Optical Scanning in ITC Public Labs

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Using the Mac to scan an Image for Use in Adobe Photoshop

Note: Working with scanned images using Adobe Photoshop requires large amounts of memory, so make sure that all unnecessary applications are closed.

  1. Open Adobe Photoshop (shortcut on Desktop).
  2. Place the image to be scanned in the scanner by placing it face down on the glass scanning surface and aligning it with the right and rear edges of the glass. (Try not to touch the glass scanning surface as it is easily smudged by fingerprints, etc. These will show up on your image.) The top of your image should be at the rear edge of the glass.
  3. Press the left-most button on the front of the scanner. The HP Precision Scan Pro window will open and your image will be scanned. Note: If the HP Precision Scan Pro window does NOT open, you will need to restart the computer. To do this, close all open applications after saving your work, select Restart from the Special menu at the top of the screen.
  4. Click the Save button. It is the button near the upper left (4th from left usually) of the HP Precision Scan Pro window with the picture of a floppy disk on it. The Save window will open.

    Save Window

  5. Save your file to the "Temporary Student Data" folder, to a Zip disk, or to your Home Directory:
    1. Type in a meaningful name in the Name field.
    2. Select a file format by clicking on the drop-down list box entitled Format. Available file formats should be PICT, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF LZW, and GIF.
    3. Click the Save button. Note: Make sure that you know exactly where the file is being saved. You will that information to open the image in Photoshop or any other graphics editing program.
  6. Select Adobe Photoshop from the Finder (upper right).
  7. In Photoshop, select File, then Open.
  8. Locate your image where you saved it, and begin editing in Photoshop.

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Using ITC Scanner stations running Windows XP

Please use the scanning station only for acquiring images (scanning) and manipulating images using Adobe PhotoShop. Please move to another lab computer to use the image files once they are created (as when linking them to web pages). Image files can be saved to your Home Directory account, diskette, or Zip drive. You will NOT be able to print from the scanning station.

Acquire an image using HP PrecisionScan. Note that there are two different icons for HP PrecisionScan on the Desktop. That is because we have two different scanner models in our labs and they each require different versions of the scanning software. After placing the item you want to scan on the scanner, double-click on the HP PrecisionScan icon for the particular scanner model you are using.

  • For the 5300C scanner, you will see the following screen:

    PrecisionScan for 5300c

    Under Scan To:, select the program you want to use to edit your scanned document. If it is a black-and-white document, uncheck the Scan in color check box. Click the Scan button. If the scanner fails to respond, try unplugging the power cord on the left rear end of the scanner and plugging it back in. Once the image is scanned, select the area of the image that you want to save to a file and click the Accept button.

    The editing program you chose will open with the selected area of your document scanned. Edit as desired, then select File, Save As, and specify the location where you want to save your file, whether it be a floppy disk, a Zip disk, the C:\LOCALDATA directory on the hard drive, or your Home Directory; then specify the file format in which you wish to save the image.

  • If you're using the 5400C scanner, you will see something like the following screen:

    PrecisionScan for 5400c

    Click the Save As button, specify the file type you want, and save the file to one of the storage locations enumerated above. Note that file access on this system has been restricted. There is no backup of files, so be sure to save your work to an external medium.

    Always make sure to save your work! Images can be very large and take up so much memory that they cannot fit on a conventional floppy disk. Alternative methods of saving include using Zip disks or saving to your Home Directory.

    Troubleshooting: If things don't work, don't get frustrated. Close all programs and repeat the above steps. If things still do not work, restart the computer and repeat the steps. If things still don't work or you need other assistance you can ask a lab consultant, if one is on duty at the time.

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