Dirty Scanners

If there is one thing I hate about digital image manipulation it is scanning in photos. Specifically it is scanning photos on a dirty scanner bed.

I should qualify this post by saying that my scanner bed is not inherently filthy and grimy. However, it attracts dust particles like my stomach attracts fried chicken. I end up spending ten minutes trying to clean up photos after they have been scanned in.

I try to clean the scanner bed as often as I can, but as soon as I open up the cover, dust particles drop down like atomic bombs on the bed.

How do other flatbed scanner users overcome this annoyance?

Published
Categorised as Imaging

By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.

6 comments

  1. Back when I was a kid we didn’t even have scanner beds! We had to drag a handheld scanner S L O W L Y across a photo! If we had to scan a picture that was wider than the scanner itself, it took several passes! Uphill! In the snow! Barefooted! Before the sun came up!

  3. I use Windex glass cleaner. It seems to do well. After that, I use a big photobrush. The kind you would use for cleaning negatives. Give it a try, let me know if it works or not.

    db

  5. You can find anti-static brushes at B&H. Just do a search on Kinetronics. I prefer the Kinetronics Model 100N Plastic Handle StaticWisk Brush – 4" Wide. I also like the round brushes, but they can get pretty expensive.

    db

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