I need to have some film (35mm and MF) scanned for a professional audio CD cover and insert (approx 5" by 5"). The band members also want 8x10 type sizes of the photos printed and framed.
Here is the place in Austin where I will have this done:
Precision Camera
My main question is probably if the drum scan is worth the price, and if so, what resolution do I need?
Also how much better is a high resolution drum scan than a high resolution flat-bed scan?
One caveat is that the film is not mine, I am just doing the graphic design, so I won't have any future use for the scanned images.
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The resolution of the scan must accommodate all the needs of the band. Most bands that I've dealt with make a poster on 11"x17" paper and hang it vertically in the window of the venue. When an image is printed using an offset press for this kind of size, the image resolution needed is 300 pixels per inch (ppi).
So an 35mm slide scanned to a CMYK TIFF file of 12"x18" @ 300 ppi is about 72 MB.
However, inkjet prints can use more resolution. Epson printers print natively at 360 ppi, so the file will need to be larger for excellent quality.
If you choose to output only to 8"x10" then your labs' "standard resolution" would barely be enough.
As for choosing between a drum scan or a Nikon scan, I'd definitely choose the drum scan if the film is any format of transparency (i.e., slide film). If the film is color neg or B&W neg the Nikon will do fine.
