Expert: Frances Rhea Date: 5/2/2005 Subject: How to scan something larger than the scan table
Question I recently bought an Epson RX620 multifunction scanner/printer.
Incidentally to my question, I had to buy this model -- it was the only one around that will scan 35mm slides. (There are other machines that will do this, just none in local retailers near here.)
I am satisfied with the performance, etc. The literature and the "Reference Guide" that appeared on my desktop are not so great, however.
The only booklet included in the box is about how to use the machine independently of a computer. There's absolutely no mention of a computer other than a phamphlet about set up.
Set up was easy off the CD included, though it took a while and did not always have "please wait while thus and such is happening" messages. The electronic handbook is not really overly user friendly, if you get the idea.
Anyway, I want TO SCAN AN IMAGE LARGER THAN THE SCANNING TABLE.
I called support, but they cannot provide me with the answer, even though this is mentioned in somewhere in their "Reference Guide" (without the how to anywhere).
Apparently the term for doing this is : STICTCHING
You scan mutliples images and the computer makes a composite image, amalgamating your scans all into one image of the origianl (too large) document.
CAN YOU SUGGEST ANY WAYS OF DOING THIS ?
Is there any downloadable software that will accomplish this process, that you know of ?
Apparently, there's an Adobe Photo program that will do this. The Epson support people referred me to them on my first call there -- but Adobe is NOT the photo software they provide with purchase, lol.
(The Epson photo editor is called "PhotoImpression 5" if you've ever heard of that.)
Thanks very much for any suggestion or places to search for help on scanning a document larger than the scanning table.
Keep smiling,
Jerry in Pennsylvania
Answer I have done it before but used Paint Shop Pro. Basically what you do with any program is scan part of the image and save it. Move the item you are scanning to another area, and scan again. Save that image as #2. Do that until you have the complete image.
Now open the image editor and open each file. Find the dimensions of each file (i.e., image 1 = 800x600, image 2=800x600, image 3=800x600, image 4=800x600). Now you need to create a new blank image to hold the composite files. It will need to be large enough to fit all images into it. In the above example, you would need a new image of 1600x1200 if the images were layed out like this:
1 2
3 4
Make sense so far?
Ok, now make image 1 active and click copy. Make the blank image active by selecting it and click Edit, Paste as new selection. You can then move the image to its proper place. continue in this manner until you have all 4 images in place.
It probably will be easier if you shrink the original images first because they will probably be very large. If you need to see exactly where to place them in the new image, you can zoom in to a larger view.
Sorry...that's as close as I can tell you.
The software package you have has a manual to download here:
