Scanners

[Lastboy]

Checked search and some pages to make sure this question hasn't been asked. I hope. I'm completely new so forgive me if this is the wrong place to ask too.

I'm looking for an affordable decent scanner to upload my sketchbook and other works to be "colored/inked" in Photoshop. I guess a few questions come from this.

Do you guys use/like scanners?
If so,
What kinds do you like the best, and would suggest? (Flatbeds, mobile etc.)

I'm putting to consideration of dimensions of the scanned pieces without the images appearing warped because it was improperly scanned or such.

Is it an acceptable approach to completing works professionally?
I guess I'm just thinking about how well the resolutions translate to Photoshop as well as the final outcome of the products. Like a marriage of traditional and digital approaches.

My plans involving scanner use would be for journaling/sketchbook updates with my biggest sketchbook being 9x12. Future uses would be for scanning rough sketches to clean up in Photoshop for webcomics/graphic novels. I would like to be flexible to accommodate bigger paper sizes potentially.

I guess now that I think about it, Adam Hughes uses gradient graytone copic markers for value and then adds the color in Photoshop as well. I have no idea though how big his pages are or how big his scanner would be. Hence my questions and some kind of guideline. The last question could be more of an opinion or viewpoint on such methods, so it's not as important as the initial one involving the type and size of scanners.

[Amit Dutta]

My suggestion is to get a decent well reviewed a4 scanner, unless you really need to scan many pages a day at A3 or greater. Even good large format A3+ scanners seem to be relatively cheap so if you are planning on doing that in the future, you may as well get it up front because scanners seem to be relatively bulletproof. I've had one for 7 years, still works totally fine for my needs.
Even old ones do enough resolution for most digital post processing work depending on your needs. A flatbed is fine as long as you can get the drawn surface flat onto the bed. Not sure why you would need a mobile one?
In terms of recommendations, it would be quicker to do a google search of "2014 scanner review" or "best scanner of 2013" and so on...they tend to bring up compilation type reviews, a few of those and you will have some models to explore further.

I think scanning work for pro work is totally fine. It's just whatever and however you prefer working. A lot of people ditch trad and go straight to digital for speed purposes, but again, depends on what you like.

Basically there's not a lot of ways to go wrong with a scanner, and they are relatively cheap, and last a long time, so just ensure you get the size you need.

[Lastboy]

Thanks for the response!

A3 seems ideal in the way that it'll cover most bases, even if I scan with A4 paper frequently. The google search really helped refine my searches with a point of reference. Already hunted down a few possibilities! As for mobile, it was just a throwup of types of scanners, I prefer flatbeds. Not really sure if people use mobile or if it seems reliable enough, but I assume it's more for traveling salesmen so I asked innocuously to the point that I shrug every time I type mobile.

[Amit Dutta]

Sweeet.
Yeah the idea of a mobile scanner sounds good, but I can only imagine it is good for people who really need to scan on location on the move constantly which I guess you won't really need if you do most of your stuff in studio.
Let us know what model you decide going with just to round up the thread :)

[Lastboy]

Uh sure, okay.

I found some good canon scanners on newegg, that had exactly what I wanted but they were pretty pricey so I decided on looking around locally in my area since I didn't really want to delay progress while waiting on shipping. I figure once I scale up sometimes in another decade, I'll have a look at those.

I looked at BestBuy and Office Max stores. Bestbuy's options were actually much more limited in some ways. Last time I used a scanner was maybe 8-9 years ago, so coming from out the technological rock, a lot of them promote really thin mobile scanners and "ergonomic" designs which involves the process of feeding the paper through the machine. I had a nagging thought of pencil streaks and paper width not being accommodating enough, or a jam that eats it. Their flatbeds had the typical printer, copier, scanner, 3 in 1 combination. Considering I'm not going to be a powerhouse executive of a start up venture capital company, I decided to just keep it simple.

Office Max on the other hand surprisingly had an adequate flatbed scanner, the Epson Perfection V37. Not the world's most amazing scanner or anything but it'll do the job. It also got some good reviews online. What I liked about it that it's designed specifically to scan 3D objects, like books and sketchbooks, so the lid actually unfolds 180 degrees. I think that alone allows greater ease to scan without having to tear the pages out. I recently found out that it has a stitching software which makes scanning A3 easy supposedly, so I will have to test that sometimes. The 3 in 1 printer/scanner/copiers are bulky, heavy, and clumsy and don't have the 180 option, considering the copier is right on top of the scanner lid. I've tried 3in1 machines before and they weren't very nice to deal with, personally. So an actual, flatbed scanner for just the sole purpose of scanning...I got it on sale for just $100. I felt like it was a solid purchase and it's a good, humble start. Technology progressed these days where it's pretty cheap to get some quality on a budget so I'm pretty surprised at how easy of a choice it was to make, probably will have it for several years. Now I'll start a sketchbook sometimes soon with it :)