Best scanner for magazines?

[fcgamer | 4,719]

I have a ton of magazines that I wouldn't mind getting digitalized, at some point over the next few years. I saw an advert pop up on my FB feed once for these Czur scanners, I did more research on them.

The pros seem to be that they're extremely fast, and also that they have a special software technology that flattens the centre crease, so you don't have to damage your books / magazines / whatever trying to get them flat for scanning.

The cons include the price, I guess, but I've also read that these do a lousy job at scanning glossy magazines, which would make the thing useless for my objective.

So can anyone here recommend me a scanner that is fast, and can scan magazines to a good quality, preferably without having to damage them in the process.

Thanks!

[Tulpa | 3,488]

I work with quite a few scanners including the Czurs and the Fujitsu ScanSnaps.

The gloss is going to be a big issue for you, especially if you're insistent on keeping the magazines intact. The scanners that can do that well are going to be several times the price of the Czurs.

To be honest, I'd look into professional scanning services. Though that won't be cheap, either, if you have a ton.

edit: The cheapest way would be using a digital camera on a tripod, and set up a magazine cradle to hold it at an angle where you can use off-axis light. Square the camera up, take photo, flip the magazine around, take photo, flip around and turn the page. Won't be fast, though.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Tulpa

[fcgamer | 4,719]

40 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

edit: The cheapest way would be using a digital camera on a tripod, and set up a magazine cradle to hold it at an angle where you can use off-axis light. Square the camera up, take photo, flip the magazine around, take photo, flip around and turn the page. Won't be fast, though.

I can't imagine the quality being very good though, or do you mean using a photographer's camera? 

[Tulpa | 3,488]

2 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

I can't imagine the quality being very good though, or do you mean using a photographer's camera? 

Yeah, a good digital camera. SLR if possible. No flash, you want the light source coming from a different angle to minimize glare.

Though if you have one of the latest and greatest phones/tablets with a high megapixel count it may work. I've seen that done, too.

[FireHazard51 | 2,043]

@Tulpa Would polarizing film/lens help a lot with the light glare?  Or would this just not be worth the effort given that it won't remove all the glare.  Or did you assume that would be used from the get to.

[Tulpa | 3,488]

Yes, you could use polarizing filters, though it does slightly alter colors. If that's acceptable, it's easy enough to put a cheap one over the DSLRs. For the scanners, you may have to find one that fits those particular models. I know the ScanSnap SV600 needs its own as the scanning head moves to cover the whole page.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Tulpa