Deskan 6 Frequently
Asked Questions
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 the world's most affordable large format
scanner representing real value for money.
Deskan 6 can be teamed with raster-to-vector software to complete
a one-shop scan to vector solution.
- Deskan 6 A0 - $4200 ($ US)
- Deskan 6 A0 with raster-to-vector software -
$5400 ($ 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
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