g_fournigh

<p>Well I'm packing the car now so I'll take the good scanner in view of the lack of an authoritative response. But if anyone out there has an answer, please contribute as there's always a next time. Maybe I'll get a chance to build two different curves from my scanner and the MFP and see if they look the same.</p>

<p>Thank you, Antonio. That "factoid" certainly implies a Canon MFP is good enough.</p> <p>James, making digital negs this way is common to many alt processes and other questions on the topic were here. Always thought the term "digital negatives" is a bit of a misnomer in this context because it's a physical negative for contact printing you're making from a digital file. And then there's Jeff Schewe's "The Digital Negative" which is all about processing RAW files and literally is a digital "negative" in the sense it's the data (film or digital) as captured by the camera. I saw more on scanning negatives to digital files over in the Digital Darkroom.</p>

<p>First let me be clear what I'm not asking; what type of scanner to use for film. At the moment I'm working with digital RAW files as a source of negatives for contact printing.</p> <p>I'm only concerned with the scan of the processed step tablet image used to construct the correction curve for the process, which in my case is albumen printing. See, e.g., http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/negatives/digital-negatives</p> <p>Since this scan is concerned with luminosity of the step tablet and not any fine resolution, I wonder if I can get away with using the scanner of a good MFP printer. In the past, I used the same scanner I use for negatives, but the place I'm headed to for the next month of albumen printing doesn't have a standalone scanner. They are about to order an MFP with a scanner and will at least listen to any suggestion I have. So, for just the step tablet scan, do I:</p> <p>1) Pack my good flatbed scanner used for my film into the car and bring it with me (not my favored choice); or<br> 2) Rely on the MFP they buy to do it (and if anyone has on a recommendation a particular MFP relative to scanner quality, please include)?</p> <p>Thanks in advance for any help! Just found out about their scanner situation and will be packing the car at 0'dark-thrty tomorrow. :)</p> <p>Cheers,<br> <br />Robert</p>