Scanning for Outside Printing

[ash13brook]

I have an older Epson 4800 flatbed scanner.
I am not going to be buying a printer capable of nice black and white printing. I just don't have enough need for it.
What I'd like to do is scan negatives for printing at Costco (4x5s as reference prints, mostly) and some larger (11x14 and up) quality black and white or color prints done by a more specialized printing service.
Can someone tell me the best resolution to scan for each? Any other tips would be appreciated. I've only scanned 300 dpi just to have them on my computer.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

I have a little experience with this, on different Epson scanners.

I say scan at a pretty high resolution, then down sample if needed. With the Epson V500 on 35mm or 120, I would scan at 2000 ppi even though it won't resolve all of that. Then adjust to whatever I need for the print.

Also, FWIW, I have been getting excellent big prints at Costco, mostly color but some B&W. They check their big inkjet printer every day. I give them a file at 200 or 300 dpi (per inch of print).

For a higher level B&W print, I am impressed by Digital Silver Imaging in Mass. Output onto real wet-processed photographic papers.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I have scanned all of the film I have shot for the last 17 years. My recommendation is to scan EVERYTHING at the highest resolution the scanner can give. This will give a file size larger than most prints you'll make, but if you scan at the resolution of a smaller print, like a 4x6, then decide later that you need a larger print, you'll have to rescan the negative and redo any editing you did to the file after scanning.

I learned the pitfalls of scanning at small-print resolution the hard way when I first began scanning. Even though large scans take a little longer and make larger files, it is MUCH more efficient to scan at full-resolution then make resized copies of the file for printing at smaller sizes AFTER you do the editing the file needs to adjust its contrast, brightness, dust spotting, etc.

 

[Dwig]

... My recommendation is to scan EVERYTHING at the highest resolution the scanner can give. ...

I do this as well, with one exception. Every so often, particularily with old grainy B&W, I find that I need to use a somewhat different resolution.

There can be interference between the frequency of very regular grain and the scanned pixel frequency that causes the grain to render extremely coarser. Often a modest change in the scan resolution resolves this.

 

[ptpdprinter]

I second Chris Crawford's advice for an additional reason. Often you have to scan at the highest resolution to get the maximum resolution from the scanner, even though it is actually less. For example, for the Epson V700/750/800/850, the maximum actual (as opposed to claimed) resolution is 2300, but you have to scan at 4800 to achieve it. Scanning at 2400 won't get you the maximum actual resolution of 2300; you'll end up with something less than what the scanner is capable of.

 

[Ronald M]

There are no decent home scanners you can afford any more. Flatbeds are trash.

Get a Nikon 850 and film scan attachments if you use color neg, otherwise a copy stand, film holder and mask will do as well.

After you get your old negs scanned, switch to digital you will be better off. Or get your own darkroom set up & DIY. My color goes out (always digital). Monochrome
goes to my darkroom.