Scanning

Preface

This guide is not free of expelletives and non-technical language. I'm no writer nor smart guy. This is based off 5+ years of scanning and editing stuff for the project. -mthntc.

If you're already familiar with scanning artwork and want a quick summary of the guide, what we need for the archive is:

• 600dpi (minimum) to 1200dpi (maximum).
• Lossless file format (PNG/TIFF/BMP).
• Uncropped scans, or cropped with headroom. Completely unedited images otherwise.
• Either a decent naming scheme for the files (specifics can be up to you), or including photos of the real items for us to reference and rename.

Requirements

• Scanner or printer-scanner combo.
• A heavy object.
• Dark colored construction paper.
• GIMP (optional, free software)
• NAPS2 (optional, free software)

Most flatbed scanners/printer-scanners should do the job, but be mindful that some may not reach our golden standard for resolution (1200dpi), the color reproduction may be off, they may oversharpen the image with no way to tame it, or may produce images with lossy JPG-like compression artifacts regardless of your chosen file format. If you need a new scanner or are looking to replace your current one, we can recommend two picks:

• Canon Canoscan Lide 300. It's an affordable and compact CIS scanner that can get the job done without issues. Many users in our community own these, and a good portion of our archived scans are done with them.
• Epson Perfection V600. A tried and true CCD scanner, much more expensive by comparison, but it comes with the advantages of different sensors that are suitable for cases such as digipacks, where being unable to remove the plastic tray would result in severe blurring with CIS machines.

The dark construction paper would be placed over the art you're scanning to minimize the amount of light bleeding in from the edges. Don't use it for CD face scans, though. The heavy object, of which you might need two (one roughly book-sized, and another less than half its size) if you want to be more thorough, will be placed on top of the construction paper, to put weight onto everything and make sure that the art you're scanning lays as flat as possible against the glass.

Sometimes, proprietary scanning software won't cut it; NAPS2 is a free alternative that should work with most gear, and it covers all our requirements. GIMP is only needed if you choose to crop your images in post, and/or if you choose to straighten them before submitting them (more details about this below).

Pre-scan

Cleaning

Clean the glass and the piece you're scanning before and in-between each scan to remove as much dirt, dust, hair, etc. from the resulting images. Flannel cloth should do just fine. If you're dealing with darker colors, you may want to wear disposable gloves to avoid fingerprints.

Completely removing dirt and prints may not be feasible, but the effort is always noticeable.

Order

As a suggestion for commodity, if you're scanning a standard jewel-case release, you may want to start with the back insert/inlay first, then the disc(s), and then the front insert.

Spines

While the flattening part is already partially addressed with the requirement of a heavy object, while scanning a back insert, you may wanna bend the spines backwards so that they lay a bit more straight against the glass. The resistance created by these bends sometimes shows, regardless of the weight we can place on top.

Scan

Main settings

Basically the core of this guide:

• Color scans, never greyscale.
• Lossless image format. PNG or TIFF preferred, though BMP works too.
• At least 600dpi, ideally 1200dpi. Any lower will be accepted but marked as trumpable. Any higher will be downscaled to 1200dpi post-edits.
• No post-processing of any kind, nor auto-cropping.

Placement and cropping

You'll want to place the inserts or media towards the middle of the scanbed, aligned as straight as possible with the edges so that the fine straightening later introduces the least amount of distortion possible. Avoid placing the media directly against the edges of the scanbed; the effective scan area rarely ever matches these, thus resulting in partially cut-off scans.

When scanning, you'll usually lay stuff down vertically like this.

It's usually more noticeable in booklet scans, but fold-outs with rebellious bends may also show some nasty light glares and ugly shadows (check the middle sections).



This can be avoided with a simple change, time, and patience.
If you lay the artwork horizontally instead, you'll only be able to get one-and-a-half pages at a time, but you'll also get cleaner scans lighting-wise (that is, assuming that most if not all CIS scanner LEDs work in vertical motion).


Later, if you choose to do your own editing, you can merge the two scans into one and it'll look much better.

Lastly, regarding the cropping aspect and as stated previously, the ideal would be cropping with headroom (first image). No cropping (second image) is also acceptable. Overdoing it (third image) cuts parts of the art off and will be marked as trumpable.

Weight

For thoroughness, it may be better to scan everything except discs with the scanner lid off, placing the construction paper and the heavy objects directly on top of the media, because the lid may not come all the way down and press as much as we need.

Avoid post-processing

Built-in post-processing options vary in functionality depending on the hardware and software, and it often is hard to tell when something looks good at first, but is going to end up ruining what would otherwise be a perfect scan for the editing phase. This includes automatic brightness/contrast/level adjustments, automatic cropping (explained below), automatic denoising/descreening, and pretty much everything else that may be available. Keep it all disabled where possible.

Straightening

If you want to fine-straighten your scans after they're done, look up how to use GIMP's "Measure" tool. Photoshop's "Ruler" tool works the same way, if you use that instead. You'll want to reference an element of the artwork that you can be 100% certain is meant to be perfectly straight. The safest choice is often text that covers the most either horizontally or vertically, but sometimes there'll be nothing; in those cases, the edges of the media will suffice.

Post-scan

Looks up close

You'll want to zoom in and look around your scans to make sure everything is fine. While at it, you'll notice one of these:

All of these are normal and depend on the source image properties as well as the printing process they were subjected to. Nothing wrong with your scanner, unless you find something oddly distorted such as this:

I have no clue of how this happens or what causes a scanner to do this, but it is a no-no and much harder to descreen, if not outright impossible with the current workflow and methodology. Consider troubleshooting with someone who knows their stuff or, alternatively, get a new scanner.

Wavy patterns such as these are also a sign that you may need to replace your gear.

File naming schemes

Avoid generic file names, especially for things like fold-outs where it's harder to tell which image goes first, and if its from the front or the backside.

If you can't come up with a decent naming scheme on your own, consider including photos of the real thing from different angles so we can tell what goes where.

Where do I send these?

Wherever you can. GoogleDrive, Mega, Mediafire, Dropbox, WeTransfer, all of them work just fine. You can send the links to this email address or, if you’re in our Discord server, there’s a channel dedicated to links that you can send yours to.

Consider coupling the download link with a Discogs link or indicator to the exact version of the release you’re sending scans of, so we can easily differentiate between "CD001-4959EA (barcode 9905560894-9, matrix variant B) (limited verison, club edition) (US release)"... or its canadian counterpart, for example.

FAQ

• Why not JPG? Most software that offers a JPG option will usually not allow you to pick a quality setting and instead default to 70%. 70% quality looks decent at first glance, but it creates compression artifacts that can be significant enough to mess with the descreening process the lower the image resolution is; that's why 600dpi is our lower limit. Plus, lossless images, bro. Lossless. Go big or go home.
• This is way too complicated, can I just do it my way? If you're already taking the time to scan your stuff, you might as well do it right. Similar to ripping CDs, nobody else will have to bother trumping rips/scans if the existing ones are already as good as they can be.