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Deskan 6 Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kind of PC is best for Deskan 6?
2. How does Deskan 6 work?
3. What is the price of the Deskan 6?
4. What resolutions can be scanned?
5. How long does it take to scan an image?
6. How do I save to different formats?
7. Can I scan larger than A0 (E size)?
8. Please explain the Clip Noise function?
9. How do I change image resolution?
10. Why am I unable to keep the scan?
11. Why is my image out of order?
12. What does 'Hardware lock protection error: HASP not found' mean?
13. How do I operate the auto scan command?

1. What kind of PC is best for Deskan 6?

To run Deskan 6 you will need:

Pentium 1.6 GHz Minimum 768 MB RAM minimum recommended for large color images Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP operating system 20MB Hard Disk space for installation (1 Gigabyte or more free disk space recommended for scanning an A0 document at 300 dpi in Color) Microsoft compatible mouse VGA Monitor Inch high density floppy disk drive or USB 2.0 USB 2.0

2. How does Deskan 6 work?

Deskan 6 is a large format desktop color scanner, which utilises a unique method developed and refined over several years.The system uses an A4 motorised scanner, which moves up and down a specially calibrated guide, to capture the document in several strips in a variety of raster file formats.

The guide is then manually moved at the end of each strip scanned.  This is a straightforward process.  Simple cut outs on the base edges; make relocating the guide easy and the software does all the hard work.

Each strip is saved and then automatically corrected for distortion and joined by the advanced software using complex mathematical algorithms and the unique optical recognition of control points at 1cm (0.44') intervals.

The end result is a precisely matched, seamless image in 24 or 8 bit color, 8 bit greyscale or black and white ranging from 76 up to a true 600 dpi.

3. What is the price of the Deskan 6?

Deskan 6 is priced according to market realities and product design.  Deskan 6 is a unique Desktop A0 / E-size scanner.  It is not positioned near conventional large format scanners that are designed especially for high volume scanning work.

Deskan 6 is a niche product designed for the budget conscious user with medium to low scanning work that prefers to scan in-house when time is not an issue and when delicate, rare and valuable documents need to be converted from hard copy to digital.

Deskan 6 is positioned as the world's most affordable large format scanner representing real value for money.

· Deskan 6 A0 - $3900 ($ US)

Deskan 6 can be teamed with Provec raster-to-vector software to complete a one-shop scan to vector solution.

· Deskan 6 A0 with ProVec* - $4900 ($ US)

* Bundled product - licensed to single operator only.

4. What resolutions can be scanned?

Deskan 6 produces a seamless image in 24-bit or 8-bit color, 8-bit greyscale or black and white at resolutions up to 600dpi.

5. How long does it take to scan an image?

Scan speeds are as follows:

Black and White

A0 scan at 100 dpi - 2 mins A0 scan at 200 dpi – 3 mins A0 scan at 300 dpi - 4 mins A0 scan at 400 dpi - 5 mins Color

A0 scan at 100 dpi - 4 mins A0 scan at 200 dpi - 5 mins A0 scan at 300 dpi - 7 mins A0 scan at 400 dpi - 9 mins (Please note that these speeds are for a typical configuration.  Speeds will vary according to computer speed, hard disk speed, port speed and available memory)

6. How do I save to different formats?

To save the document to a different format you need to export the layer.  To do this, choose Export from the Layer menu.  Change the format the one desired and save the document.

7. Can I scan larger than A0 (E size)?

You can scan documents larger than A0 (E size) so long as the control crosses near the top and bottom of the drawing are not covered.  They need to be seen by the scanner so that the software can align the strips for joining.  In other words you can scan as many strips as you need, however they cannot be any higher than the guide that is 870 mm.

8. Please explain the Clip Noise function?

When a document is scanned, each color on the original document is normally captured as several shades of that color.  This is due to both noise and lighting variations picked up by the scanning system.  This becomes particularly important for black and white as these colors most often represent the background.  In order to correct this problem two commands have been provided, Color - Clip Noise - Lower and Color - Clip Noise - Upper.  When either of these commands are selected, a palette is offered that contains the layers palette sorted on average intensity.  If clipping the lower end of the palette, the title of the dialog will be 'Select highest to clip' and when clipping the upper end the title will be 'Select lowest to clip'.  When you 'Select highest to clip' then all entries in the palette below and including the selected entry will be modified to be black.  The 'Select lowest to clip' will modify every entry above and including the selected entry to white.

9. How do I change image resolution?

Within all images there is a resolution that relates the image dimensions back to the paper size that it was derived from.  Deskan Express uses this information to reference sizes in real units like millimeters, centimeters and inches.  In some cases the value stored within the image may be in error so a menu command File - Modify Resolution - Edit has been supplied.  This is a very simple command that requests a new resolution and replaces the value.  If however a new image is required at a different resolution but the resolution in the current image is correct then the command File - Modify Resolution - Convert should be used.  This command uses the scaling capability to re-sample the image as if it had been scanned at a different resolution and at the same time it replaces the resolution with the new value.  As an example is an image was 1000 pixels wide and it had a resolution of 400 dpi then entering the command File - Resolution - Convert and entering the new resolution as 200 would result in an image 500 pixels wide and resolution of 200.  It must be emphasised that no averaging or interpolation is used for this process so it should only be used when necessary and the results treated accordingly.  Also as the conversion changes the document dimensions it will become bound as part of the process.

10. Why am I unable to keep the scan?

There are two main reasons why this problem may occur:

1. The system cannot locate the calibration marks accurately enough.  To fix this problem, check that the control crosses (crosses on the Folding Base) and tick marks (down the sides of the guide) are clearly visible on the scan and clear of any data lines.  If they are blurred and thickened you may need to increase the 'Threshold' setting, and if they are too 'spidery' or indistinct you may need to reduce the 'Threshold'.  If the horizontal arm of a tick is very thin or missing and there is a sharp horizontal edge apparent check that the correct optimised length is selected for the image being scanned.

2. The strip is too distorted to be accurately adjusted.  To fix this problem, check that the scanning path is not obstructed and that the scanner tracks in a constant, straight path along the guide.  Ensure that the cable does not cause any restraints also.  Another cure is to clean the wheels of the scanner by removing any accumulated dust.

Either of these problems would require the strip to be re-scanned after changing the settings.

11. Why is my image out of order?

The image must be scanned in sequence left to right, and no strips missed or duplicated.  If your image is out of order you may not have scanned the image in the correct sequence.

12. What does 'Hardware lock protection error: HASP not found' mean?

This error message may appear if the hardware lock (or dongle) is not plugged into a parallel (printer) port of your computer.  The Deskan Express software will only run if this security device is installed.  The device may be plugged directly into the port or into the free end of the stack of security devices, and used for printing as normal.

In some cases it may be found that Deskan 6 may not recognise its hardware lock if a printer is plugged in, but not switched on.  If that is the case, either switch the printer ON or disconnect it.

13. How do I operate the auto scan command?

The Autoscan function reduces the amount of human interaction required by automating the keep function.  To scan a document with the Autoscan function, the following process is involved:

Select Auto Scan from the Scan menu.  Move to the scanner and position it as prompted by the picture on screen.  Press the purple button on top of the scanner, when the first strip is finished, the user will be prompted by an audible cue that the strip has been saved and the guide can be moved to the next strip.  Once the guide is moved, press the purple button again to start the next strip.  Continue this process until the entire document has been captured.  By utilising the Autoscan function the user does not need to return to the computer until the scanning is finished.

If you have any other questions regarding Deskan 6, please do not hesitate to contact us.