Photo scanner (stand alone)

McGonigal Marilyn Myrtle1

Is a photo scanner high speed allowed to be connected in a family history centre? (either purchased or donated)

Ken Richins - NA FSCS Specialty Lead

We do not recommend nor support the use of high-speed photo scanners in Family History Centers. The maintenance cost is extremely high, and the equipment has a short life. The quality of affordable scanners is about the same as found on cell phones. We feel there are better options for the local church funds than purchasing technology that is expensive to maintain and costly to replace in a brief time.

You may purchase a scanner and you would need to purchase a computer to operate the scanner and you can NOT connect it to the center network.

The existing Lexmark printer in your center will allow the scanning of photos to USB drives in extremely high full-color format and at no cost to the center.

Dennis J Yancey

I think the whole point here is SPEED

and the response so far totally walked around that.

are the standard scanners not high sped?

the statement that the existijng scanners are "extremely high full-color format" is irellevant

Virtually any scanner can scan at above 600 dpi - which is about the max needed to scan just about anything

(going beyond that DPI does not really add real value)

But the question submitted is about SPEED - which I can totally understand if the current scanners are slow.

and not all high speed scanners are thousands of dollars and costly to support - there are various low cost high speed scanners.

Ken Richins - NA FSCS Specialty Lead

High-Speed is not a defined term but is used for advertising purposes. This is from the Lexmark 622MX website.

I believe these specifications would make the Lexmark a high-speed scanner.

DavidBeck1

@McGonigal Marilyn Myrtle1

Hello Marilyn

I have used the Scan to Network App available for the Lexmark MX510de printer, for some years. I typed up a guide, which offers the needed instruction on how to install the App after creating and sharing a certain folder on the Desktop. Please have a look at this and see if you can accomplish what is needed.

Here are the instructions in an Excel Sheet:

How to Configure the Scan to Network App.xlsx

This App produces fast good quality scans in colour and places the results in the specially shared Desktop folder.

Cheerio for now!

AnneLoForteWillson

at 600x600 ppi...you might as well take a photo with your cell phone! My dad and I digitized tons of old family photos with mobiles. This is a photo I snapped with my smart phone at a friend's house while helping him with his research. And this from a series of letters written by my great-grandparents in 1918-19, photographed by an iPad while lying on the center armrest of my car. So, the possibilities are truly incredible!

Dennis J Yancey

yes - phones can work well as long as you can keep the item that is being captured -- flat and in focus.

whereas a scanner forces the item into flat and in focus.