Scanner with removable lid and flush bed

[redwoodtees]

I'm looking for a scanner which I can use to scan a very large piece of artwork. I need a scanner with a removable lid, and something where the scan bed is flush with the case, so that I can lay my artwork completely flat on the scan bed. I see a lot of inexpensive USB scanners on Amazon, but none of them appear to have a removable lid, and it's not clear on most whether the scan bed is flush with the case.  I guess worst case I can just break the lid off -- but I definitely need something with a flat/flush bed. Does anyone have such a scanner? What make/model, and does it work well for you?


TIA

Chris

[mk162]

almost every scanner i've owned has a removable lid.  It's a matter of opening the scanner to 90 degrees and pulling the lid up.  I don't know why this wouldn't be listed as a feature.

[mimosatexas]

If you have a dslr you would probably be better off taking a photo with a wider angle lens under controlled/diffused lighting and correcting for the lense distortion vs scanning in sections and patching it together.

[Sbrem]

We have a pretty old Epson 1640 XL, 11 x 17 flatbed, and it's pretty much what you're asking for. If you can find one, you would need 3rd party software, Vue-Scan from Hamrick Software, they have drivers for just about everything. However, nowadays, the 10 MP camera or higher would also do the job, just be sure everything is squared up (parallel) so it doesn't distort on you...

Steve

[MrBreeze]

I have an older model of this scanner and it works great. Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL Scanner

[redwoodtees]

Thanks for the replies... I have a farily current DLSR and I have tried taking photographs, but was not happy with the results. The images are very large (up to 18" x 48") and they have a lot of very fine linework.

[mimosatexas]

Most of the big art reproduction places use dslr's on a auto panoramic head. You shouldn't be having any issues with fine lines unless you have poor lighting or aren't focusing correctly. The lens makes a difference as well.

[Frog]

back in the day, with film cameras, we had a copyboard with lighting and an adjustable height mount for the camera.
Biggest problem to do this without the right stuff is to hold the camera parallel

[Prince Art]

1. How big is big?
2. If it's just one piece of artwork, not an ongoing issue, have you tried calling copy/print places to see if they can do it for you? I'd call the chains (OfficeMax/Staples/etc), and also local places to see what kind of capabilities they have.

[AAMike]

I have scanned thousands of photos. The epson perfection 2480 with removable lid has always been my choice. It even has a backlight in the lid for scanning slides or negatives. It's software, like most others, allows you to create multi-page pdf file as well. For color, it's really good for the money. I had to scan and put together a poster sized piece of art once. A pain but doable.