Epson 837 (Printer) Scan Help

I just got the printer and am trying to figure things out. When I scan an image it looks like a newspaper. Please, could someone help with the settings. Thanks.

When you say the scan looks like a newspaper do you mean the scan is greyscale?

Might be worth reinstalling the latest driver from the web if you used the install cd you got with it.

Might just be knackered though.

No, it's in color, it just looks pixelated. The software and drivers are up-to-date, I updated them right after the install.

See this picture, the top is taken from a camera and the bottom is the scanner. It looks like a bunch of dots and this picture looked worse before I took it down to half size to post here.

Perhaps the 300 dpi is too low?

The problem you are encountering is a function of scanning a previously printed image. Without going into too much detail, the basics of what the issue is that any printed image (DVD cover, CD jacket, magazine etc..) is typically comprised of 4 colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) but can sometimes include extra colors to help either increase the color space, or provide a specific color (such as a color for a corporate logo, or a metallic etc..).

Regardless of the number of colors, nearly all printed images are comprised of rows of tiny dots of various sizes, the combination of the intensity of these 4 colors (based on the largeness or smallness of their dot) is what allows a printer to produce what looks like full color using just 4 colors.

On anything that is printed on a proper printing press, these rows of dots all exist at a specific angle which compliment the other colors and angles. This forms what is called a rosette and if you look at any printed piece with a loop you'll see this rosette burst. The higher the lines per inch of the image, the higher resolution and thus smaller the rosette will be.

People often mistakenly confuse Lines Per Inch (LPI) and dots per inch (DPI), but they are correlated to each other.

When you scan this image, your scanner is breaking the image into CMYK channels and depending on the settings you configure will then apply a DPI value as it digitizes the image.

The reason you're getting this funky pattern is because you are having a conflict between the DPI resolution of your scan and the LPI and screen angles of the original printed piece. This is called a moire pattern. You're most commonly going to see these interference patterns say when driving (or running) alongside a chain link fence, or watching TV and someone is wearing a sport coat with repeating line patterns, as the person moves those rows of colors conflict with the lines of dots on your screen (not as much a problem with a plasma, but hugely common on old CRT sets).

It is pretty much impossible to entirely eliminate this problem unfortunately, but typically the higher resolution your source and the higher resolution your scan, the more you can minimize it, but that is not a guarantee because it is always a matter of interference between your scan resolution and the LPI and angles of the original image and can still result even if both are high resolution.

Best suggestion, don't use pre-printed images. If I have time I can try and do some research on your printer, its resolution capabilities etc and see if there are things you can do either in the capture of the image, or manipulation of it in Photoshop to minimize this effect such as using guassian blur such as listed here.

moviegeek71 said:

I just got the printer and am trying to figure things out. When I scan an image it looks like a newspaper. Please, could someone help with the settings. Thanks.

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It also might help you a bit if you check both the unsharp mask and the descreening box. These will overall enhance your image a bit and descreen should also cut down on your newspaper look. Also take note that 300 is "good enough" for lets say digital viewing, but if it is something that you really need to look well you do want to boost that dpi a bit (as L8wrtr had suggested). Anything usually above 700dpi and you will not need descreen (in most cases it will tell you the resolution is too high for it). I have the older epson 4180 perfection photo scanner and seeing that the software layout is not that different, Unsharp mask works well set to medium and set descreen (unless they changed it) to "general"

Also you have "autodetect' on the top, you should really select yourself what kind of document you are telling the scanner is on the scanning bed, it DOES make a difference. You also have color correction and auto gamma checked. I would just use color correction or not at all. Scan it raw and then use something like photoshop's autolevels and it can fix any color issue you encounter

Hi guys and thank you very much for the help, I will give those suggestions a try, I know I just have to get in there and fiddle with things 'til it comes out correct.

The material I am trying to scan is VHS box cover art to make it a DVD.

moviegeek71 said:

Hi guys and thank you very much for the help, I will give those suggestions a try, I know I just have to get in there and fiddle with things 'til it comes out correct.

The material I am trying to scan is VHS box cover art to make it a DVD.

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curious, is it for "tougher than leather"?

Yes, it is the "Tougher Than Leather" VHS box, the back cover. I sourced a DVD from Thailand that is 2.0 audio and digital video, the picture is very sharp. Unfortunately, the movie did not come with artwork, just a disc in a sleeve.

There is also another Thai version that is 5.1 audio, digital video, and has subtitles (all have English audio). I've been looking for that one for years, I want the 5.1 audio. Here it is...

TBH I'd just knock up a cover from images already online, or scan the image in at a silly resolution and send it to someone on the board who knows their way around photo/paintshop

moviegeek71 said:

Yes, it is the "Tougher Than Leather" VHS box, the back cover. I sourced a DVD from Thailand that is 2.0 audio and digital video, the picture is very sharp. Unfortunately, the movie did not come with artwork, just a disc in a sleeve.

There is also another Thai version that is 5.1 audio, digital video, and has subtitles (all have English audio). I've been looking for that one for years, I want the 5.1 audio. Here it is...

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I own the US vhs tape (the older 1980's RCA edition, not the newer release from 1996) so I can easily scan you the front/back/spine of it if need be. That Thai disc looks interesting but is it really true 5.1 or a bullshit same audio on all channels mix?

Thanks, I only need the back, for the front I used the poster that can be found on Google.

I'm not sure how good the 5.1 sound is (yet) because I only have the 2.0 DVD so far.

moviegeek71 said:

Thanks, I only need the back, for the front I used the poster that can be found on Google.

I'm not sure how good the 5.1 sound is (yet) because I only have the 2.0 DVD so far.

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scanning the back of the box now. Will send you a PM once I have it up so you can download it--

I got it, thanks a lot!

Here is the final version.

Nice.

I wish the movie was as good as your cover