11x14 Flatbed w/digital ICE?

[jason_b.]

I'd just love an 11x14 scanner to deal with my prints. But I really need it to

have Digital ICE (I live in Brooklyn, and everything here gets dusty, or sooty). I

figured that Microtek would have one, but alas... Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

[the_macman]

I believe the only ICE flatbed scanner is the Microtek 6800, which does 8.5" x

11.7". You know, we're all looking for the 17-600 f/1.8 zoom as well.

[the_macman]

Do you really blow up 11x14's or portions of it ?

[david_gwynne]

Jason, firstly I must emphasise that this is NOT an expert reply.

ICE is justified in cost and time consumed in neg scanners because of their collimated light source highlighting every defect in the neg. However I understand flatbeds use an equivalent of diffuse light, which are more forgiving, (and inherently less sharp). My experience of the Epson 2450 is that when scanning prints, a bit of housekeeping with the original and the glass will cure dust problems on the output.

[kirk_thompson]

Unless you have in mind a high volume of this kind of work, you'd be better off

jobbing out your large flatbed scans. You can readily find a service bureau

that has a large Scitex flatbed, but it would cost you about $11K to acquire

your own.

 

It's the service bureau's job to keep the dust level low. The amount of

Healing/Cloning that you'd need on a scan that large should be manageable.