ICG and Drum scanner quality

If most flatbed scanner ads try to compare their scanners with the quality of a drum scanner, don't you wonder why a drum scanner is so much better?

Clearly a scan from a drum scanner is superior in almost all respects. This should be qualified relative to entry-level drum scanners which use CCD sensors. Several companies have repackaged flatbed scanners to resemble drum scanners in physical shape and appearance or in their specs as touted in PR.

To make matters worse, some of these camouflaged flatbed scanners were overpriced to make them resemble drum scanners all the more.

In summary, if you want the absolutely best scanner, then your best decision is a full-scaled drum scanner. The former Crosfield scanners now manufactured by Fuji would be one good choice for an industrial strength drum scanner. Heidelberg makes a top of the line drum scanner.

My personal choice in drum scanners would be the drum scanner models from ICG shown at left because I dislike the idea of having to put oil on my transparencies. The FLAAR Photo Archive chromes are relatively fresh, most have never been used (or abused), and hence do not have enough scratches to warrant oiling to reduce such scratches. The ICG drum scanners offer a slot system so you can insert the transparency without any liquid. I also dislike the need of cleaning up the poor transparency after this whole process (in part because I have 40,000 transparencies that would need to be oiled, and then cleaned). ICG makes a system whereby you can do a drum scan without oil. Nonetheless, you will actually get better results if you do use oil. Even on a flatbed if you oil the slides the resultant scan is better. This is why Creo offers an oil mounting station for their high-end flatbed scanners.

Dust is present on all slides and negatives, even those fresh from a darkroom (good old static electricity is to blame here). The drum scanner focuses just on the film plane and thus may miss the dust which is on or above the surface of the transparency. Also, when you clean the transparency and apply the oil, the dust and scratches disappear. It is faster to prepare and load a drum scanner (and not have to erase dust and scratches later in Photoshop) than it is to do a flatbed scan and then waste 30 minutes to an hour using a rubber stamp tool in Photoshop to cover over the blemishes.

Sure you can automatically remove dust and scratches with software, but that maneuver also removes some of the quality. Removing dust also takes time. In other words, a drum scanner may be more cost effective.

Whereas monumental specs are always impressive, it is the final results, what the image looks like to the viewer (and especially to the client) which count. In other words, 10,000 dpi may not be seriously necessary, but it is surely nice to have more than the 1200 dpi of mid-range flatbed scanners. Besides, there is no XYZ stitching with a drum scanner. You get the full dpi that you selected (usually 3000 dpi and up).

But again, beware of low-end drum scanners, of repackaged CCD scanners, and other claims of "drum scanner quality."

After all, the only scanner that can truly produce drum scanner quality is a quality drum scanner. Fuji and ICG are a good place to start. A drum scanner from Heidelberg should certainly be expected to be of professional quality. I do not have experience with Screen USA (Dainippon Screen) but they are a respected name in the prepress world. The only drum scanners that we are not overly enthusiastic about are those of Howtek. Nowadays a good flatbed scanner from Creo , such as a Creo EverSmart Pro II or especially the Creo EverSmart Supreme probably produces a better scan than a Howtek. If you want a drum scanner, might as well get a really good one, namely an ICG drum scanner. After all, if you want a "cheap scanner" you should not be reading these pages anyway. Cheap scanners produce cheap scans, which are probably okay for many users, but we prefer better quality.

If you need help deciding what high-end professional flatbed scanner to select, you can e-mail the main reviewer at FLAAR, Nicholas Hellmuth. Just be sure to specify roughly your needs (what do you scan, 35mm, medium format, 4x5), what is the end product of the scan (posters, calendars, printed, wide format, or whatever), and your realistic budget.

For us to answer you personally, however, please do not ask a question that is already covered in the pages of the web site. Please check out the Directory of all scanner pages, before you contact us. If you wish information contact MikeHiscox@colourpeople.com. DCS manufactures the scanners; ColourPeople handles relations with end users.

We would provide a phone number, but the FLAAR crew is either in Germany or Guatemala or checking out digital imaging equipment at a trade show in the USA. You can write in German, Spanish, French, Italian, or naturally English. No, FLAAR does not sell scanners (this is a non-profit institute) but we can definitely suggest reliable sources.


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