[SOLVED] How do I scan at max optical resolution with my Canoscan LiDE 110?

[GregL65]

The specifications for the Canoscan LiDE 110 say it has an optical resolution of 2400 x 4800 (more with interpolation).

But the scanner software it came with offers only a max of 1200 x 1200.

How do I scan at 2400 x 4800? Or at least 2400 x 2400?

 

[GregL65]

I figured it out.

Though the resolution dropdown’s list maxes out at 1200, you can just type in higher numbers, and it scans at those higher numbers. I tried 2400 and 4800 and verifed that I got higher resolution files. The 4800dpi one is pretty amazing.

It will only allow scanning relatively small areas with such high resolution; it seems to have a max file size or something. At 1200 I’m able to scan an entire old children’s book illustration; the scan is 7184 x 4777, 6″ x 4″, and 34MB.

At 2400 I had to zoom in on one character in the illustration. That scan is 4160 x 5912, 1.7″ x 2.5″, and 24MB.

At 4800 I had to zoom further in on the character, excluding some wave lines (it’s a beaver sitting on his lodge which I use on the title page of my Kindle books; yes it’s public domain). That scan is 5295 x 9586, 1.1″ x 2″, and 50.76MB. Not much bigger than a typical postage stamp.

At 4800, I think it must be interpolating for one dimension from the max stated in the specs which is 2400 x 4800. When I zoom way in I can see how one dimension has much better gradation of grays than the other dimension.

Googling the error I got when exceeding its max output size, I don’t see any posts later than about the time I bought this scanner in 2013. Fingers crossed that means later Canoscan LiDE models can handle larger files and therefore larger scans. After the 110 was the 220, then the 300/400 which are current, released in 2018.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Use a better software, that's where your limitations live.

Vuescan (https://www.hamrick.com/) is well worth paying for, assuming your scanner is on the supported list (which it very likely is). It doesn't have a file size limitation.

 

[GregL65]

Thanks! Yes the Canoscan LiDE 110 is on VueScan's huge list of supported scanners. I downloaded the free trial. As with the Canon software, I made sure all processing was turned off; I want files as raw as the scanner can make. I prefer to do all the processing myself in Gimp, Affinity Photo, and Picture Window Pro.

I chose 16-bit grayscale where I'd been doing 8-bit grayscale with the Canon software. I'm working with a line drawing in an old children's book (public domain).

I cropped to the whole illustration, as I'd done for 1200dpi with the Canon software, and chose 2400dpi. It certainly allowed getting past the file size limitation; the file it created was some 272MB.

But when I examined the file and compared it to the 2400dpi output of the Canon software, I was surprised to be disappointed. The gradations of gray are very choppy compared to the Canon output. The VueScan output is frankly crude compared to the Canon output. I'd be far and away better off going with 8-bit 1200dpi with the Canon software than 16-bit 2400dpi with the VueScan output.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I tried to keep the settings very simple but maybe I've not understood something. I've uploaded both files; they should be available for download for 3 days. Can anyone tell me what if anything I'm doing wrong?

https://mab.to/Db713746F

 

[ex_bubblehead]

If you look at the scanner's specs you'll see that greyscale is 16-bit in and only 8-bit out. What you are seeing from VueScan is the actual unvarnished output. Canon's software is doing some sort of processing in the background despite your turning everything off.

 

[GregL65]

Thanks--can you suggest what setting or settings to experiment with in VueScan to try to get the much smoother gradations I get from the Canon software?

Or does it make more sense to do that in post processing? I'm not sure how to do that in the image processing applications I use.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

When I do have to scan I prefer to do a raw 48-bit color scan then do all conversions post scan. That's the only way you get everything that's there. Just be aware that you'll be working with some HUGE files in that case.