Digitalizing my collection

Ansileran · 06-28-2013, 11:16 AM

Hi everyone!

I'm moving (far away) and can't take my all my stuff along. Some of it is going to be stored at my parents' place... So I'd like to digitalize what I have to leave behind... I'm looking for the best way for each type of documents. This is what I've come up with so far.

Magazines: color scans (I don't care if the binding is destroyed in the process)
Papers: scans, typing
Books: ???

I don't want to destroy the binding of my books, so I guess scanning is out of question (flat bed scanner). I have seen an old thread where it is done by photographying the pages. This one. It looks very professional... and way out of my league.

I assume OCR has improved since 2007. Assuming I still want to convert the book to a real e-book (later), how good must my pictures be? What if the lighting isn't quite uniform? Or if the angle of my camera isn't perfect? Do I absolutely need to put a glass on the page?

Thanks!

jbacelar · 06-28-2013, 01:53 PM

IMHO, no doubt. For all types of documents: photography!

This website is imprescidible for this business. http://www.diybookscanner.org/
For starters are interesting: http://www.instructables.com/id/Barg...Cardboard-Box/ and http://www.instructables.com/id/New-...igital-Copy-M/

With the photos taken, the best ABBY FineReader.
Good Luck!

Ansileran · 07-01-2013, 03:03 AM

Thanks!

I should probably be able to make a cardboard stand, worse case scenario, I'll put a pile of books on both sides to adust the angle ^^ Diybookscanner looks great but honestly, I have neither the tools nor the room for their models. The third one is too complex for me (tools) and looks like it destroy bindings...
I should be able (I hope) to get a glass (plastic?) panel, a cheap camera stand too...

Do you know anything about tethered shooting? With two camera at once?

I checked ABBY FineReader, looks nice but a bit expensive (99€) for me... What about ABBY ScanTo Office? Would it be enough for books that only have text? I'll check the free solutions first on documents that I have already scanned...

Thanks!

jbacelar · 07-02-2013, 07:29 PM

About ABBY ScanTo Office, I can not give an opinion because I do not know it.
On the book is needed a piece of thick glass, whose weight keep the pages flat.
It is convenient to use a remote trigger, to avoid moving the camera.
The photos show the material that I use, which to me has the advantage of photographing two pages at a time.

06-28-2013, 11:16 AM	#1
Ansileran Zealot Posts: 136 Karma: 614774 Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: China, Yunnan, Kunming Device: Sony PRS-505, Kobo Aura HD, Cybook Odyssey HD	Digitalizing my collection Hi everyone! I'm moving (far away) and can't take my all my stuff along. Some of it is going to be stored at my parents' place... So I'd like to digitalize what I have to leave behind... I'm looking for the best way for each type of documents. This is what I've come up with so far. Magazines: color scans (I don't care if the binding is destroyed in the process) Papers: scans, typing Books: ??? I don't want to destroy the binding of my books, so I guess scanning is out of question (flat bed scanner). I have seen an old thread where it is done by photographying the pages. This one. It looks very professional... and way out of my league. I assume OCR has improved since 2007. Assuming I still want to convert the book to a real e-book (later), how good must my pictures be? What if the lighting isn't quite uniform? Or if the angle of my camera isn't perfect? Do I absolutely need to put a glass on the page? Thanks!

06-28-2013, 01:53 PM	#2
jbacelar Interested in the matter Posts: 421 Karma: 426094 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Spain, south coast Device: Pocketbook InkPad 3	IMHO, no doubt. For all types of documents: photography! This website is imprescidible for this business. http://www.diybookscanner.org/ For starters are interesting: http://www.instructables.com/id/Barg...Cardboard-Box/ and http://www.instructables.com/id/New-...igital-Copy-M/ With the photos taken, the best ABBY FineReader. Good Luck! Last edited by jbacelar; 06-28-2013 at 02:00 PM.

07-02-2013, 07:29 PM	#4
jbacelar Interested in the matter Posts: 421 Karma: 426094 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Spain, south coast Device: Pocketbook InkPad 3	About ABBY ScanTo Office, I can not give an opinion because I do not know it. On the book is needed a piece of thick glass, whose weight keep the pages flat. It is convenient to use a remote trigger, to avoid moving the camera. The photos show the material that I use, which to me has the advantage of photographing two pages at a time. Attached Thumbnails

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07-01-2013, 03:03 AM	#3
Ansileran Zealot Posts: 136 Karma: 614774 Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: China, Yunnan, Kunming Device: Sony PRS-505, Kobo Aura HD, Cybook Odyssey HD	Thanks! I should probably be able to make a cardboard stand, worse case scenario, I'll put a pile of books on both sides to adust the angle ^^ Diybookscanner looks great but honestly, I have neither the tools nor the room for their models. The third one is too complex for me (tools) and looks like it destroy bindings... I should be able (I hope) to get a glass (plastic?) panel, a cheap camera stand too... Do you know anything about tethered shooting? With two camera at once? I checked ABBY FineReader, looks nice but a bit expensive (99€) for me... What about ABBY ScanTo Office? Would it be enough for books that only have text? I'll check the free solutions first on documents that I have already scanned... Thanks!

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