By Cassandra Carnes
Whether it is for storage, archival, collaboration, or portability, document digitization is a necessary component to business evolution. Architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) verticals are no exception. Document capture is also vital to geographical information systems (GIS) and computer aided design professionals (CAD).
While document management systems and hardware are also imperative to a technical document workflow, this week we’re rounding up capture equipment specifically designed for complex renderings.
Böwe Bell + Howell (BBH) Scanners—a division of BBH recently purchased by Kodak—offers its Infinity WF series to meet the needs of AEC and GIS professionals. The wide format scanner series converts documents up to 48 inches wide into sharp digital images, improving collaboration and optimizing workflow. The company states that, "architecture, construction, and engineering firms need to be on the same page—literally—to ensure successful product completion." BBH also notes that poor data capture may lead to low-quality digital images of aerial photographic, which causes mistakes and delays when they inhibit the ability to accurately measure land elevations for base maps. The Infinity WF line is equipped with built-in image enhancement technology, SharpShooter CCD cameras, and an innovative LED light source for the even distribution of light across the scanner bed.
Colortrac focuses on the development, manufacturing, and marketing of large format scanning products for technical documents as well as in the graphic arts. "Within the large format scanning market, the technical document segment is clearly the largest, therefore represents a major marketing initiative for Colortrac," says Peter De Winter Brown, group sales and marketing director, Colortrac. He explains that Colortrac’s heritage actually originates in the innovation of large format color scanners for high-end graphic arts. Colortrac provides large format scanners for the technical documents segment, including the Cx 40 range, which offers 600 dpi performance based on Contact Image Sensor (CIS) technology while the Ci 40, the latest introduction, drives a new lower price point also at 600 dpi and also based on CIS technology. Colortrac’s Gx+ series of 1,200 dpi charged-coupled device (CCD) based scanners offer the high color and speed performance with thick media handling options and scanner sizes of 28, 42, and 56 inches.
Contex offers over more than 20 scanner models dedicated to large format. "From scanning technical line documents for GIS/AEC/CAD up to high-end color capturing suitable for art gallery reproduction, we cover it all," says Michael McMillen, regional sales manager, Contex. The company’s scanners allow hardcopy originals to go from a deteriorating media state into a digitally preserved state. "Often the scanned version is better quality than the original," shares McMillen. He notes that many customers store duplicate digital archives offsite for insurance purposes to preserve one-of-a-kind originals.
Graphtec offers large format CIS scanners designed for reprographics, GIS, mapping, CAD, and document archiving applications. The company works with Paradigm Imaging Group to offer a three-year warranty service program for continued results. The CS510 is one of Graphtec’s large format scanners, featuring 24-bit, 42-inch wide full-color scanners. The company recommends the CS510 for processing photographs, complex maps, and AEC/CAD drawings. The CS510 produces unparalleled scanning speeds of nine inches per second (ips), monochrome; and three ips, full-color; when scanning at 400 dpi.
Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) Designjet 4520 Scanner Series enables large format color copy/scan functions in-house and is designed to complement large format printing capabilities. The solution offers a scan speed of up to three ips in color and ten ips in B&W. With a resolution of 508 dpi optical, and up to 9,600 dpi enhanced from three CCD cameras, and a 0.1 percent line accuracy, scanned files are comparable to originals.
KIP’s 2200 monochrome/color scan system is designed for high-production environments. Fully integrated with all HDP KIP printers and wide format inkjet printers, the KIP 2200 scan system provides a full suite of state-of-the-art software for color and monochrome copying and scan-to-file operations. The system offers true 600 dpi optical resolution and takes full advantage of patented real time thresholding (RTT) and self-calibrating imaging cameras for quality results. In color mode, the professional grade, 24-bit imaging provides high-quality photo and graphic reproduction for many applications. The solution also features grayscale mode for applications involving grayscale photographs, maps, and graphical data. The mode captures the full range of eight-bit grayscale data with no image drop out or down sampling.
Océ North America offers three series of wide format scanners. The Océ CS4236 is ideal for small CAD studios, GIS environments, and decentralized scanning stations. The CS4236 features 1,200x1,200 dpi, ideal for capturing detail. Océ also offers the CS4300 scanning capability at an affordable price. The device offers 600x600 dpi resolution, when combined with advanced CCD technology, the solution delivers an optional interpolated resolution of up to 9,600 dpi. Océ recommends the CS4300 series scanners to a variety of professionals including, reprographics, medium-sized CAD studios and GIS environments, architects, small display graphics companies, and copy environments. In addition, Océ offers the stand-alone TC4 wide format scanner, which offers speeds of up to 16.4 feet per minute, B&W; or 13 feet per minute, color; and no warm up time.
Ricoh offers its Wide Format Color Scanner, which captures documents as offers the additional option of on-site changes. It also integrates satellite imagery into documents, whether it’s architectural drawings, sepias, blueprints, detailed maps, worn documents, or oversized documents. The system captures 12 ips, 16-bit, monochrome scan speed and .6 ips color scan speed, 48-bit, at 600 dpi.
Widecom offers monochrome, color, and grayscale scans up to 9,600 dpi on its SLC936C, SLC1036C, SLC954C, and SLC972C scanners. The SLC Series scans at two ips, and documents up to .6 inches thick. The SLC936C, SLC1036C, SLC954C and SLC972C are wide format color scanners also perform monochrome scans for service houses, engineers, planners, utility managers and technicians who create and maintain their own maps. The SLC series scanners are an efficient solution for wide format scanning in a service house environment because of its dual functionality.
Xerox’s Wide Format Scan System offers variable speed capabilities, scanning at speeds from two to four ips with an optical resolution of 400x400 dpi. The system handles paper sizes up to 100 feet long and 42 inches wide, as well as documents up to one half-of-an-inch thick. The system recognizes all colors and gradations to enable sharp grayscale image. It also supports scan-to-net and copying operations. dps
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