Quote:I have a 10 volume set of math textbooks

(05-01-2022, 07:51 AM)PixLab Wrote: Yes GIMP can import and export to PDF

Now about the scanner, just my 2 cents, although I don't use those.

On the screenshot below, on the left side is the type of scanner you want to use => you will ALWAYS move your hand in the wrong direction or shaking slightly without noticing it >  at one point or another, thus your math formula, will be distorted or wrongly interpreted or any other type of error due to human handling factor.
So yes it's cheap, but at which cost? is it worth it?

On the other hand, on the right side of the screenshot I see something very stable with the scanner on an arm, thus not/less prone to error while scanning.
Yes it can be way more expansive (I saw quickly on amazon some at around $250 on the cheapest side), same problem as the handled scanner, is it worth it? IMHO it seems so as it a "stable" scanner.



Just my 2 cents, but it's your call, reading the reviews, the one with a picture of the result can help as well

Quote:I have a 10 volume set of math textbooks

Do you feel ok to manually slowly scan with your hand each page of those volume handling the hand scanner perfectly straight while moving down?

(05-01-2022, 09:53 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: The thing on the right can be replaced by a smartphone or a small camera on a makeshift stand.

Quote:Please don't say to use my android or phone device with some app installed.

(05-02-2022, 02:32 PM)PixLab Wrote:

(05-01-2022, 09:53 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: The thing on the right can be replaced by a smartphone or a small camera on a makeshift stand.

Indeed, I also thought about it, but the OP will not be happy  

Quote:Please don't say to use my android or phone device with some app installed.

PixLab Wrote:Now about the scanner, just my 2 cents, although I don't use those.

PixLab Wrote:Do you feel ok to manually slowly scan with your hand each page of those volume handling the hand scanner perfectly straight while moving down?

(05-02-2022, 06:39 PM)Chemist116 Wrote:

PixLab Wrote:Now about the scanner, just my 2 cents, although I don't use those.

Thank you for inserting that nice image showing those models. I do feel that you understand my needs here.

I kept doing more research on my own and I found this list of recommendations on PC Magazine for which I suggest you to take a look to those models that also feature the one mentioned earlier. Yes I mean the wand type.

The thing with those is that the majority is fed with a single document which rolls into the device and isn't something that you can use in a book which is binded.

There is also this list which if you take a look all models there are of the arm kind you shown in the right.

I guess more or less the quality will vary I don't know by how much between manufacters but due my needs I don't think it will matter much.

(05-02-2022, 06:39 PM)Chemist116 Wrote: The thing is, and this is where Gimp comes in, how do I get rid off the rounded effect or groove you see when you take a picture of a book pages?

Near the edge where the page meets the spine of the book there is a curve. Some of those models come with a propietary software which will modify the image to flatten that surface so in the end there is a nice straight page.

Can I do the same with Gimp?.

(05-02-2022, 06:39 PM)Chemist116 Wrote: Yes, I am disregarding the earlier comment about using a camera or an android device on a tripod as I do not have those available and I don't think it will produce the image which I am aiming at.

My second doubt is, does it exist some filter to make a color image to be black and white?. No I don't mean to make it grayscale I mean a black and white image like the one you get with a xerox copy so that the letters and formulas and sketches like found in geometry can be seen more clearly or have more contrast and can be later reprinted.

(05-02-2022, 06:39 PM)Chemist116 Wrote: There is also the option of using a flatbed scanner, however I don't like this idea because it will cause strain in the spine when pressing in the reader surface and it could also damage the unit due the weight of the book. Although my collection isn't that heavy.

Since you mentioned if it does worth about trying the one which is a wand. It seems that there isn't much distortion but the only way to say is by actually trying it. At this point the reason which makes me to prefer these kind over the others is that with the wand you avoid that curve or round distortion near the spine of the book. This is because you can sweep over the surface.

(05-02-2022, 06:39 PM)Chemist116 Wrote:

PixLab Wrote:Do you feel ok to manually slowly scan with your hand each page of those volume handling the hand scanner perfectly straight while moving down?

Regarding the 10 volume set and the thing of doing it one by one. Yes I know it can sound tedious and time consuming but I don't intend to do it in one batch.

I haven't took a picture of my collection, but it just happens that a guy who owns another copy has. So you can see how it looks below.

As you can see it isn't really that beefy like the Encyclopedia Britannica. Its really brief and succinct and that why I want to digitalize it.

All and all, what do you think?. Should I give it a try?. Can you please attend my questions as well?.

(05-02-2022, 05:14 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: Yes,but the image quality of modern smartphones is better than what you get with a hand-held scanner. And the other option on a stand is not going to be so cheap if the camera is as good as in a recent smartphone.

(05-02-2022, 06:39 PM)Chemist116 Wrote: My second doubt is, does it exist some filter to make a color image to be black and white?. No I don't mean to make it grayscale I mean a black and white image like the one you get with a xerox copy so that the letters and formulas and sketches like found in geometry can be seen more clearly or have more contrast and can be later reprinted.

PixLab Wrote:Um... I feel that you do need a wake up call, those pseudo review's website want to sell product only

PixLab Wrote:Money wise...
The different ones with a stand are basically just camera (I won't be surprised if they are webcam camera/sensor)! Yes you read well they are 18 to 20 Mega pixels camera on average, thus my smartphone which is an oppo A92 (it's a "free" smartphone, as every 2 years my provider give me a new phone with my plan, just to tell how cheap my smartphone is) can do a 48MP picture ➤ way way better than those "webcam" camera on those scanner with a stand for $500.

PixLab Wrote:A question remain, did you search for a PDF version on the internet?

Ofnuts Wrote:Actually a bad idea. You can definitely increase contrast to make the page background white, perhaps after equalizing the lighting over it, and the characters black. But a pure threshold is going to make pixellated edges and specks all over.

Btw, this is what you get with at scanner app on an Android phone (Xiaomi Note7). Metal ruler included so you can ascertain how small some characters are (like the exponent "θ").

(05-04-2022, 06:40 PM)Chemist116 Wrote: Regarding your suggestion about Amazon, I've been doing exactly that for other products but since I am not very familiar with scanners I just wanted to ask people who have used these the most.

I didn't know about that complain about the problem which arises due the edge of the wand type scanner. In the previews and examples shown it appears to be that it is slim enough to sweep covering a little bit of larger portion of the middle as when you rub through the surface you can travel tangentially to the rounded corner. For that specific reason I thought that such distortion could be minimized but it appears not. So thanks for that advise.

Yes. I've seen those open book stands before. In fact there is a DIY instructable here which comes with directions on how to take pictures of the book and use it as a scanner.

I took a closer look at your example and this shows a little bit my concern. How to reduce that "rounded distortion" near the middle. It appears to be that when you use the black and white filter this is aggravated. Perhaps that if you use that wedge style book stand and take a picture parallel to one page it might produce a better result?.

(05-04-2022, 06:40 PM)Chemist116 Wrote: At this point, I can tell you that I might want to try the camera thing to see the result. Which app do you think will yield the better results for this?

(05-04-2022, 06:40 PM)Chemist116 Wrote:

Ofnuts Wrote:Actually a bad idea. You can definitely increase contrast to make the page background white, perhaps after equalizing the lighting over it, and the characters black. But a pure threshold is going to make pixellated edges and specks all over.

Btw, this is what you get with at scanner app on an Android phone (Xiaomi Note7). Metal ruler included so you can ascertain how small some characters are (like the exponent "θ").

Well that speaks for itself. What app did you used for getting that image?. Actually the ruler kind of blocks certain characters and might be what I want to avoid.

At this point I think in terms of quality for this is. How can I reduce the background color so it is presented as "pure" white so when it is later reprinted doesn't cause some unwanted noise?.

Is there a smart filter in Gimp for that or something that you guys know?