This is the kind of scanner that captures high-resolution images. These scanners are mostly used by the publishing industry because they produce the best-detailed images you can ever come across. They feature photomultiplier tube technology that makes everything incredibly perfect and easy for the machine.
There are four major types of scanners and perhaps the drum scanners are the most sophisticated ones. They produce the ultimate quality scans that are professional and viable for commercial purposes.
The capabilities of drum scanners are almost unmatched. They are used to turn photos into incredibly high-resolution posters. They are also used to create wall-sized images that are ideal for art gallery displays and family frames.
We have compiled all you need to know about the drum scanners in this article. Let’s dive right in without any further ado.
What are the Uses of Drum Scanners?
Drum scanners are the most sophisticated scanners that use high technology to operate. You can never go wrong with it. Here are its two main uses.
1. High-Resolution Images
They are designed to be purposely used where the highest resolution of a document is needed. It scans high-quality photos for prints and that makes it excellent for professional purposes. That also explains why printing presses have all adopted these machines as their central scanners.
Word going around the industry is that Heidelberg Tango drum scanners are out of this world. They are the best you can ever have with outstanding performance. The scanners are designed to magnify grain images into sharper scans. This captures every bit of detail in your image without processing or any color correction.
2. Tonality Improvement
Drum scanners are incredible in their every purpose. Their tonality improvement is way better and unmatched. In fact, they supersede the flatbed scanners. They scan fine tonality gradients with the analog method using RGB lights. They do this by collecting data and converting them into digital files. Wow!
Besides that, the drum scanners can resolve so much color and light. Especially of the sky. If you are looking for fine magnified grains and color resolution, perhaps you should be thinking of the drum scanners, especially for your professional work.
3. Shadow, Noise, and Highlight Recovery
Whatever you can see on the loupe on a light table, drum scanners can see it too. That sounds like harmony. Shadow areas are always difficult, but drum scanners will always come through for you. They handle shadows and do extraction so well you can hardly believe it.
These machines also do fairly well with the highlight recovery in transparency films. It does the same for both white and black and you will definitely love the results. The outcome is just as vivid and noticeable as with the shadows.
There seems to be no way of going around the surrounding noises. Even with the digital sophisticated cameras. It is always a big challenge in the industry. However, with the drum scanners, these noises are non-existent, and you will get your photo as you meant it to be.
4. Wet Mounting
This involves the placement of mounting a film between clear acetate. This results in a wet seal on both sides to enhance the clarity of an image. These films and photos are greatly adulterated by particles, creases among other things, the final effects can be disappointing. Especially on scanned images.
This technology removes all the irregularities that would otherwise distort the quality of your images. This includes scratches, particles, and even creases. These scanners initially employed oil-based wet mounting. However, times have changed and alcohol mounting has become the holy grail in the industry.
5. Workflow
These scanners are designed for heavy-duty purposes. If you have a heavy workload, this is the best you can choose for efficiency, time-saving, and best-quality scans with high resolutions. You can install another drum as the other drum continues to process your printouts.
Besides that, they coordinate different jobs at the same time. This means that you can get everything done all at the same time. It also reduces the workload and helps to save on time and resources.
Disadvantages of Drum Scanners
We have made it sound that these scanners are the cutting edge, the perfect machine in the industry. However, we do not want to put it on a pedestal because there is always the flip side of every coin. Here are some of its disadvantages that you must know before putting your money in.
1. Expensive
What happened to the cheap is expensive? Well, as it seems expensive is relative and what we should really ask ourselves is, how expensive is expensive? Well, drum scanners are way too expensive. Compared to other types of scanners, they are simply off the hook!
Thousands of dollars on one machine is not what you want to call relative. However, if you are working on a shoestring budget and you must have this type of scanner, there is a way you can go around it. Go for the fairly used and get some dollars off.
2. Size
Drum scanners are actual monsters and if you are operating in a small space, you might be forced to rethink your choices. The scanner itself will demand a huge space. As if that is not enough, you will need some more for the scanning drums.
It cannot be compared to other types of scanners which are compact and portable. These ones are so heavy, and you will need a super-strong table for a base. There are other issues like vibrations that you need to critically think about.
3. Time-consuming and Messy
Using a drum scanner is a tedious process that demands too much time and attention. It involves several steps to have everything put together. There is the cleaning and examining. There is also wet-mounting and preview of the scans before the final process. Phew!
There is no doing this more flawlessly. There is bound to be some mess created especially with the wet mounting tools. The cleaners too can create some serious mess. Compared to other types of scanners, this is the messiest.