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Scan Tech Studio (STS)

This guide provides orienting information and tutorials for the Digitization and Text Recognition Hub in the PCL Scholars Lab.

Equipment in the STS

Available Equipment

Zeutschel OS16000 Scanner

  • To digitize books, maps, documents, and other materials with high precision and quality, and perform basic OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the scanned images.

  • Scan Area: 635x460mm (25x18")

  • For more information on this scanner, visit the Zeutschel website.

Scannx BookScanner 7145 Flatbed Scanner

  • To scan flat materials, such as documents and photographs; to scan individual book pages; and perform basic OCR on the scanned images.

  • Scan Area: 297x420mm (11x17")

  • For more information on this scanner, visit the Scannx website.

PC workstation

  • For image processing, OCR/HTR, text analysis, natural language processing, and other digital methods for digitized text. A list of software can be found here.

File Types and Destinations

Different destination offer different options for file types, with some containing more than others. Consider in what format you need your scanned files and choose a destination accordingly.

Cloud Destination

Cloud destinations include Google Drive, Dropbox, UTBox, OneDrive, and Office365 OneDrive. When selecting one of these options, a window will pop-up with sign in options. You may sign in directly or scan a QR code to sign in from a smartphone.

UT Austin Microsoft accounts do not have permission to connect to the scanners by default, so a personal account or use of one of the other cloud destinations is recommended.

Cloud destinations can receive any file type and quality that the scanners can produce, and so is the recommended type of destination.

USB Destinations

A USB device may be plugged into the back of the scanner's computer to act as a file destination. A USB device must be in a format understood by Windows in order to be recognized, such as NTFS or exFAT.

Not all filetypes and qualities are possible with this destination, so consider your desired output when selecting this option.

QR Destination

Selecting "QR" as a destination will cause a QR code to pop-up on the monitor at the end of scanning. This will bring you to a webpage where the files may be downloaded.  A device capable of scanning QR codes is needed for this destination and not all file types and qualities are available.

Printing

Printing directly from the scanner offers different options to the other destinations, with printer settings instead being displayed. This destination will send a printer job that you can then access from one of the PCL printers. This destination is useful if a hard copy is required and a digital one is not.

Digitization Tools

Book Supports

Cradles are provided to support books while scanning. If you can feel strain on the binding or spine when opening a book for scanning, you can use supports of various shapes and sizes to hold it open safely.

Book weights and snakes

Book weights and snakes can hold down the pages of your scan material without damaging them. Lay the weight or snake across the corners of you book to hold pages flat.

Phone Rig

If your materials are not easily captured by the flatbed or overhead scanner, then you may consider using this phone rig to capture the material instead. This rig clamps to the edge of a surface and holds a phone steady for photography. It features a halo light for illuminating the material and two adjustable clamps to hold your phone at an optimal angle.

Troubleshooting

Need assistance or consultation on using the scanners and digitization tools? Visit the Scholars Lab Offices (PCL 2.402) or email us at scholarslab@austin.utexas.edu

Make an Appointment

Please contact us for assistance with your project using this form.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.