules:
although the preview scan allows for • ColorAssistant performs image analysis and
additional correction functions, if nec- correction.
essary. Automatic cropping can be based • GeoAssistant identifies and crops images automatically.
either on the orientation of 35mm slides • JobAssistant supports batch scanning.
within the copyholder or a selective scan initiated by the user on The user first performs an overview scan, after which manual
certain images within the copyholder. Mixed setups also will be cropping takes place and a preview of the image is generated for
possible. analysis and color correction. LinoColor includes many color re-
These new features will be available initially for formats up to production features, although it is extremely simple to use.
A4. Full A3 support will be added in a subsequent release. The objective with the software design has been to turn scan-
A C-Scan Plus module under development will support ning into a single-step operation. The operator works mainly within
copydot scanning using stitching technology. It will offer both the LCH color space (luminance, or brightness; chroma, or color
“excellent” and “normal” modes for scanning line art. Software intensity; and hue), which was something of a revolution when
performance also will be enhanced in the next release, making Linotype-Hell introduced it. Working with LCH values is supposed
“normal” mode 60% faster and “excellent” mode 30% quicker than to be much more intuitive than working in CMYK, which still is
they are in the current version. quite common for scanner operators.
C-Scan also supports batch scanning and a wide range of image When the high-resolution scan is performed, the image is first
analysis and correction tools, aided by two levels of user interface: saved as a temporary file on the disk and then color-separated on
a simple one for less-experienced users and an advanced one with the fly, if necessary. As soon as an image has been analyzed, the
direct access to all settings. scanner starts the high-resolution scanning in background mode
while the operator continues with the analysis of additional images.
Pricing, sales and testing information. The Lanovia C-550 Three image-quality modes are available for the operator:
is priced at £25,000 in the UK and $40,000 in the U.S. (not normal, which is the fastest, quality and excellent. The differences
including the copydot scanning option). More than 800 units have are mainly in how many samples the scanner takes before the final
been sold to date. Our testing was performed at Fuji’s Hemel definition of pixel values is made. The more samples it makes, the
Hempstead, UK, facility using a 300-MHz Mac G3 with 128 MB longer the process takes.
of RAM and a 4.2-GB hard disk. Heidelberg Prepress bases much of its image technology on
saving the images in a nonseparated format, preferably CIELAB. This
Fuji Lanovia C-550 workflow: makes it easy to reuse the images under different printing condi-
Preview => Corrections=> Batch/single scan tions later, without rescanning.
An alternative to the manual steps described above is to let the
software perform all the steps automatically. Heidelberg Prepress
Heidelberg Prepress QuickStep calls this “One Button Scanning.”
Heidelberg (then Linotype-Hell) was one of the first companies Pricing, sales and testing information. The QuickStep is
both to embrace the concept of working internally in the CIELAB priced at $19,950 and sold through the normal Heidelberg Prepress
color space and to support the ICC standard. It got a major en- distribution channels.
dorsement in 1995 when Apple decided to use its LinoColor color Our testing was done at the company’s Kiel facility, using a
matching module (CMM) as the default CMM in ColorSync. More 266-MHz G3 with 160 MB of RAM and a 6-GB Quantum hard disk
recently, Microsoft also opted for the LinoColor CMM in its ICM (all standard items from Apple) and SCSI connection.
(Image Color Management) system incorporated in Windows 98
and NT 5.0.
The full version of LinoColor currently is available only on Heidelberg PrePress QuickStep workflow:
the Apple platform, but a Windows version is under development Overview=> Crop=> Preview => Correct =>Scan
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device scans. There is also support for 8- and 16-bit ICC output ColorScope Pro supports ICC-compatible monitor and out-
profiles. put profiles. Output can also be in Scitex CT, TIFF, EPS, DCS and
Images can be mounted either directly onto the scanning JPEG formats.
bed or onto special image mounts containing image-recognition
markers that the Cézanne uses in setting scanning parameters. Pricing, sales and testing information. The Cézanne costs
Different image types can be mounted and scanned in a single $34,000. Our tests were done at Screen’s Milton Keynes facility in
pass. the UK, using a G3 Macintosh with 256 MB of RAM.
Screen also supplies a flexible cover suitable for batch scan-
ning or for flattening images that can’t be taped, such as old or Screen Cézanne Workflow:
damaged originals. Overview scan => Crop => Preview => Corrections => Batch/single scan
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color insert
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color insert
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color insert
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color insert
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Volume 28, Number 11 The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
(continued from p. 18) • Contrast. We were interested to see how well the scanner cap-
tured subtle color contrasts, both in the shadow and highlight
What to look for in transparency scans areas. Where there are relatively large areas of similar tones, such
as in the handkerchiefs and the white shirt, we paid particular
Prior to the test, scanner operators were given basic information attention and found them revealing. The white ranged from a
about the likely printing conditions, but they were not allowed to “grubby” gray to pink on the proofs.
“rehearse” any of the tests. We advised all scanner operators that • Detail. Small texture renditions also served as a basis for com-
we would use positive film and plates and that we anticipated ap- parison. We looked for edge detail rendering, particularly in the
proximately 4% dot loss when imaging film to plates and approxi- watch face, the feathers in the hat and the cotton reels. The
mately 19% dot gain on press. We expected 340% total ink coverage sharpness and general accuracy of details throughout a textured
when setting up the scan parameters. area provided a useful guide to consistency in fine detail render-
For each proof of a scanned image, we looked specifically at ing. The fabric patterns also were useful in this respect, as well
color accuracy and depth, gray balance, overall sharpness and ren- as to show any tendency toward moiré. We were interested in
dering of fine details, and highlight and shadow rendering. Each how well the devices with a high maximum density would ren-
scanner was given a score of between one and ten for each of der color—in particular, whether we would see better shadow
these five criteria. We then averaged the five scores to obtain a detail and finer highlights.
single figure for each device. We have included annotations where
relevant.
The following commentary on what we were looking for and How the players fared
what we found as we evaluated the scans of the transparencies may
help you understand our conclusions and, perhaps, draw conclu- Here are the results of our evaluation of quality of the scans of the
sions of your own. 4×5-inch transparency. All of the scanners did a creditable job;
some were outstanding.
The 4×5-inch transparency test Agfa AgfaScan T5000. Although the T5000 is a relatively low-
cost device, we felt that it yielded more than acceptable results for
We selected this first-generation image from Kodak for several rea- a scanner in this price bracket. Its good rendering of very dark
sons. It contains a wide range of textures and colors, and includes shadows unfortunately compromised the highlight areas, but color
complex fine details in both light areas, such as the watch face, and accuracy, color depth and gray balance were consistent, producing
dark shadows, such as the fabric patterns. The image also covers a a commendable result.
wide density range with very light areas, such as the shirt, and very Color accuracy 6
dark shadows, such as can be seen beneath the bolts of fabric. Color depth 6
Of course, it is virtually impossible to make an absolute evalu- Gray balance 6
ation of the quality of a printed image before it is printed. Since we Overall sharpness 6
had to write this commentary prior to seeing the printed images, Highlight and shadow rendering 7
we felt that the best way to come close to seeing a printed image Average score 6.2
would be to generate a high-quality proof as the basis for our analy-
sis. With that in mind, we produced Cromalins of the 4×5-inch Fuji Lanovia C-550. The C-550 produced excellent overall
transparency that was scanned by each participating scanner. results. Our criticisms were that the highlights were too dark, there
We were looking for the overall quality of the scanned image was some loss of shadow detail and a red cast was evident in several
and the accuracy with which the Cromalin matched the original areas, most notably in the white shirt. But, overall, we were im-
transparency. In particular: pressed.
• Saturation and color consistency. We looked at color saturation Color accuracy 8
to see if there was a tendency to under- or oversaturate colors, Color depth 8
plus the overall color balance and consistency of rendering color Gray balance 6
across large highlight and shadow areas. The blue and red hand- Overall sharpness 8
kerchiefs are particularly telling for both saturation and consis- Highlight and shadow rendering 7
tency, since both include subtle color transitions within their Average score 7.4
folds and shadows. On the original, these colors are extremely
vibrant, a characteristic we had hoped to see in the scans. Heidelberg QuickStep. We didn’t expect great results from this
• Gray balance. The hat and some of the fabrics provided a useful scanner, knowing that it is at the low end on the price scale, and
means of comparing gray balance and color saturation. We hope it lacks the optical sophistication of some of the other devices in-
this will be visible in these pages, which ranged in color from cluded in the test; however, we were pleasantly surprised. The re-
gray to green. (On the transparency, the hat is gray, tending sults were commendable. Our biggest criticism was an overall
toward blue, rather than green or black.) washed-out appearance, with very light shadow rendering and a
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March 2, 1999 The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
In conventional scanning, the CCD array travels in one direction Stitching and copydot scanning. Zooming alone, however,
only (the x direction), and light is focused onto it via a lens or doesn’t allow the capture of the full resolution across the entire
lenses. A CCD array is a light-sensitive, integrated circuit with an scan bed, which is imperative for copydot scanning. To digitize
array of photosensitive sites on which an electronic charge builds complete films at full resolution requires stitching, and both the
up according to the length of the exposure of each site to light. C-550 and the Cézanne, use stitching technology when
With conventional scanning, the lens is centered on the middle performing copydot scans, although they don’t stitch when scan-
of the scan bed. At low magnifications, the whole bed can be ning color images.
scanned, but, at higher magnifications, only a central strip is
focused on the CCD array. Xy scanning repositions the scanner There is no need to stitch if an image falls within the width of
optics relative to the target image for both the x and y direc- the CCD array, but, if it is wider than the CCD, the optical system
tions, rather than the single direction of conventional scanners. must make more than one pass over the image, and the scanned
This permits the scanning, at high resolution, of strips on either data must then be stitched into a composite whole. It’s rather
side of the central area of the bed. like the electronic equivalent of pasting together sheets of
wallpaper so that there are no signs of a join.
The theory goes that the xy technique also provides uniform
quality throughout the scan for both single images and mul- The digital data swathes have to be matched up and the edges
tiple images positioned anywhere on the scanner bed. These analyzed to ensure that no data are introduced that could con-
images can still be enlarged to the maximum limit, so multiple, stitute visible artifacts. Solutions to this problem range from
high-enlargement, quality scans can be made simultaneously. edge recognition techniques to special algorithms that analyze
a complete scan to ensure that none of the joins can be seen.
Zooming. XY technology can be used in conjunction with one This matching requires that the scanner recognizes what con-
or two additional technologies: zoom (in which case the com- stitutes an edge or not, and that it can distinguish the discrete
plete technology is sometimes referred to as xyz scanning) and points along these edges precisely, without creating gaps or
stitching. With a zoom system, a zoom lens moves to focus the overlaps.
target image data across the entire width of the CCD, thereby
yielding the desired resolution up to the maximum of the CCD Added to the problem of accurate edge recognition is the re-
array’s width. Zoom systems have the added benefit of scan- quirement of graphics scanning to match up the three filtered
colors of red, green and blue data. The stitching
Selected Scanner Features software must be able to align three sets of data
stripes both side to side and layer upon layer.
Scanner XY-capable Zoom lens Fixed lenses Stitching
There also is the need to recalibrate the system
Agfa AgfaScan T5000 ✓ between swathes, which can result in a time pen-
Fuji Lanovia C-550 ✓ ✓ copydot only alty, depending on the speed of the mechanism.
Heidelberg Prepress QuickStep 3 There also is a question of vulnerability of the
Heidelberg Prepress Topaz ✓ optical system to calibration problems.
Heidelberg Prepress Topaz IX ✓ Scanning systems that offer stitching invoke it
Imacon FlexTight Precision II ✓ only when necessary, such as when scanning
Purup-Eskofot Eskoscan 1318 ✓ 2 ✓ large originals at high resolution. This isn’t often
ScanView ScanMate F8 Plus ✓ required, however, and, when it isn’t required,
the desired output resolution is obtained via the
Scitex EverSmart Pro ✓ 1 ✓ zoom setting or computation through
Screen Cézanne ✓ ✓ copydot only downsampling or interpolation.
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March 2, 1999 The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
it makes sense in theory, didn’t hold true in our testing, illustrating Proof vs. print. In basing our commentary on the proofs of the
that productivity is a function of more than just the number of images, rather than prints taken from an offset press, we are aware
originals that can be scanned at one time. that some of what appeared to us in the Cromalins and on the
screen may not be apparent in print. The printed versions might
Who does and who doesn’t. Of the nine scanners in our tests, not show the same color saturation and color casts as are apparent
four offer the option of xy scanning in a gang-scanning situation: on the Cromalins, which have a lower dynamic range than the
the EverSmart Pro, the Cézanne, the Lanovia C-550 and the original image but also have a higher range than the final print.
Eskoscan 1318. Not supporting xy technology are the AgfaScan For this reason, we emphasize that the reader will have to
T5000, the FlexTight Precision II, the QuickStep, the Topaz make the final judgment about the printed samples bound into
and the ScanMate F8 Plus. Since our testing, ScanView and Agfa this article.
have added xy models to their lines (the ScanView F10 and Agfa
XY-15, which is built around Agfa software and a version of the
Fuji Lanovia hardware). That leaves only Heidelberg and Imacon Optical resolution and interpolation
without xy devices.
We tested optical resolution using a glass Variable Frequency Reso-
And does it matter? Because the xy scanners tend to be rela- lution Target. Our primary intent was to see whether each scanner
tively expensive, one of the questions we wanted to answer was achieved the resolution given in its technical specifications. We also
whether the extra capability they offer is worth the price. Stated wanted to see what additional benefit, if any, interpolation soft-
another way, we wondered whether the lack of ability to scan at ware might provide.
full resolution across the entire scan width could be offset by the
lower prices of the T5000, FlexTight and F8 Plus. After complet- Optical resolution. This evaluation turned out to be more dif-
ing the tests, we felt that such an argument might plausibly be ficult than we expected. The target is designed to measure the
made for the T5000 and the FlexTight, but that it would be harder spatial frequency of black and white transitions, using parallel lines
to do so with the F8 Plus. with increasingly tight spacing. As the lines get finer and finer, and
Ultimately, value for money depends on the specific needs of the spacing gets tighter and tighter, the difference between lines
a purchaser and consequently is very difficult to test. It is impor- and spaces becomes more difficult for the scanning optics to re-
tant, however, for buyers to consider the tradeoff between the quality solve. Eventually, the optical system will record only gray, which
produced by these scanners and the prices charged for them, tak- means that the limit of optical resolution has been exceeded.
ing into account the users’ own applications and opinions of the We based our judgments of these scans primarily on what was
results. visible on-screen when we viewed them at high enlargement. We
Given the high price tag of the Topaz, we wondered whether looked for detectable light/dark transitions. We tried to establish
our results would indeed confirm Heidelberg’s argument that con- the point at which the line pairs approached uniform gray with no
ventional flatbed scanning technology can yield just as accurate and modulation visible.
pleasing a result as xy technology, even if the xy device combines Our task was complicated by the moiré patterns that are evi-
zoom technology and stitching with the xy movement. Comparing dent throughout these scans (and which can no doubt be seen in
the results of the Topaz with those of the Eskoscan 1318, its closest the printed samples). The moiré is caused by interference between
xy-stitching competitor in price, suggests that the results confirm the frequency of the lines and the scanning resolution. It is not
Heidelberg’s view. relevant and can be ignored, as long as the transitions from light
However, compared with the EverSmart Pro, the Cézanne and to dark and back are visible.
the C-550, the argument is perhaps not as strong, particularly since Once we had agreed on the point at which no lines were
these scanners are all less expensive than the Topaz. visible, we calculated the resolution in pixels per inch as follows:
resolution = 2 × (lp/mm) × 25.4
where “lp/mm” is the maximum number of line pairs per milli-
meter we were able to discern.
Wanted: New Slide We conclude that the optical resolution stated in most scan-
During the course of these tests, our 4×5-inch transpar- ners’ technical specifications is slightly over-optimistic in practice.
ency sustained a scratch. Our original had been kindly The exception was Screen’s Cézanne, which actually exceeded its
supplied by David McDowell at Eastman Kodak, but, claimed resolution.
unfortunately, Kodak no longer handles it. If any reader
has one of these images, we would be pleased to hear Interpolation. Another important objective of these tests was to
of it, with a view toward using it when we test some evaluate the role of interpolation in enhancing image detail. As can
be seen from these results, interpolation can provide a useful serv-
newly introduced, high-end flatbed scanners. Please con-
ice. It can be used to increase the number of pixels in the output
tact Paul Lindstrom: paul.lindstrom@agi.com. file, either to avoid moiré or to achieve the desired output resolu-
tion; however, it cannot provide additional image detail.
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Volume 28, Number 11 The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
Our measurements of interpolated data showed that, in gen- Heidelberg QuickStep. This result is exactly at the claimed op-
eral, the maximum resolution was essentially the same as the non- tical resolution, and using interpolation did not increase it.
interpolated scans. The scanner manufacturers specify much higher
interpolated resolutions, but our tests confirm that no additional Heidelberg Topaz. The tested horizontal resolution comes close
image detail is obtained. to the claimed resolution. The vertical resolution seems to be slightly
There were two interesting exceptions: the Scitex EverSmart lower. Interpolation did not change the tested numbers.
Pro (which fell short of its specified resolution when scanning at its
claimed maximum, but did better when interpolating), and the Heidelberg Topaz IX. We preferred to scan the glass resolution
Screen Cézanne (which provided better-than-specified resolution target in gray-scale mode. But, on the Topaz IX, the target was
when interpolating). The detailed results follow. scanned as line art, since this is the mode in which the 12,000-
element monolinear array is used. Although we found the scans
Agfa AgfaScan T5000. Agfa did not submit a separate interpo- difficult to evaluate precisely, it is clear that the 12,000-element
lation test. The result shows that the T5000 should be considered array does raise the resolution of Topaz IX.
to have a general maximum optical resolution of around 2,500 ppi
(the manufacturer’s stated horizontal resolution). The ability to Imacon FlexTight Precision II. It is not possible to scan
scan at 5,000 ppi in the vertical direction did not seem to contrib- rigid media with this scanner, so Imacon could not complete this
ute to the measured resolution. test and we cannot confirm the manufacturer’s resolution claims.
On the other hand, we did find that film grain is clearly repro-
Fuji Lanovia C-550. Fuji chose not to submit the results of its duced on a 5,760-ppi crop of a high-resolution scan, which in-
tests. Instead, Fuji ran the tests in its labs and submitted a result dicates that the Imacon scanner’s resolution is probably close to
that demonstrates the capabilities of the Lanovia’s optical system. the claimed level.
This result was obtained with some changes to the scanner’s con-
trol software (specifically, switching off the grain filter). Purup-Eskofot Eskoscan 1318. The measured horizontal reso-
Fuji explained that the Lanovia is designed primarily for film lution comes very close to that claimed by the manufacturer, al-
scanning and therefore would not be able to produce acceptable though the vertical resolution is somewhat less. Interpolation did
results scanning a glass platen, without some software modification. not improve the results.
Another difficulty arose from the fact that the C-Scan software
does not allow the user to specify the desired scan resolution. In ScanView ScanMate F8 Plus. The horizontal resolution is close
what may be a hangover from past practices, this software requires to the manufacturer’s claim, and the vertical is slightly lower. Once
the user to specify the desired output resolution and enlargement again, interpolation does not improve the results.
factor, calculating the scan resolution accordingly in software.
Fuji’s scan shows modulation up to 90 lp/mm using inter- Scitex EverSmart Pro. We were surprised by the difference
polation. This has been achieved in the Fuji labs under con- between the manufacturer’s specifications and the measured results
trolled conditions, and not in the same way as the other test for the EverSmart Pro. After the test, we were told that requesting
participants. a scan at 3,175 ppi (the claimed resolution) doesn’t change the
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March 2, 1999 The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
lens position from the normal 2,500 ppi. The switch to 3,175 ppi promised by its slowness. Ultimately, therefore, we don’t believe it
occurs only when a resolution higher than 3,175 is requested. This, would be fair to declare an overall winner in this project; the diver-
we were told, explains why the scan using interpolation shows a sity in approaches and innovativeness in this field make such a
slightly higher measured resolution (although this, too, was short declaration impossible.
of the claimed 3,175 ppi). The following table summarizes the results of the testing. We
hope readers will find this useful as a basis for assessing the com-
Screen Cézanne. The Cézanne’s result comes very close to the promises when comparing devices:
figures stated in the specifications. In this case, however, the inter- Overall Ratings Productivity Quality
polated result is even better, with lines visible at 120 lp/mm— Agfa AgfaScan T5000 7.54 6.2
beyond the manufacturer’s claimed resolution. This is surprising, Fuji Lanovia C-550 8.45 7.4
and it differs from the results with the other scanners. Heidelberg QuickStep 5.48 5.4
Heidelberg Topaz 8.35 7.6
Imacon FlexTight Precision II 7.10 6.0
Summary of resolution-testing results Purup-Eskofot Eskoscan 1318 5.33 6.6
ScanView ScanMate F8 Plus 9.67 5.4
For the most part, our testing confirms the resolution claims made Scitex EverSmart Pro 8.99 7.6
by the manufacturers. Most scanners performed very close to their Screen Cézanne 3.82 8.0
specifications. The Scitex EverSmart Pro fell somewhat short (but
only by a matter of about 15%), and this result may be related to Quality issues. Besides the differences among these devices in
a quirk of the scanning software. More surprising is the unexplained terms of technology, image quality and productivity, we have learned
fact that the Screen Cézanne exceeded its resolution specifications, a number of things from this project.
at least when interpolating. Ideally, a scanner should provide high resolution and a wide
dynamic range, but these specifications alone cannot be used as
indicators of performance. They must be considered in the context
of factors such as software efficiency and ease of use.
Conclusion Our tests confirmed that we are at or near the upper limit of
useful resolution with the present crop of scanners. Scanning reso-
lutions above about 5,000 pixels per inch, even with an original on
Our goal in this project has been to provide an objective evalua- high-quality film, will serve only to record more clearly the film
tion of the current range of high-end flatbed scanners on the market. grain.
We hope we have achieved this in a way that is meaningful to
prospective purchasers and users of this technology. Performance. Attention to data-flow issues is particularly impor-
It is interesting that there was no clear winner of all of the tant when working with the large files these scanners produce. The
tests; different devices excelled in different tests. For example, the processes of scanning, data transfer and writing to disk need to
tests showed that Scitex’s EverSmart Pro offers the most compel- occur in parallel. Although the front-end system may support back-
ling combination of speed and quality, followed closely by the ground operation, scanning and writing of data may not occur
Heidelberg Topaz and Fuji Lanovia C-550, which are nearly equiva- simultaneously, and this can clearly hurt performance in volume-
lent in these terms. On the other hand, the Cézanne performed scanning environments.
the best in the area of quality, but its overall attractiveness is com- The user, as well as the manufacturer, must pay attention to
these performance issues. We noticed performance differences aris-
ing from such things as not closing other applications during
Pixel Perfect: A Buyers’ Guide to scanning, or not turning off unnecessary system extensions. And
disk fragmentation is critical: We observed one case where a scan
High-End Flatbed Scanners took 45 minutes prior to defragmentation, but only 26 minutes
afterward.
This article contains a subset of a more comprehensive
study performed by Paul Lindström and Laurel Brunner. To be continued. An interesting area for further exploration is
The full results, with several pages of output samples for the practical value of density range and maximum density specifi-
each tested scanner, are contained in a separate publica- cations. High values are not always associated with high quality, as
tion called “Pixel Perfect: A Buyers’ Guide to High-End our tests have shown. But are a big range and a high maximum
Flatbed Scanners.” The Buyers’ Guide can be obtained valuable? For what kinds of work? We are considering a future
for $40 from Seybold Publications at 610-565-2480. round of testing in which density specifications would be put to a
Subscribers to The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems practical test.
can obtain a substantial discount.
Laurel Brunner with Paul Lindström
28