Digital imaging old documents: advice needed

[EamonX1]

I need to preserve some old hand-written diaries and letters from the late 19th, early 20th century. They are in good condition. About 10 diaries with 80 pages each. Can you suggest a suitable digital imaging scanning program for doing this? Any other advice would be appreciated?

[ErnieK]

Have you thought about scanning them at high rolution and using a PDF printer to save them in PDF format?

PDF Redirect is a good one - http://www.exp-systems.com/

This FREEWARE program allows you save to PDF and to add other pages to an existing PDF document. (I find it very useful and easy to use) Providing you can print direct from your scanner this would be an ideal solution for you. The hardest part is remembering to insert a tick into the ATTACH box every time.

[Sylvander]

I guess you are trying to make high quality photographic style images of these documents.
I was given a scanner and found that the program I could/can use to get it to work is "Microsoft Photo Editor", which is supplied as part of MS Office.
1. I use "File->Scan Image" with the scanner connected and switched on, and a scanner window opens [provided by the software installed with the scanner].
2. I click the "Preview" button on the window and a low resolution scan of the item in the scanner is made.
3. Then I click on the "Cropping Tool" and adjust a dotted rectangle around the area of the image that I want to copy.
4. Then I adjust the "Resolution" to as high as it will go; this depends upon the size of the area chosen and the capability of the scanner. The smaller the image, the higher the resolution will go.
I could scan a tiny photo or scrap of document and scan it at very high resolution, then when completed, fill the monitor screen with the image.
The detail is superb if the original is good. The detail might show how poor was the condition of the original. I once scanned my daughters' birth certificate in colour, and the copy was so good I had difficulty telling which was the copy; they looked identical.
5. The scanned image is then displayed in Microsoft Photo Editor and can be modified there. You could rotate the image, resize it, crop it, brighten it up, or change the colour balance etc.
I often brighten the image using "Image->Auto Balance" [to automatically make adjustments], then "Image->Balance" [to manually adjust (usually the brightnes) to suit my preference/judgement].
6. The file can then be saved to a location of your choosing.

7. See some old family photographs I scanned HERE (http://www.redbeesociety.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36&sid=eb2e82b43309d8d9a207e59165998206) .
You will see a couple of old family tree documents scanned by me at the bottom of the 1st page on THIS (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=38705&highlight=Photographs) thread.

[EamonX1]

Really grateful for the excellent advice given to me in this forum. As a Munster man (of Heineken Cup aspiration) I appreciate greatly sense of community in this forum.