Scanners for Dummies [Paperback]

Mark L. Chambers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764507834 | ISBN-13: 978-0764507830 | Publication Date: April 29, 2001 | Edition: Book & CD-ROM

Unfortunately, making a decent scan is harder than anyone wants to admit, which is what makes this fun and easy guide so useful. After demystifying terms such as "pixels" and explaining how to select a scanner, expert Mark Chambers walks you through the art of scanning and shows how to use scanned images in a variety of cool projects.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Digital cameras have encroached upon the territory of scanners a little bit, but scanners remain eminently useful for digitizing the family photo album, archiving documents, and sending kids' artwork to distant family members. They're also absolutely essential for serious design work. Scanners for Dummies shows you how to get the most from your scanner by guiding you through everything from basic hookup and software installation to moderately advanced graphics-editing techniques. The author, Mark Chambers, patiently explains terminology and concepts that have to do with translating a physically recorded image (such as a photograph) into a digital file (such as a JPEG or GIF image).

Most readers will be able to get a lot from this book by simply reading chapters straight through, since the explanations of traditionally nebulous concepts such as resolution and color depth are accurate and easy to follow. Even the quality of the illustrations--often a shortcoming of trade computer books--is high, which is important in sections that show how to adjust contrast, sharpness, and resolution. Chambers deserves kudos for doing many of his tutorials in Jasc Paint Shop Pro, an excellent yet inexpensive editing package. Some readers might prefer coverage of one of the freebie editing suites; they should look for a software-specific book to supplement this one. --David Wall

Topics covered: Digitizing images via a scanner connected to a computer running Microsoft Windows. Hardware connectivity (via parallel, SCSI, USB, and FireWire) is covered before the author explains the scanning procedure and how to manipulate images in an editing program. Suggestions for craft projects and some troubleshooting tips round out the volume.

From the Back Cover

Get tips on installation, image editing, and more!

Create Web graphics, T-shirts, slide shows, and other fun projects

The easy way to have fun with digital images! With a scanner, you can do all kinds of cool stuff with photos and images. But how do you get the darn thing to work right? Relax! With this friendly guide at your side, you'll get the hang of scanning in no time, from installation and calibration basics to nifty image-editing tricks and special effects. all this on the bonus CD-ROM Paint Shop Pro evaluation version PhotoImpact, PhotoExpress, and SmartSaver Pro trial versions ScanShare demo and Snappy Fox shareware System requirements: PC running Windows 95 or later, Windows NT 4 or later; Power Macintosh running System 7.6.1 or later. See About the CD Appendix for details and complete system requirements.

Discover how to: Make sense of pixels and resolution Create a high-quality scan Use image-editing software like a pro Troubleshoot typical problems Have fun with cool scanner projects Overcome installation hurdles

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; Book & CD-ROM edition (April 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764507834
• ISBN-13: 978-0764507830
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,079,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark L. Chambers is an author, tech editor, and unabashed Mac fan. He is the author of more than 30 computer books including Mac OS X Leopard All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies and AppleTV For Dummies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite scanning book, May 4, 2001

By 

David Brown (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scanners for Dummies (Paperback)

I have bought several scanning books, but this one is all you need. The author covers the entire process and all the settings, including those buttons and sliders that you have never heard of before. There are two chapters that address basic and advanced image retouching and editing. The tone is friendly and funny and things never get too complex. The troubleshooting chapter has already helped me solve an annoying bug that I've had to put up with since I installed my scanner! Overall, I give this Dummies book a very high rating for anyone that's searching for a scanner or has recently bought one.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Little of value on retouching and restoration, September 9, 2005

By 

Gary Coffrin (San Jose, California, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Scanners for Dummies (Paperback)

'Scanners For Dummies' was shockingly empty of helpful content. I was looking for useful advice and helpful tips for archiving photos, practical tips for best scanner settings and insights about how to deal with less than perfect images. This book had little information of relevance and nothing of depth. I must own a dozen 'Dummies' books, and this is by far the least instructive and practical.

That said, who would benefit from reading the book?
- An absolute beginner who needs encouragement to start exploring scanner settings.
- A scavenger who wants a full chapter on how to connect a SCSI scanner that he/she obtained for free on Craigslist.
- Someone who wants instruction on Paint Shop Pro (and not Adobe photo applications).
- Users who have no interest in retouching or restoring older photos.

The author, it seemed to me, had little interest or experience in scanning, retouching and restoring older images. To be more specific, the Histogram setting is not even mentioned and the info on adjusting Highlights, Shadows and Gamma settings is so superficial as to be of little or no help. However, the author does excel when discussing hardware issues.

I have since read and recommend as vastly superior 'How To Do Everything With Your Scanner.' Even 'Digital Photography For Dummies' has more detailed and practical help for scanning and restoring damaged photos.

If you buy this book for under $1, you are doing OK. But, if you want detailed and practical advice for scanning and improving photos, look elsewhere.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, October 31, 2001

By 

Shelly Simons (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scanners for Dummies (Paperback)

This book told me all I needed, I'm using my scanner just about every day now that I know what to do. (Plus I have it set right to take the best scans) Great coverage of filters and plugins too.