Search the Community

Some of the replies on an online professional archivist forum on Reddit said that they don't care if Epson discontinued their flagship flatbed V600 and V850 scanners. Many said their Phase One camera or DSLR's and copy stands did better. A copy stand is not the same as a flatbed scanner when it comes to archival work. A copy stand provides more harsh results when it comes to defects and silvering. It offers no options for weighted scans on warped material like stereo cards. This is why you see subpar digitization from most archives even with their $90,000 Phase One digitization setups. If a vacuum frame is used, then you could possibly flatten out some of this material. I used vacuum frames extensively in the 1970s, but we used them on thin paper and sheet film, not on thick, warped mounting boards. Even so, vacuum frames are not mainstream or easy to acquire as they once were in the days of graphic arts and process cameras. Within the archive I use camera / copy stand combos as well as various scanners of all sorts. They each have their purpose. But the bottom line is...a copy stand is not a replacement for a flatbed scanner; they produce different results. When it comes to weighted scans, I found that an Epson V600 scanner starts to break with 22 pounds of weight put on the lid. The part that breaks is the film scanning component in the lid. I limit the weight I put on the lid to 18 pounds. You figure out the weight limits for your scanner. Don't go by what I tell you, weight your scanner lid at your own risk. And if you do weight the lid, you will need a thick hard foam backer under the lid to contact the original. The lid alone will not do a good job on heavily warped material. No post processing was done on the copy stand vs flatbed scan photos. Copy stand photo. Flatbed scan of the same photo. Copy stand photo. Flatbed scan of the same photo. An example of a flatbed scanner. An example of a 3-D photo taken with a flatbed scanner. Examples of flatbed scanned photos weighted and unweighted. An example of a nuArc dual vacuum frame platemaker c.1974. Photos from: NSFW SHOOTOUT…Flatbed Scanner vs. Sheetfed Scanner vs. Copy Stand Photography – Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection – II <><><><> Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photography

I guess this would be similar to what is used for movies. I'm using for copy stand use. Light stand doesn't have to be this bomb proof, but don't want flimsy stands like the ones that hold sheet music. Barndoors are a plus as well as casters. Lights don't have to be that big. These were from the Kaiser website, but it looks like they don't make them any longer or you can't buy in the USA. (If you like the copy stand it is $16,000.) I have been using some cheap LED panel lights. They cost $125 and work fine. But I need bigger lights and more flex with floor movement rather than baseboard mounting. <><><><> Selection from Men's Magazine Collection / DDTJRAC Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photography Product photos: Kaiser, B&H / Fair Use

I have a large collection of historic full-size front-page headline newspapers in the collection. I haven't counted them, but maybe there are 1200 to 1600 pages I have a smaller Kaiser copy stand that goes up to 40 inches. But I need a stand that goes to 60 inches or thereabouts for the newspapers. Large format Kaiser copy stands are stupendous in price. This motorized stand is $16K Here is an interesting idea for a cheap copy stand. But it is too small for my use. If it was upscaled and could handle a heavy camera it would be great for the cost. This is like $200. Just depends on how steady it is. Every Kaiser stand I've used is rock steady! And it is not that I just need to do a half ass job with the digitization as many people do. I don't like to sign my name to shitty work. Any archival work I do has to be top shelf or as close to possible to top shelf as the budget allows. We never know when out work will be the last extant copy for the historical record. I was thinking something like this square pipe rig could be made with 2-inch round galvanized pipe. But attaching the camera has to be figured out. Have you ever made a large format copy stand? I also need a vacuum easel. Years ago, I had built a vacuum frame for some copy stand work I was doing, but it is too small for newspapers. <><><><> Selection from Twenty-six Roadkills (2014) artist's book by Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photography