Scanning Art Is an Art

Excellence requires experience and specialized equipment.

We provide world-class Cruse^TM flat bed art scanning. 

Cruse^TM scans provide unequaled color accuracy

No other scanner, anywhere, has the accuracy of the Cruse System.
We're happy to prove it by comparing ours to any others.

Nearly anything up to 6" deep can be scanned... Oils, acrylics, watercolors,
fragile & antique documents, dimensional art, sample pieces,
fabrics, collections... and more.

Click for Scan Examples

"If art scans are important to your work,

the Cruse^TM difference makes a difference"

We examine each piece carefully to determine the optimal image quality.

For unusual pieces or large projects, CALL 615-254-0063

KEY ADVANTAGES:

Stunning Accuracy

Nothing Touches Your Art

Art always Faces Upward

Cool, perfect Lighting

Brief Exposure

Textures Retained

Perfect Alignment

Scans through Glass

Frames can Remain

Up to 48" x 72"... or Larger

Up to 6" Deep

DID YOU KNOW ?

Museums world-wide use Cruse^TM Scanners  [ for their precision and accuracy ]

So...  WHAT RESOLUTION DO I NEED ??    

8  Tips to avoid "Resolution Confusion"  [ oh-so-common ]

1.   75 ppi (at full size) is fine for most art being printed at 50% or less of its original size.

2.   150 ppi works well for oils, acrylics & watercolors being printed at or near their original size (100%).

3.   300 ppi is better for making prints that are double the size of the original art (200% or more enlargement).

4.   300 ppi is usually requested by printers of magazines, posters, greeting cards, lithographs, etc.  Since the reproductions are often much smaller than the original art, scanning at 300 ppi will capture much more data than is really required.  But, many clients "play it safe" by having their original scanned at 300 ppi at full size anyway, and it does serve as a good archive.

Two Examples

1. A 24x30 scanned at 300 ppi will have enough pixels to make a 16"x20" @450 ppi or
an 8x10 @900 ppi.  Solution:  When reducing from the original size, a lower resolution scan may be enough.

2.  You're scanning 24x30 art to print a 5x6 card and the print shop requests 300 ppi.
Solution:  Scan the 24x30 at 75 ppi.  You'll get 11 mb of data... 20% more than is needed for the 5x6 card at 300 ppi, which requires only 9 mb of data.

5.   300 ppi is considered a good archiving resolution for oils, acrylics and watercolors for most future uses.
      Large art pieces scanned at high resolutions make files much larger than people expect.

6.   400 - 800 ppi is better to maintain the sharpness of historical documents, maps and any items with fine line work or tiny text.

7.   Our maximum resolution is 1000 ppi at the original size.  Larger pieces will require scanning in sections that are digitally stitched to combine the sections.

8.   The Cruse System can capture up to 1.8 GB of data in one pass, depending on the size of the original.

MANAGING COLOR FOR [superior] ACCURACY

Art pigments and dyes occur in infinite variety and most scan quite accurately with the Cruse Scanner.  Our prices include basic adjustments to density and balance but final adjustment for specific printers varies with the printer so is not included.

We maintain state of the art color management using an ICC profiled workflow. If critical  color matching is required and you are not familiar with ICC profiles and color management, you should engage a knowledgeable graphics professional who is experienced with color imaging. We can also provide this service at additional cost.

5  MORE [Important] THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SCANNING ARTWORKS

1.  Color - The Cruse Scanner records color more accurately and with more detail than any alternative.  It scans most art with amazing accuracy.  Some files may still need fine-tuning for critical matching and your own final use. The final adjustment required depends on too many variables to list but two important ones are the types of pigments in the art and the printer being used.

The scanner may see colors your eye misses and printing methods vary enormously; each requires its own fine tuning. In many cases there'll be little or no optimizing required; in others, more.  This is all normal.

2.  Color Space - Cruse scans are normally delivered as RGB(Adobe1998) but we'll convert them to sRGB or CMYK(SWOP2) if you desire.

3.  Textures - Brush strokes and other textures are visible to the eye because they create shadows and reflections.  We use sophisticated lighting controls to help maintain textures while avoiding unwanted reflections.

4.  "Scan-Ready" or "Make-Ready"   Scan prices are for "Scan-Ready" flat art that can be scanned after routine positioning and minor dust off. Art that needs special preparation before scanning will require
"Make-Ready" services at additional cost.

The additional time and material required for "Make-Ready" service varies widely and must be custom quoted. In most cases we can provide a price quotation immediately after examining the art.  We use all our experience and technical tricks to minimize the additional costs and we’ll suggest ways to make your art “scan-ready.”

5.  Frames and Glass - Most art in frames and behind glass can be scanned very well. Deep frames will create very soft shadows at two opposite edges of the art, depending on their profile. Glass should be clean and scratch free for best results.