There is a wide range of texts on scanners and scanning, from introductory to seriously technical. An important fact that users need to appreciate is that a scanner is just one part of a system. It captures an image, but the reproduction of that image relies on other factors: monitor, printer, and software - not to mention the medium on which an image may be printed. Scanning for publication (web, CD, or print) each have their own requirements and levels of technology. Casual users are unlikely to encounter situations where high-end technical aspects of scanning are important. However, if you are sending copy to a DTP bureau it may be necessary to have some understanding of colour, PostScript, and other technical matters.

Digital photography is closely related to scanning; much of what is written about one is applicable to the other, especially on the subject of colour. As with scanners, the digital camera is just one part of a system.
 
How to Do Everything with Your Scanner

The How to Do Everything with ... series from Osborne/McGraw-Hill includes titles that fall into the category of, "this may be the only book on . you will ever need". The latest in the series is How to do Everything with Your Scanner, and for many users it will be all they will need.

Scanning can be a simple, fun activity; and it can be a serious business involving complex technology in several fields (such as printing). If your needs are at the simple end of the scale and you want to get the best results without having to learn rocket science, this is a recommended resource. The technical depth is good, but is presented in clear language and - importantly - is up to date.
 
An important fact that users need to appreciate is that a scanner is just one part of a system. It captures an image, but the reproduction of that image relies on other factors: monitor, printer, and software - not to mention the medium on which an image may be printed. That last point is evident in the book. The illustrations printed on glossy paper are of excellent quality, but some of the photographs printed on ordinary book paper are muddy. It also illustrates my point that the scanner is one element in a system.

If you are thinking of getting a scanner, either for the first time or by way of upgrade, this is an excellent guide. It does not recommend any particular product, but explains what you can do with a scanner, how they work, and what you should consider in making a choice.

Later chapters deal with the installation, scanning techniques, troubleshooting, file formats, and software for editing images and photos. A substantial part of the book deals with "practical uses for your scanner" and "additional scanning projects"; it covers OCR, scanning negatives and slides, communicating through scanned photos (use on stationery, business cards, CD labels, and the like), using images on Web pages, and sending images as e-mail.

The advice is practical and supported by examples. The language is clear and the author stops to define and explain technical terms. A reference and resource at a modest price.

Jill Gilbert: How to Do Everything with Your Scanner ISBN 0-07-219106-6 Published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 367 pp.,  RRP $44.95 incl. GST

How To Do Everything With Your Digital Camera

A companion title in the How to Do Everything ... series, How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera, provides excellent information both on the digital technology aspects and photographic techniques. It is the best overall coverage I have seen; there are books that deliver much more technical detail on certain aspects of digital photography, but for anybody with little previous experience of photography this is really good value. The author talks about composition; lighting; when and when not to use flash; exposure issues; the effects of aperture on depth-of-field; and many other topics. He also gives equal space to the digital side: software, image manipulation, memory, and choosing equipment.

A great resource for anyone who sells digital cameras, or who runs training courses. A must for libraries.

Dave Johnson:  How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera ISBN 0-07-212772-4 Published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill,  394 pp., RRP $44.95 incl. GST

Getting Creative
 
Having become confident in the use of a scanner, many users will want to take advantage of its potential for creativity. If you are using a scanner of reasonable technical quality, try scanning a banana; it will certainly open your eyes to what can be done.
 
Start with a Scan is a beautifully presented book that shows ordinary users how graphic design tools are used, and explains both simple and sophisticated techniques. Adding texture, converting to PostScript, controlling and manipulating colour, and repairing damaged photographs are some of the topics covered. In particular it has the best discussion I have seen on the topic of scanning solid objects. Another topic of interest is scanning copy - or even objects - that are too large for the scanner glass.
 
The book makes extensive use of illustrations, which makes it much easier for inexperienced users to follow the step-by-step instructions. If you want professional results, this is one of the best titles available. 

Scanning The Professional Way

Scanning the Professional Way includes both digital cameras and scanners in the context of "digitising images for the highest quality results". It is particularly suitable for users who prepare material for high quality print. That requires some understanding of PostScript, half-toning, bit-depth, colour issues, and factors in the choice of image magnification. All of those things are discussed in good technical detail, but in language that does not require a degree in computer science.
 
There is a big step from scanning a photograph that will be emailed to a friend, and creating images to be printed in a professionally produced company report, brochure, magazine, or whatever. One doesn't need to have a technical background to take that step, but there are technical matters that have to be appreciated. Scanning the Professional Way is a good introduction to, and explanation of, what is involved in producing digital images at a professional level.

This title was first published in 1995, so some of the scanner specifications mentioned are out of date; however, the technical information about scanning and preparing copy is still current. An excellent resource for the busy person who wants information succinctly presented and easy to find.

Sybik and Emil Ihrig: Scanning the Professional Way ISBN 0-07-882145-2 Published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill,  148 pp., RRP $47.25 incl. GST

Color Scanning Handbook

A title in the Hewlett-Packard Professional Books series (published by Prentice Hall), Color Scanning Handbook, was published in 1997; since then there have been significant advances in scanner quality, largely because of the research and development work carried out by HP. The important thing about this guide is that it describes technology and techniques that are as valid now as at the time of publication.

Scanners and digital cameras may be a lot better than they were four years ago, and new versions of graphics software may have arrived, but the science of colour has not changed, and neither have the techniques of achieving high quality images. In short, the tools may be smarter, but the user still needs a set of fundamental skills and a sense of good design in order to use them.

This book deals with colour in a way that makes a highly technical subject comprehensible to readers who don't have a physics background. It explains-amongst other things-how colour works, how different file formats can affect colour and resolution, and the difference between printed images and digital images. The discussion on optimum scanning resolution ranks with the best, and demonstrates by example that more dpi is not necessarily better.
 
If you want to get a good grasp of the many aspects of getting an image to press so that it looks good, and is good, this book is highly recommended. Even if you are not using an HP scanner, the principles are the same.

Jerry Day: Color Scanning Handbook ISBN 0-13-357211-0 Published by Prentice Hall,  267 pp., RRP $63.95 incl. GST

Essentials of Digital Photography

Digital photography Scanners and digital cameras (which are themselves scanning devices) employ common technologies and computer applications. Essentials of Digital Photography includes in-depth discussions of colour issues that are of direct relevance to desktop scanning, such as image adjustment, hardware configuration, and monitor calibration as well as the use of flatbed scanners. I don't recommend this title to novices, even though the user-level is rated as 'all users', but anyone with a reasonable level of experience and an interest in digital photography and scanning will find Essentials of Digital Photography a valuable resource and tutorial. Its explanations of colour are particularly good. As a matter of interest, the book was originally written in Japanese and translated into English.

Kasai and Sparkman: Essentials of Digital Photography ISBN 1-56205-762-6 Published by New Riders,  360 pp. + CD,  RRP $127.95 incl. GST

Real World Scanning
 
A classic from Peachpit Press, Real World Scanning and Halftones, is in its second edition. Like a number of other texts on scanning and print-related topics, the information is current even though the book was published a couple of years ago. Hardware and applications may have moved along, but this is still the definitive guide to scanning images for halftone printing in colour or monochrome. It explains everything you need to know about screen angles, lines-per-inch, spot variation, stochasitc screening (an alternative to halftoning), and many other mysterious terms encountered in preparing material for press. For those who work with scanned images, especially images to be printed in grayscale, this is very good value.

Blatner et al.: Real World Scanning and Halftones 2/e  ISBN 0-201-6983-5 Published by Peachpit,  423 pp., RRP $63.95 incl. GST

The Non-Designer's Scan and Print Book

For non-designers, The Non-Designer's Scan and Print Book is styled as "all you need to know about prepress to get great-looking pages", which is a fair description of a book that walks the reader through getting a project printed. Not much space is given to scanning per se, but if you want to take a scanned image to print this explains just about everything the non-designer needs to know.

The Real World Scanning and Halftones title provides the full technical monty; but if you want just enough technical information to appreciate what is involved in getting images into print, The Non-Designer's Scan and Print Book is the book you need. The focus is on production, not design. File formats, screen angles, colour models, fonts, and colour trapping are just some of the topics covered. For anyone who has not been exposed to the mysteries of the print world, this is an excellent introduction-and possibly the only resource one will need.

Cohen and Williams:  The Non-Designer's Scan and Print Book ISBN 90201-35394-6 Published by Peachpit,  263 pp., RRP $52.95 incl. GST

Reprinted from the October 2002 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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