Basics of Scanning

Are you getting exasperated with all the stacks of negatives and prints warping into unruly shapes and colors that�s been holding your desk drawer hostage but haven�t got the heart to deposit them into the dark recesses of your attic/basement?

To top all scanning basics lessons, remember that scanning is a two-part process. The first part is setting of the resolution and output and making the scan, and the second is saving and editing the file. Saving is an important process and it�s a good option to save your files in BMP or TIFF, especially if you plan to import them into Photoshop for adjustments. Try keeping images bound for website under 40 KB. And for images that you want to print out, save them as TIFF uncompressed or BMP and use a high DPI setting (300 and up) when scanning them.Fret no more! By scanning your pictures, you will be given an opportunity to edit and organize your pictures. Once your images are digitized, you can export it into Photoshop to make adjustments. Also, by having your prints or negatives get digitized, you get to archive, e-mail, fax, save them to a CD or even publish them on a website. You may even get to build a photo gallery and let your whole family and friends access them.Before rushing out to buy a scanner, do some research on the gadget, first, like figuring out the features you need and how much you want to spend. Then, know the scanner jargons that describe it�s factors and features. There are two crucial measurements when it comes to scanners � bit or color depth refers to the number of bits of image data the scanner will use for each pixel, and resolution/DPI, which tells you how many spots of information there are in a given area.Scanning technology has come a long way since being introduced. With only about US$150, you can already have a fine scanner with all the software you need. Of course if you fancy a scanner that handles slides and negatives, you�ll invest a little bit more than this amount.You have to consider other features, too. Like the scanner�s speed, ability to scan negatives/slides, software bundles to manage the scanning process, interface between your computer and scanner, and scanner size.So, now, if you have your scanner already, it�s best to start with a low resolution setting and work your way up from there. The default resolution of 150 DPI might not be a bad place to start. Then, the next important setting is the �output type� which describes what type of image you�re scanning. Save space and time by cropping the pictures before scanning them and closing some other applications on your computers. If you�re having trouble with the scanning software, consult the manual.

Have fun editing your image once you�ve scanned them�Remember, if you foul up, you can still start the whole scanning process � as long as you have your scanner handy!

Author: Carla Ballatan

My Approach to Personal Time Management and Organization

"Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever." � Horace Mann, 19th century American educator and reformer

Depending on the model, film scanners may incorporate proprietary technologies unique and exclusive to their manufacturer. Such technologies may include an auto-focus mechanism to ensure perfect image capture, a patented feeder mechanism, or specially designed holders for making film stay flat. These features may make a real difference in improving the quality of your scanning or streamlining your workflow.3. Want to update your backsplash? Use beadboard! Have your local home improvement store cut it to length and attach with nails or adhesive.2. To add a little flair, take out a few drawers and insert low baskets in their place. You will probably have to remove the middle drawer slide or side slides, but that is easily done with a screwdriver.SystemsThis is where goal setting has become the most meaningful for me � at the daily, weekly, or monthly level (I am awful at hitting any longer-term goals). Starting with a paper time management system (in a leather binder I took everywhere) and now on my notebook computer (which I don�t always take everywhere), I make notes of things I want to do on a particular day, week, or month. These are recorded when I get an idea, make a commitment, or set plans.5. Update your cabinets with special memories. Attach frames painted or stained to match the cabinets to the front of each door. Fill the frames with family photos or your children*s artwork. Or highlight a special collection such as vintage handkerchiefs or postcards.Style and Type Some flatbed scanners include either an external or built-in transparency adapter that is used to scan film. Other flatbeds are of a dual-bed design; i.e., with one bed - the glass flatbed part of the scanner -for scanning prints; and another bed - a transparency bay that looks like a pull-out drawer - for scanning film. If you intend to scan only the occasional slide or stray piece of film, and don't mind the lower resolution as well, a flatbed scanner that can accommodate film may well serve your purpose. Be aware, however, that the resulting film scans will not be suitable for commercial or professional use. To obtain the best results, nothing less than a dedicated film scanner will do.ResolutionKeys go on the same key rack by the garage door as soon as we come in the house. Files go right back in their file drawers. Articles are coded and filed in my library system for book, column, or presentation research later. Books go into their respective sections in my library. Presentations or workshop designs are filed for later reference so I don't have to start from scratch on something similar in months or years from now. Periodically I overcome the packrat in me and go through my filing system tossing things out, consolidating files, or moving files to my attic archives.The dynamic range of a scanner measures how well it can capture the tonal range of an image, ranging from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows. Dynamic range is a more important spec in film scanners than it is for flatbeds, because film and other transparent media have a broader range of tones compared to photos or prints - something that film scanners are perfectly equipped to capture and show. Dynamic range is measured on a scale from 0.0 (perfect white) to 4.0 (perfect black), and the single number associated with a scanner indicates how much of that range it can tell apart. The minimum and maximum density values that can be captured by a scanner are called Dmin and Dmax, respectively. If a scanner's Dmin was 0.2 and its Dmax was 4.2, then its dynamic range would be 4.0. The dynamic range of film scanners are usually advertised by their manufacturers as falling somewhere between 4.0 and 4.6, but these are intrinsically difficult figures to prove or validate, and a model claiming a higher number may not necessarily have better results to show, mainly because of variances in testing and determining the figure. A more practical way of assessing would be to visually check how shadows and highlights are reproduced by the scanner and then compare the results to the original image or to how other scanners reproduce those same tonal colors.Dust and scratches on film can present a big challenge for film scanners, as imperfections can take on gigantic proportions when the film is scanned at the scanner's very high resolution. Film can also be damaged through improper handling, and what appears to the naked eye as a tiny scratch may render the image on a film practically useless. For this reason, a number of film-repair technologies have been developed to remove imperfections, allowing an image to be reconstructed and printed flawlessly, as though it came from a pristine original. These film-repair technologies may be implemented either through software alone, such as the dust-and-scratch removal feature from the SilverFast program by LaserSoft Imaging; or through a combination of hardware and software, as is the case with the DIGITAL ICE technology built-into some models.Very few people can �multitask� effectively and concentrate on two things at once or flit back and forth from one thing to another. I certainly can't. So I've found the clean desk approach to be the most effective. The only things on my desk and credenza are ornaments, family photos, computer, telephone, and an out-basket.Bit DepthOther technologies

My PODS approach looks dangerously obsessive to some and "interesting" to others. I am continuing to customize and evolve it to fit me. I have come to believe that there is no one right personal time management and organization system. We all need to continue developing and refining the system that works best for our own quirks and preferences.

Author: Jim Clemmer

A Buyer�s Guide to Film Scanners

Film scanners are made for the sole and express purpose of scanning film directly into your computer. Unlike their flatbed counterparts, which may be able to handle media of various sizes and thicknesses and can even scan film if a transparency adapter is installed, film scanners scan only one thing: film. But because the image to be scanned is taken directly from the original material - from the film, and not from a print - film scanners allow more direct control over image elements such as cropping and aspect ratio. In addition, film has more detail and dynamic range compared to prints - which invariably lose tonal range and color data during the printmaking process. These are real concerns to photographers and graphic artists, who rely on original slides and film - and film scanners - to ensure the integrity of scanned images in professional and commercial applications. So, if your work relies on scanning negatives, slides, and other types of film, a film scanner is the right choice for you. This buying guide tackles some of the more important things that you need to know when looking for a film scanner.

OrganizationMost film scanners work with 35mm film. Some can scan APS film, but an optional APS adapter is needed to batch scan the full APS roll. Other film scanners, such as the Microtek ArtixScan 120tf, can scan medium format film as well, ranging from 6x6cm to 6x17cm panoramic. Check to see what types of film holders are provided with the film scanner; most models will include a 35mm slide holder as well as a 35mm filmstrip holder. A few models offer optional autofeeders that accommodate 50 mounted slides to allow efficient batch scanning of film.1. To give your cabinets a special flair, use three different stains. Use one lighter stain on the upper cabinets, one slightly darker on the drawers and an even darker one on the bottom cabinets. Add a little pigment in a primary color (red, blue or yellow) to add an additional dimension and a little *pop.*Dynamic RangeMy in-basket is the top drawer of my desk. All incoming mail, faxes, and paper go in there. That way, when I am working on something, I am not distracted or overwhelmed by other papers waving to get my attention. Nothing is allowed to stay in my in-drawer over night (unless I am out of town). When I go through the paper in this drawer, it immediately goes to one of four places: the wastebasket or recycling bin, my filing system, my out-basket, or my "pending" file folder for reading later or responding to on an airplane. This forces me to handle it once and not form little piles that slowly become future hiding places for that document I remember seeing once and now desperately need.DisciplineTry one of these ideas or use them to jumpstart your own creative imagination. Remember, there is a designer in each of you! It*s just very well hidden in some - VERY well hidden!Thomas Henry Huxley once observed, "perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned." Discipline is the engine that drives the whole PODS approach. Whenever mine wavers, the choking PODS process takes me down with it. Lack of discipline is at the heart of most of my performance problems. Like the battle of the bulge, this is a lifelong fight with "hardening of the oughteries."For instance, a full-frame 35mm color negative scanned at 2400 dpi will result in a size of about 3400 x 2200 pixels. If this 2400-dpi image is printed at 300 dpi, the resulting printed image will be 8 times larger than the original film size (2400/300=8). In actual terms, this means that your original 1.4 x 0.9-inch film (36 x 24 mm) can be increased by 8 times to 11.2 x 7.2 inches when printed at 300 dpi - without any loss of image clarity or detail. A word of caution: Because film scanners can scan in such high resolutions, file sizes can be big. Scanning the 35mm negative at 2400 dpi in the example just cited will result in a file size of 22 megabytes.I am too lazy to look for things. I much prefer to know where things are and find them the first time I look. Personal systems take time � and especially discipline � to set up, consistently use, and maintain. But like investments in training or quality improvement, investments of time in personal systems pay back many times their costs by saving huge amounts of time later.The hardware interface of your film scanner will determine how long it takes to transfer digital data to a computer for processing. Together with the actual operational speed of the scanner, the hardware interface plays an important part in determining scan speed. Most older film scanners have SCSI ports; the newer film scanners feature FireWire or USB (Hi-Speed or USB 1.1) interfaces. Models with either USB or FireWire interface are hot swappable - which means the scanners can be plugged or unplugged from other devices to which they are connected without having to turn the scanners off and on.PrioritizationMy PODS approach looks dangerously obsessive to some and "interesting" to others. I am continuing to customize and evolve it to fit me. I have come to believe that there is no one right personal time management and organization system. We all need to continue developing and refining the system that works best for our own quirks and preferences.Self-management, like self-improvement is highly personal. What works for one person may be ridiculous to someone else. Over the years I've evolved a personal management system that works for me. I think of it as PODS:InterfaceDust-and-Scratch Removal, Film Repair

Depending on the model, film scanners may incorporate proprietary technologies unique and exclusive to their manufacturer. Such technologies may include an auto-focus mechanism to ensure perfect image capture, a patented feeder mechanism, or specially designed holders for making film stay flat. These features may make a real difference in improving the quality of your scanning or streamlining your workflow.

Author: Microtek Lab Inc

Five Easy Ways to Give Your Kitchen Designer Wow!

A beautiful kitchen is the heart of any home (even for those of us who spend most of our cooking time around the microwave!) Time spent together in the kitchen can bring a family closer together and make wonderful memories (although my own memories of doing dishes as a teenager are less than pleasant - something about dishwater being *disgusting!*) Turning your plain kitchen into something special isn*t as hard as you might think. Here are a few simple ideas which can make your kitchen a designer showcase.

Software provided with film scanners can be specialized and varied. Like flatbeds, film scanners will include their own driver or scanning software, as well as bundle an image-editing program - such as Adobe Photoshop - into which scanned images are delivered and placed. In addition, higher-end film scanners may include a color calibration and ICC profiler program, which ensures consistent color by creating a color profile specific to the film scanner. With the ICC profiler program, an image - known as an IT8 target and containing industry-standard color values - is scanned, and then compared to values that the scanner actually recorded. The differences are then translated into a compensation scheme to even out color variations, so that accurate color results can be produced in the future.A scanner's bit depth determines the number of bits captured per pixel, which is related to the number of possible colors. The higher the bit depth is, the greater the number of colors that can be shown. Bit depth for film scanners on the market today can be 30-bits, 36-bits, 42-bits, or 48-bits. Always aim for higher bit depth when possible, as this allows the scanner to work with and retain a greater amount of color information. A 48-bit scanner, for instance, produces 65,536 levels or shades of color per R,G,B (red, green, blue) channel, resulting in a mind-blowing possible combination of about 250 trillion colors. In contrast, a 36-bit scanner produces 4,096 levels of information, or a paltry 68.7 billion colors.Film FormatsFor scanners, the optical, or "true", resolution is what matters, as this is the actual number of pixels being read by the scanner's optics. Film scanners have much higher resolution figures compared to flatbeds, with optical resolution in film scanners ranging from 2700 dpi to 5400 dpi, and 4000 dpi being the most common. The high resolution in film scanners allows you to enlarge small images, creating enough pixels in the process to print in full-page size.I have also created and filed hundreds of my presentations slides. So whether I am in an airport, on a plane, or in my office, I can search files, presentations, quotations, and databases. I can then easily retrieve, cut, paste, and create something new.

Try one of these ideas or use them to jumpstart your own creative imagination. Remember, there is a designer in each of you! It*s just very well hidden in some - VERY well hidden!

Author: Pamela Cole Harris

Is Refacing Cabinetry a Solid Investment?

Being a Custom Cabinetmaker and Finish Carpenter I'm frequently asked what I think about refacing cabinetry as opposed to demolishing the old cabinets and starting from scratch.

The Con's come down to Quality and Freedom! The PSA wood veneer is very thin and very frequently starts to bubble or lift off the old wood surface within a year to 18 months.Another minor problem that can be solved by your own skills is when the cabinet door is really damaged that it needs replacement. This task may be tremendous as they require the right equipment and material, however, with videos available on the web, you may find that it is possible.Kitchen cabinet re-facing is also possible if the cabinet door is already sagging down. Doors that are sagging are hard to close. At worst, they become impossible to close. This is why early detection should be followed with immediate action to prevent further damage to the cabinet.Eriez Magnetics, call 800-345-4946, or search mmsonline.com/suppliersIn order to understand the problems with refacing cabinetry you need to know a little about the process. They typically remove and throw away the: doors, drawer fronts, door hinges, drawer slides and cabinet door knobs (if any).If you think that the cost of repair far overshadows the whole value of the kitchen cabinet and it does not have much of a sentimental value, you have to better discard it. Nonetheless, if the cabinet is still in good shape and only a few and minor damages or replacements are needed, then by all means, proceed with re-facing.The problem is, they make no mention of quality or durability or improved functionality and forget getting a decent warranty!Perhaps, the most common occurrence in kitchen cabinets are the missing screws, bearings, locks, and drawer slides. Depending on the simplicity or complexity of the locks and screws, you may spearhead the kitchen cabinet re-facing or seek a professional help. Again, if you are unsure of your capacity to do it and there is no available videos on the web that demonstrate exactly how to fix drawer slides and bearing like yours, then, hiring a professional to do it is worth the while.The drawer magnets are designed to capture and hold fine and weakly magnetic particles, preventing plugged valve gates, damage and equipment downtime. According to the company, the increased use of recycled plastics, which can contaminate metal, requires moldmakers and extruders to utilize high-strength magnets. Reprocessed material pellets with tiny particles of encapsulated ferrous material can be captured and held to prevent product contamination, process downtime and equipment/mold damage, the company says.Cabinets are among the furniture that are expected to last a lifetime. Such proves especially true among kitchen cabinets in North America. Thus, kitchen cabinet re-facing is always recommended. It preserves memories and save the earth.Example of minor damages includes chipped paint, missing or damaged knob or handles and missing a chunk of wood. These conditions are repairable by carpentry. There are many do-it-yourself techniques on how to do the repair. They can search the web for practical and easy to follow instructions.At times, old stains become very stubborn they damage the aesthetics of the cabinet. This is particularly true in houses where a beautiful kitchen cabinet-made from hard wood-has been mounted. There are stains that require special chemicals or formulas to remove. Visiting a furniture restoration would be worth the trip as it may save your cabinet from hideous stains and exude its true beauty.The list goes on and on...That being said, to say I'm not a fan of refacing cabinetry would be an understatement! I'll give you the Pro's and Con's and let you be the judge.

By the way, if you're still not convinced, ask around and find someone who refaced their kitchen two years ago or more and find out if they'd do it again. Just make sure they don't work for the refacing company!

Author: Kevin Koop

Do You Need To Know About Kitchen Cabinet Re-Facing?

Learning how to do kitchen cabinet re-facing is very rewarding. Not only do you value craftsmanship. You will also save money from not having to purchase another kitchen cabinet. Of course, not at all times should you continue to refurbish the cabinet.

Then, the cabinets are "roughed-up" by sanding and sometimes a chemical stripper is used as well. The refacing installer then adheres a wood veneer to the exposed surfaces. Typically, the veneer has a PSA backing (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) and it is firmly pressed to the old wood surface to make it's bond.If you have a refacing specialist in your home you are likely to hear something like...As far as freedom goes, you didn't get to change the cabinet's interior. If you had fixed shelves before, you probably didn't get to upgrade to adjustable shelves as this is too much work in retrofitting.Refacing cabinetry is an inexpensive way to update your kitchen's look with a minimum of inconvenience and without all the dirt, debris and noise associated with demolishing your kitchen and starting over.Now, to be fair, there is some truth in the statement above. Refacing does typically cost less than having a custom cabinetmaker, like myself, completely redo your cabinetry. (Though it's not inexpensive!!!) The project will also be completed in less time than a custom cabinet job.I generally pride myself as someone who has an open mind. While I have strong opinions on a variety of topics... I like to offer options to people rather than to come off as someone who knows it all. Besides, I don't "know it all."On the other hand, it may be that the cabinet is too precious to inflict more damage from your low confidence in fixing it by yourself, you may opt for a professional fixer. Even the hardest of hard woods may wear and tear over time and the doors are the first to show. A professional restorer of furniture should be able to bring your wood cabinets back to life including the repair on its door.

Cabinets are among the furniture that are expected to last a lifetime. Such proves especially true among kitchen cabinets in North America. Thus, kitchen cabinet re-facing is always recommended. It preserves memories and save the earth.

Author: Rudy Silva

Drawer magnets prevent plugged valve gates

Eriez offers a series of Rare Earth (RE) after-market grates that slide into most existing drawer magnet housings. The RE aftermarket drawer magnets, which are available in four sizes, can be installed in less than five minutes, the company says. The guide-rod design enables the magnets to be used with mild steel housings.

If you happen to catch something on an edge of the veneer you may very well peel it back or tear it altogether. If someone, say a child, happens to scratch the veneer surface it will most likely expose the old wood surface as the veneer is very thin.By the way, if you're still not convinced, ask around and find someone who refaced their kitchen two years ago or more and find out if they'd do it again. Just make sure they don't work for the refacing company!

Eriez Magnetics, call 800-345-4946, or search mmsonline.com/suppliers