Step 4: Data Input
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Digital Photo Print Guide
Monochrome film
Monochrome film represents images only with contrasting tones, so having a lot of tones will result in a
more expressive print.
If you scan at the 1 color monochrome setting, you can use 24-bit (8 bits × 3) levels. If you scan in
grayscale, scan at 16 bits and save the image in the file format of your application (TIFF, Photoshop PSD
etc.) Note that if you save it as JPEG, it will be reduced to 8 bits. Also, some applications do not handle
16-bit/channel images.
Print photos
As with film, take care not to get dust and fingerprints on the photos. Also when you place the photo on
the scanner, place it as straight as you can. You cannot use Digital ICE™.
Assembling images in applications
If you create data in an application, the way that data is handled in paint applications and drawing
applications is different.
Paint application data
Data created in a paint application is composed of a series of pixels called a dot map. Captured photos
are one example. Therefore you have to pay attention to color space and resolution like you do for an
image taken with a digital camera.
In paint applications like Photoshop and Paint shop, you can scan in materials directly and apply various
effects to scanned photos.
Drawing application data
While paint data is composed of a series of pixels, drawing application data consists of mathematical
vectors.
2D/3D CAD software such as AutoCAD and Illustrator are the main types. To explain the difference
between pixel data and vector data, as per example, let us have a look at the image of a circle.
In pixel data, all the pixels are fixed based on the resolution and dimension of the circle.
For vector data the circle is defined by its relative radius, as well as the point of the center in the
coordination system. Hence, it is all relative; therefore, you can increase the size without loss in quality
since the position of the pixels is defined at the last possible moment.
