What flatbed scanner is best for fine art giclee printing preparation?

Notice: Creo is part of Kodak since 2005, so the scanners are now Kodak scanners.

For prepress flatbed scanning, or to prepare images for wide format fine art printing, or any serious professional use, top quality and crisp resolution, look at the Creo (Kodak) EverSmart, Fuji, or Heidelberg flatbed scanners. In 2004 Creo came out with an intermediate model, their Select. The current model is the Select II. The EverSmart Supreme is also now the "Supreme II."

 If you can afford the Creo , however, its true optical resolution does produce a good image. You get the full dpi across the entire 12x17 inch size of the flatbed. All 5000 dpi scanners offer this now: Heidelberg Nexscan, Fuji Lanovia C550 Sprint, Agfa XY, Screen Cezanne Elite, and Creo EverSmart.

 Max density ought to be between 3.9 or a full 4.0, density range is 3.7, color depth is 14 to 16 bits per color. You can even upgrade to accomplish copy dot scanning on some models. Nice thing about Creo scanners is they don't have to lie and cheat and hype their density range.

New Creo EverSmart Supreme scanner arrives at the FLAAR Photo Archive to be tested scanning the 50,000 35mm slides

Summary: If you want to have good detail at large size, if you are using a wide format printer, and especially if you intend to produce fine art giclee prints then you need a good scanner.

If you seriously intend to do fine art giclée prints and someone tries to sell you a Microtek scanner or an Agfa version of a Microtek, then you need to ask why don't they offer a more sophisticated scanner. Your clients will want better quality and you should aspire to set your personal standards for a better scanner. Don't forget, no matter how good your printer is, you have to feed it an acceptable image. Otherwise your fabulous printer will merely flawlessly reproduce all the flaws of your cheap scan from your cheap scanner. 1000 dpi is useless for a 35mm slide; so is 1400 dpi or 1800 dpi. The claim of 1400 x 2800 is pure hype; the true dpi is only the first lower number.

We are not impressed by the old Jazz or Jazz+. Fine art giclée implies you have high standards. If you are scanning from 35mm slides you will want at least a Creo iQsmart3, though we greatly prefer the Supreme II or Select II. If you have flawless 4x5 chromes, then actually you can try out the iQsmart2 or the Finescan 2750 from Fujifilm Electronic Imaging.

Creo oXYgen software is heavy-duty industrial-strength prepress software for the capable professional. If you are a power user you will enjoy everything Creo makes. In 2005 Kodak bought all of Creo, so Creo scanners are now Kodak scanners. Thus Kodak also makes the Supreme, the Creo EverSmart Supreme II, top of the high end flatbed scanners.

If you prefer to contact Creo directly, telephone # at Kodak is 800 929-9209; their e-mail is scanners@creo.com. This e-mail contact is valid world-wide.

If you are in the USA, and have general questions about Scitex, Creo or Kodak scanners, you can obtain further information from Hanan Gelbendorf hanan@2creativ.com. These are not contacts for repairs or that kind of question. These are not contacts for scanner software. These contacts are to allow you to learn and understand the differences between an average scanner and a superb scanner. Hanan is still associated with the Scitex scanners still today in 2009. He knows these scanners during their Scitex period, during the CreoScitex period and now with Kodak.

The Master Distributor for the US for Kodak scanners (so for CreoScitex EverSmart Supreme and iQsmart series) is Don Bobenhouse, Smartstuff Graphics Distribution, 155 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd (St Louis, Missouri). Office 636 532-6131, Cell 314 616-1509.

If you are outside USA, so anywhere else in the world, prime contact for information on new and used Kodak (CreoScitex) scanners is Ron Beery ron.beery@kodak.com. This contact information is valid for 2009 onward.

How to scan the original painting if you don't have a chrome of it? We do this in the FLAAR studio every week: up to 36 x 48 inch paintings. FLAAR does work for the art department on campus (Bowling Green State University of Ohio). FLAAR itself is in the College of Technology across campus but our scanners turned out to be better, so the art faculty and students trek over to our facilities with their paintings.

To scan your original painting, the Cruse reprographic (copy stand) scanner is ideal for museums, or, like us, great for a university.

We have summarized our nine years of experience evaluating scanners in our FLAAR Reports on scanners. These are now easy to obtain.

 

 

Most recently updated April 18, 2006.
Redesign May. 2004. Previously updated Feb. 20, 2002, updated Aug. 1, 2002, updated June 22, 2004, updated June 17, 2005, updated March 8, 2006.