Can We Talk About Photo Scanners?

[rreis]

Thanks for that, makes sense now. Does 'open source' automatically mean free-of-charge? I feel like it's a dumbass Q, but my PhD needs new batteries.....

Well, no. Generally you can get open source software free of charge but not always. And you can get some open source software free of charge (several Linux distros, like Ubuntu, the Apache webserver, this forum, GIMP, OpenOffice ) but there are companies that charge you for assistance, like, you can get the software and the code but for tailoring or assistance you have to pay. But most of the opens-source software can be gotten gratis. It is natural because nothing forbids anyone to re-sell it if they want to. That's why the distinction is important, the principle behind freeware and open source is different (and so maybe the consequences).

[k5083]

Generally Pogo, if you are just a user with no inclination to rewrite, repackage, or redistribute software, or philosophize politically about it, for practical purposes open source is the same as freeware. It does come with fewer legal strings attached but if you just want to get and use it personally, those strings aren't very relevant. Open source software almost always is available free of charge, not necessarily from the publisher, but from somebody.

Back on topic, all of the suggestions thus far are good for snapshot (i.e. print) scanning. Flatbeds are really good now, and can scan most drugstore prints at higher resolutions than the prints themselves were at, and with a little sprucing up in Gimp or Photoshop and a cheap inkjet printer, you can make copies that look about as good as the original prints; maybe even a little better if they were faded or the color balance was off. I personally use an Epson 4180 which also has limited film/transparency capability. For 35mm negatives or slides, a specialized film scanner is preferable.

August

[Pogo]

Great stuff! Thanks guys, I really appreciate the additional input!