What do you have that you want to preserve for posterity or share with the rest of the world? With the right scanner or
Photosmart All-In-One
you can create digital replicas of:
Collectibles, including rare magazines, stamps, baseball cards, and postcards
Patterns and sketches
Pressed flowers or a leaf that just put on its fall colors
Jewelry, coins, and beads
Fabric, lace, quilts, appliqué, and cross-stitch
Children's artwork
Halloween candy
A favorite team sports jersey
Your daughter's christening dress
Toy cars or trucks
Birthday or holiday decorations (confetti, candles, gift wrap)
Shells you collected on the beach
Details of favorite family quilts or afghans
Let your imagination run wild! If it's flat (or close to it) and a reasonable size, you can scan it.
Anything from coins to quilts to jewelry can be scanned with a bit of preparation. For clear, consistent results, keep these tips in mind:
Make sure the scanner is completely clear of tiny bits of debris or scratches -- these will get picked up by the scanner.
If you plan on scanning items that can scratch the scanner bed (seashells or paperclips) or leave a sticky residue
(sap from leaves or glue from children's art projects), it's a good idea to protect the glass with a transparency or
sheet protector.
Most scanner lids will "float" a bit above the scanner bed if you need to scan items that are too bulky
for the lid to close normally. This allows light to come in from the edges, causing shadows that may ruin the scan.
Fix this by covering the scanner with a cloth. Put your items on the scanner bed, close the lid as best as you can,
and then drape the cloth on top of the closed lid to prevent the items on the bed from being exposed to any outside
light. You'll still get a bit of a shadow with bulky objects, but that's part of what makes them appear three-dimensional!
If you do need to clean the scanner bed, you can use a microfiber eyeglass cleaning cloth. You can also spray a
bit of glass cleaner on a lint-free cloth but don't spray the glass directly, since the liquid could seep under the bed.
Tip: HP photo scanners
and Photosmart All-In-One printers
now come with scanning software that actually removes dust and scratches from scans. It's easy to do! In Preview mode, just click
Auto Correct Photos, then check the box that says Perform Dust & Scratch Removal.
If you create scrapbook pages, you may have often wished you could include some memorabilia from your past or souvenirs from a
recent vacation on your layout. Here's where your scanner can really make your scrapbook layouts shine -- you can scan those
items and print out the digital images to place on your page, adding a personal touch that just can't be duplicated with store-bought
embellishments.
Capture unusual textures, shapes, and colors: If you love the look of lumpy and bumpy elements
such as paper flowers, chipboard letters, eyelets, or buttons, try scanning them -- you won't believe how three-dimensional
they look once you adhere them to your layout!
Scan multiple copies of layouts: Once you've created a beautiful scrapbooking layout or album,
family and friends will want copies. You can scan your layouts just as you would any 3D item, then print out an identical copy.
Make your own backgrounds: You've probably seen paper in the stores with photos of breakfast cereal,
lacy fabric, or toy cars. Why not make your own paper, and feature the cereal your kids eat every morning, your mother's wedding
dress, or the toy cars your husband collects? You can quickly and easily make your very own digital background paper by scanning
meaningful items from everyday life.
Scanners and eBay are a perfect combination -- especially if you sell or collect small, collectible items that
potential buyers want to see in extremely close detail. Jewelry, stamps, coins, currency, and baseball cards are
all good candidates -- you can even scan the bottom of a vase or bowl (carefully!) to show the maker's mark.
When scanning small items like the coin pictured above, you can achieve a professional, three-dimensional look by
turning up the contrast and brightness when you scan. This helps eliminate the background (in this case, a scanner lid).
The possibilities for eBay sellers and collectors scanning go beyond the obvious, though:
People selling or collecting vintage or designer clothing and accessories can scan portions of a garment:
for example, to show a designer label, delicate embroidery, or beading. If it can fit under the scanner
cover, you can scan it!
Rare book dealers can show details of a book's cover, title page, and so on, then send the scans to
interested purchasers.
Sellers of autographed items can enlarge signatures to display every detail.
Tiny items, like charms for charm bracelets, can be scanned and enlarged to satisfy a buyer's curiosity about an item.
Use your scans as the basis for free, one-of-a-kind photo projects at the
HP Activity Center
cards, calendars, album pages, frames, iron-ons, labels, stationery, photo recipe cards, and much more! The
possibilities of using 3-D scans in invitations, party decorations, and more are only limited by your imagination.
You could create:
Valentine cards illustrated with scanned candy "I LOVE YOU" hearts
Anniversary party invitations featuring scanned ticket stubs and souvenirs of good times past
Mother's Day cards and gifts with a scanned, homemade gingerbread cookie on the front
A calendar featuring scans of a family's footprints and handprints, favorite articles of clothing, hand-knitted
or crocheted items, report cards, children's artwork, and more
A music CD label with a scanned message spelled out in alphabet blocks or Scrabble® tiles
Those are just a few possibilities -- take a spin through the Activity Center project categories and you're sure to come up
with some great ideas of your own!
Looking for a great scanner for 3D objects and photos? Keep in mind that you'll need a photo scanner
(designed for photos), rather than a document scanner.
HP photo scanners
offer high resolution, negative and slide scanning ability, and software that allows you to crop and improve your photos as you scan them.
If it's time to upgrade your printer, a
Photosmart All-In-One printer
is a great choice. It scans and prints high-quality photo prints as well as making copies and handling ordinary print jobs on office paper.
You get integrated functionality and save lots of space.
Take a free online class
in digital photography! Explore the many features of your digital camera, find tips for cropping and editing your
images, and discover new ideas for sharing your photos in creative ways.
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