ACTion Imaging Colortrac Flatbed FB24120: Scanner large enough for an entire painting?

Finding a flatbed scanner large enough to hold an entire painting is a tough challenge. Most pre-press flatbed scanners go onto to 12 x 18 inches, and cost upwards of $54,000, though prices have dropped in the past five years.

Cruse Scanner at Siggraph 2003 tradeshow, scanning Guatemalan textiles.

Since FLAAR werer associated with two museums on the campus of Universidad Francisco Marroquin, we know the need for scanning large documents. Indeed Dr Hellmuth spent two years testing scanners to find which models could handle three-dimensional objects. Fuji Lanovia C-550 turned out to be among the best. Surprisingly Creo scanners were only for flat objects, could not handle scanning a pencil, or anything with deep dimensional texture.

Heidelberg scanners were good with 3D objects, but Heidelberg no longer offers any scanners today. The misleading ad claims of smaller scanners promise everything but are not of professional quality.

Continued search for the ideal scanner for a museum

Professor Hellmuth spent several years searching at tradeshows in Germany and across the USA to find the quality of scanner that a museum ought to have. The Fuji scanners are great for anything up to A3 oversize (tabloid size in USA). But larger than that is hard to find the right scanner.

Then we tried out the Cruse reprographic scanner system. Wow, what a system. It has everything a museum or library could possible desire:

Gentle vacuum table to get documents and maps.
Flat Book cradle for rare books.
Slide scanning adaptor.
Patented Synchron lighting system.
And all kinds of other extras and goodies that museum curators and librarians desire.

Last updated June 1, 2004.
First posted September 3, 2003. Previously updated Feb. 6, 2004.