🚀 go-pugleaf

We've  operated a project for two years using a scanner too small for most
of the docs that we wanted to digitize..

We just got a Microtec Scanmaker 6400XL with a 12x17 bed. It  made a
tremendous difference in the amount of work that we can pass through.

We still have stuff that requires stitching, and I use Photoshop in the same
manner that others have described.

I did find a neat way of matching the stitch a little better.  I take the
"alt lasso" tool and set it to feather four pixels.

 I try to find an area in the overlapping layer with no print or lines and
mark it, and delete the edge.  (If your layers are well aligned it can even
cross lines and print.)

 This blends the two layers better.  Then if you go to image/adjust, you can
adjust levels, balance the color or contrast & brightness pretty well on one
of the layers before you flatten it. Most of our stitches are nearly
invisible.

A couple of hints on the bigger scanner.  It came with a great cd with
drivers, but  the scanner made an unnerving grinding noise after each scan.
I called Microtech, and they told me to download the newest Scanwizard
drivers from their website.  This did fix the problem.

Another thing since the image is bigger, the files are bigger than those on
a regular scanner.  Photoshop and Scanwizard use a lot of virtual memory or
scratch disk  . . . Scanwizard uses a different scratch disk  from Windows
95, and  from Photoshop.

You cannot specify drive on Scanwizard installation.  We ran into trouble
because it loads onto the C drive, which is rather full on my machine.  In
Scanwizard preferences, you can specify another location under "other
options"  I gave it another location on another drive, and that sped up
things considerably.

As they say ..you can never be too rich (etc.) and you can never have too
bigga scratch drive.

Regards