Scanning Items

edited September 2018 in Questions 0 LikesVote Down
Hi,

I have not yet opened a store. However, I was interested in how most sellers scan images for individual stamps. Are they using software, smartphones, digital cameras or other methods? It appears like the scanning would require a great deal of time, unless you were selling an entire stock sheet with 30 stamps for sale. Any comments on this topic would be appreciated. Thanks.
«1

Comments

  • 34 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • I use a digital camera to take the images for my items.

    Even with a scanner, I think you would do well to download an excellent, and free, image editor called Irfanview.

    Here is the link to their web site: https://www.irfanview.com/

    I use it religiously with pictures from my digital camera and my scanner.
  • Thank you again, Michael. You've been a big help.
  • Scanning does take a lot of time. I have tried "outsourcing" to my spouse but that hasn't worked. She's a great woman but she will never be a philatelist. I have tried photographing stamps but I have never been happy with the results. I agree with Michael G about Irfanview - its a great program. A while back there were discussions here about a program that automatically cropped each stamp but my old brain can not remember the name of the program.

    https://www.hipstamp.com/store/fatdanes-stamp-store
  • edited September 2018 3 LikesVote Down
    Re the auto-cropping app, that is Jason Drake's Stamp Image Bursting program. I have it, and use it occassionally. It is a great time-saver, under the right conditions. It works best if you are scanning a bunch of single stamps. If you are scanning sets, it will create separate images of each stamp, though there is a step during the bursting process whereby you can correct those anomalies. I am unable to get the program to number the individual file names according to my numbering convention (the file name doubles as my Private ID for the listing), which, along with the time required to correct exploded sets, is why I don't use it all the time.

    Here is Jason's YouTube tutorial for the program, and here is the link to the free download:
    http://www.drakeserver.com/



    Ted
  • To follow up on Ted's comments, I use Jason's software extensively. There is a way to "conjoin" stamp images automatically, within a few parameters. For example, if you have a sheet with five rows of stamps that are all part of the same set, the software will "read" the scan as five wide images, and then save it as one combined image, combining the five images one above the next. I've attached an example of what it looks like once they are all combined.

    French_Guinea_33-47_front

    You'll note that not all the stamps are the same height. These were all laid out on the same Hagner sheet (with varying amounts of space between each row), scanned, and the software did the rest. As Michael mentioned, you have to name the image yourself, but from my perspective, it's a small price to pay to have software that can automatically create the boxes around each image individually or create grouped images.

    Jason is great to work with, and has added some functionality for me. He does it all for free, so if you start to use it and like it, he won't turn down a token of gratitude.

    Rob
  • I will attempt both Drake's program and Irfan. They both sound promising. I bought software called EzImage a few years back and found it difficult to use. It was too advanced and not user friendly. Thank you all for your suggestions.
  • Robert - If an old timer like me can figure out irfanview anyone should be able to. When you work with it a bit it becomes easy. Most scanners offer some sort of program for handling scans but Irfanview for me has been the best,
  • I have been playing around with Jason Drake's Stamp Image Bursting program. So far, it seems to do what is necessary for "bursting" stock sheets into individual shots with black backgrounds. This is primarily what I was looking for. However, there are a fair amount that seem to capture an edge of a stamp positioned next to it. Perhaps with a bit more of tweeking I'll resolve the issue.

    Again, thank you for your detailed comments.
  • Robert - there is a setting you can change that adjusts the space around each stamp. Under Tools | Settings | Bounding Boxes, you can adjust the value shown in "Bounding Box Padding" up or down to use more or less space around each image.
  • I prefer to scan images. My scanner software allows me to crop and scan whole pages of stamps with one preview scan. I then use Photoshop to cut apart rows of stamps that are too far apart and put them together. It is much faster, at least for me, that way. The Jason Drake program works well too, but it is written in Java which still has security issues. If anyone uses it, they would be wise to run it in a Sandboxed browser to minimize any security dangers.
  • Thanks Robert W., I think I have the basics down now,
  • Hello Wayne,
    Do you use Photoshop or one of the less advanced versions, like "Elements?" I'm quickly learning that each program has its own unique learning curve. I also have "EzImage," but don't find it the easiest to use. Thanks for your input.
  • Robert,
    I have both but I prefer the full Photoshop - it has less useless "stuff", at least for this purpose - and it has the best losless algorithm for jpg files.
    I use Elements for other things, and I depend on Irfanview for my day to day stuff, a quick look or crop and Irfanview has a gangbuster batch conversion mode. If you can afford it get Photoshop alongside Irfanview.
  • edited September 2018 0 LikesVote Down
    comment posted under wrong thread.
  • Just a curious question. How many scans are you able to get per hour including the time to load the pages,unload the pages,file them and rename the file images?
  • If you are asking me: It depends on the number of sets per sheet and how complex they are; if they need Photoshop etc,
    I let my scanner name the images sequentially and I scan them in the order I'm going to post them so no renaming is
    necessary (saves time and typos). I then put the whole thing through a stamp database program that allows me to describe and price the lot, select the image and automatically crop and straighten the image, it then creates the csv file for uploading, creating a Private ID in the process. That whole process including uploading images and the csv lets me post about 100 lots in a little more than half a day. Since I'm retired - that's my limit! Scanning those images takes about an hour or so of that time.
  • In my expierence in scanning covers, I find it easier to use my hp printer scanning software. I do not scan many covers at a time so I find this the easiest way to go.
  • Wayne,

    It was just a general question as I was wondering if a bursting program would really help me all that much. (Right now at the upper end I can scan almost 150 single stamps in an hour doing it the way I am doing it now with out any other program than what came with the scanner.)
  • That seems low to me, but it depends on the scanner too. You might try picking up the free bursting software just to see what it does and how well it does it. If you like it, there are better (paid) versions out there. It would be much cheaper than photoshop or a new scanner.
  • What other bursting programs are available? My computer had a fatal failure a couple weeks ago and I got a new hard drive and Win 7 reloaded. It is now 64 bit and between that, the fact Jason self signs the certificate, and the new Java rules I haven't been able to get it to download on my laptop. I did get it downloaded to my IMac so I still have access - it just makes it a bit more cumbersome.

    Thanx
  • Short answer - I don't know specifics. Since I don't use that type of software, I don't know titles/places.

    A free alternative is to use GIMP (a photoshop work alike that is free). How to do it can be found here:
    http://francoismalan.com/2013/01/how-to-batch-separate-crop-multiple-scanned-photos/
    the problem is that GIMP and Photoshop often screw up (at least according to the human running the program).
    Although I don't recommend using Java at all, you might try downloading it with either Internet Explorer or Safari on the
    Windows machine.
  • Thanks - I will take a look
  • 1. scanner Walmart $40.00,
    2. Laptop $1,200.00
    3. Windows 10 paint program
    4. Desk Craiglist-$20.00
    4. HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS of scanning the front, crop, then the reverse, crop.
    5. HOURS AND HOURS of listing stamps.
    note: add in some adult beverages and the time will fly by-
    one word of caution, go easy on the adult beverages, I have learned that some how cheap stamps get listed for 10.00 and not $1.00. Funny how that happens-




    Good luck
  • edited September 2018 1 LikesVote Down
    I also scan, both front and back, and use Photoshop to burst, straighten, crop the images (and combine them into sets when relevant). I created "actions" and scripts (i.e., macros) in Photoshop to do that. At the time I set this up, the free bursting software options didn't work as well as I needed them to. Sometime I plan to evaluate them again, but I agree that Photoshop has the best image compression algorithms, so I'll probably stick with it since I've already taken that plunge.

    I used to try to place the stamps in clear Vario sheets, but I thought the plastic distorted the images a bit, plus I often found I couldn't crop closely enough along the bottom edge of the stamp to remove the "seam" from the bottom of the row. So I place the stamps down directly on the scanner glass, make the scan, then flip them over and scan the backs.

    - - - - - -

    I keep thinking there's got to be a way to put the stamps in some kind of "carrier", like a clear Vario sheet (but where the stamps won't settle so close down to the bottom of the row) and then use a pass-through scanner that will scan both front and back at the same time without my having to flip anything. (I know a couple of postcard dealers who do this, but postcards lend themselves better to this than stamps do.)

    https://www.hipstamp.com/store/the-philatarium
  • edited September 2018 1 LikesVote Down
    P.S.: Unless they changed their minds again recently, Adobe no longer "sells" Photoshop. You now pay a monthly fee to basically lease it from them. (And the older copy I had of the software would not install on my current system, despite trying every hack and workaround I could find, so that's why I had to go with the monthly plan.)

    But the good news is that there's a special photographer's plan, that's just Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom, for $10/month. (You have to commit to a year at a time, but they just bill you $10/mo.)

    I find Bridge really helpful for image management and some scripting chores, like smart batch renaming, making images for sets of stamps, converting to jpgs, etc.

    https://www.hipstamp.com/store/the-philatarium

    That beats the $50/month for their regular plan with access to more of their products.
  • As a newbe to Hip but a seller on other sites for sometime I thought I'd share my thoughts. I use Photoshop Elements 8 which still works on Windows 10. Place the stamps in black stock cards as this shows off the stamp better (unless its a 1d Black). I can then scan several lots in one go and crop as needed. There is a film over the stock card but this doesn't seem to affect the quality of scan. Depending on the value of the stamp I will sometimes scan front and back but not for the cheap stuff. The problem comes when selling a full sheet of stamps as this does not fit onto my scanner. I've tried taking photos, even with a top quality camera, but it never comes out as well.
  • Sorry to dig up an old thread.

    Having read the contents, I have down loaded Irfanview to try.
    Worked a treat on my first test scan - 16 separate images - three needed adjustment - but hey I can live with than

    However, on every subsequent scan it gives me a single page image only - Frustration Rules OK

    I appreciate that is probably just a setting somewhere - and any one with an active braincell could probably sort it in seconds - but I am totally puzzled and frustrated - (Braincell is on holiday for a few weeks - well probably for ever actualy) I do not think I made any adjustments from the first scan to the second but the hammer is being warmed up in readiness.

    If anyone can save the last few hairs on my head that have not yet been pulled out - I will be most grateful please

    Balding David


  • My 2 cents. I used to photograph stamps. I found the results pretty hit and miss(having the right light is important as you should use macro photo with no flash).

    Switched over to scanning. Much better results. I use a Brother Multifunction Printer/Scanner/Copier. I scan into JPG files at 600dpi. I export the scan into Picasa(Google freeware). There I make copies of the original scan(say there are 6 items, I make 5 copies). I then crop, straighten and rename as individual items(6 of them). I name the files with a private SKU that I use in my Hip Listings. Finally, I export the files(with a watermark) into a folder at a reasonable resolution(1024 px) for upload(usually around 250kb).

    Lots of work and relatively time consuming. I pretty much only do this for items valued over $5. For the rest I use stock "photos".

    Hope this helps

    Bob
  • I wasn't able to test irfanview as it' a Native WIndows app and I didn't want the overhead of a VM on my Mac. See the How To thread detailing how I got the other app to run.
  • Thanks for the info above! I have been slowly scanning thousands of stamps and individually removing them using Photoshop Elements for months. It has been the slowest point in my listing process. I've been looking for a solution like Jason Drake's Stamp Image Bursting program. Got it installed and working great with a few tweaks to the settings. I'm going to be sending him a donation it's so great.
Sign In or Register to comment.