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  1. #1





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    How to get a good scan of a card in plastic. (if you did not know)

    Everyone,
    For a while now I have hated my scanner and it's inability to scan encased cards well. So I did a little research and some testing and found the solution. In order to get the best scans at a decent price you need to make sure the scanner uses CCD technology. Now, I will say this there are some great price differences in these but I landed on an Epson V550 and man is it good (priced under $150 is you watch). So to illustrate, here is a scan of an encased Highland Mint that I did last year with my old combo scanner (Epson as well, at 800dpi and scaled down to 1600 pixels)



    As you can see it looks like a drunken sailor took the photo. Now I used my new Epson V550 with CCD built in and here is what you get



    as you can see there is a really BIG difference. Now, how about a graded card slab. Here you go, first is the old scan and second is new. There is no comparison:



    So there you have it, for all of us that have suffered with these HORRIBLE images, there is a very simple solution. I am so happy that Santa came through, this just makes my day. Hope this helps some of you out there, but picking the right tech makes all things better. Be aware, most combo solutions DO NOT have CCD, I went with a scanner only and it has a hinged lid, film and negative holder etc. For me, worth every penny.

    Thanks
    Thad
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
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    Pretty solid upgrade for sure - thanks for the info!
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  3. #3




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    I desperately need a scanner like this, lowest price I can find in Canada however is around $220 CDN. May be a good investment though.

  4. #4
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    Great quality scans. Looks awesome!
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  5. #5




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    Thad that's an awesome scanner. Thanks for the info. Sure makes my next purchase for a scanner a must, as I too hate the "drunken sailor" look. It'll be great for images going into the Inventory Manager, as they should be images of the highest quality!
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  6. #6




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    Great post penguinsChief!

    People usually make the mistake of comparing the "maximum resolution" number between two scanners and picking the one with the higher max resolution. WRONG!!!! This is actually "interpolated resolution" and is meaningless when it comes to scanning clarity. Why? Because interpolated resolution is an "estimate" of missing photographic data (aka resolution) that is created by software and simply adds pixels of averaged color and intensity between every real pixel. This means the image will look larger but it will not look sharper. It will actually look blurred! The pixels added by the software are intermediate in color to the real pixel colors and blur the "edge" between them.

    Scanners are often spec'ed using two numbers, say at 600x1200 dpi or 1200x2400 dpi. The larger number is the "mechanical stepping" of the motor drive. The motor steps are an important scanner specification, but it does not contribute to optical resolution. The lower number is the very important "optical resolution" of the CCD cell. That number tells us how may pixels per inch the CCD cells capture. That is the amount of photographic data being captured and that equals resolution. The more data of the original photo/image you capture = the more the scan will look like the original photo. It also means you can't add accurate data to a bad photo to make it look good (aka increase resolution). You can interpolate it, but that is an estimation made by software...which incidentally has become better with increased computing power but is still not perfect at representing the original image...

    So....like you said, it's the fact that the V550 scanner uses a CCD sensor (Charge Coupled Device) is the reason why it is so great at scanning 3-D images. CCD units use an optical lens comparable to a fine camera lens, along with a system of mirrors, in order to focus the image onto the CCD cells. The CCD also requires an A/D converter chip (analog to digital) which all adds substantial expense and size. But almost all good flatbed scanners (like the V550) use a CCD sensor to create the best image quality via low noise, good dynamic range (focus), and color uniformity.

    Most of us use our printer/fax machine/scanners to scan our cards. Multi-function printer/fax/sacnners us a CIS chip (Contact Image Sensor) . These CIS units are small and inexpensive, having no optical system (no lens, mirrors, lamp, and no A/D chip). CIS chips often have LED light sources integrated in the chip with the sensor in order to cut costs but illumination quality suffers. The CIS sensors are full size, extending over the full bed width and they work by simply being extremely close to the photo/image being scanned (hence Contact Image Sensor). This means that there is zero depth of field above the scanner glass, and anything not actually touching the glass is too distant to be sharp, which makes CIS chips unsuitable for scanning 3D objects.

    And that's the reason why most of us end up posting drunken-sailor pics of encased/slabbed/graded cards...
    Last edited by fleemur12; 12-27-2016 at 03:28 AM. Reason: Clarify

  7. #7




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    Wowzers. Those are amazing scans. Great informational posts here, guys ;) Good Work.

  8. #8





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    Thanks guys, I wanted to get this out there since I know a lot of us have had these issues. I was trying to stay away from all the gory tech details, but as you can see proof is in the pudding. Now my issue is whether or not to re-scan all my cards. The better ones are being done now, but I think I will live with some of the others. Always nice to have help in this stuff!!

    Later all,
    Thad

  9. #9






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    This is truly awesome info... now I know what I need to treat myself to this Boxing Week so my slabbed card
    scans will stop looking like drunken sailors :)

  10. #10




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    I was trying to stay away from all the gory tech details...

    Yeah ...sorry about that. I couldn't help myself.

    Now my issue is whether or not to re-scan all my cards.

    That's a lot of cards...and a lot of minutes!

    I think I will live with some of the others.


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