how to get maximum quality soft-copy from a hard-copy print?

as above - as fellow photographers, i understand that some stand by their rules and would never give soft copies no matter what the price is.

as I've bought the hard copies, i'd like to know what would be the best way to retain the quality on soft-copies. (flatbed scanner is one option; are there better alternatives?)

Thanks!

drum scan is the best way, but it isn't cheap. A quality flat bed scan is the best option for your average person.

P.S. Make sure you own the copyright to scan them. Just because you bought some pictures doesn't mean you own the rights to scan a digital copy.

If you use a flat bed scanner, although they seem to offer a choice of scan resolutions, actually scan in the latitudinal axis at 1200 ppi (the density of the photo-sites on the scan bar is fixed) and then digitally down-rez for the lesser ppi settings. I scan at 1200 ppi and then do my own down-sizing if I want a smaller file.

tkbslc wrote in post #15145805
drum scan is the best way, but it isn't cheap. A quality flat bed scan is the best option for your average person.

P.S. Make sure you own the copyright to scan them. Just because you bought some pictures doesn't mean you own the rights to scan a digital copy.

just curious - do photo labs offer 'drum scanning' services then? or do they use different technology to get soft copies?

yup definitely i'll ask before i do it.

I would think that a drum scan would be overkill on a print. Even on a flatbed I'd think Elie's 1200ppi is probably pushing it.

crn3371 wrote in post #15146947
Even on a flatbed I'd think Elie's 1200ppi is probably pushing it.

Depends on the size of the print, but generally I scan at 1200 ppi and then down-rez it in Photo Zoom or Lightroom.