Just started scanning but something odd keeps happening every now and then
 

I finally got around to buying a scanner which I'd hope would be good enough to scan some mags with (unlike the one on my old printer), however, after scanning several pages a few of them have this thin line (approx 1 pixel wide) running down the entire page, which is roughly the same distance from the side of the page (710-720 pixels) in every scan which it appears.

It's odd, as it only appears in around half the pages that I've scanned, so far, but even if I rescan the pages where the line appears it still shows up no matter how many times I re-scan. I'm wondering if I either have a faulty scanner, or is this something that I could perhaps eliminate with the settings? Currently, I only have de-screening selected.

I've uploaded most of the pics I scanned (both with and without the line) for evaluation if anyone could please take a look? The line is very thin so you need to look very closely to spot it and, also, the line varies between the left and right side of page due to me flipping the magazine whilst scanning it. Also, I've included a scan of a mostly black book cover, where the line only appears on the coloured sections (you'll see what I mean) if that helps at all?

Finally, the line seems to be be more frequent the more I've used the scanner, the last 7 pics all have it, so I'm really thinking it's a dead pixel on the reader, but would love to hear from someone with more experience than me, if possible.

https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-001.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-002.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-003.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-005.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-006.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-007.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-008.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-009.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-010.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-011.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-022.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-023.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-024.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-025.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-026.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-027.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47..._21-05-028.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47935707_random1.jpg https://t11.pixhost.to/thumbs/355/47935709_random2.jpg

What software do you use ? And is it compatible with your scanner ?
Check settings and turn on descreen , also don't scan at more than 300 dpi as that will give you problems uploading , also its a waste of time

Ok I see your little line and don't know what causes that ,
I use an Epson all in one scanner and have tried different software and I like the Epson software that came with it .

Thanks for the suggestions and taking a look. I'm already scanning at 300dpi with descreen, I'm using Epson Scan, which comes with my Epson V370. I'm not sure what was causing the line but after disconnecting the power supply (turning everything off/on), and then giving the glass a good wipe over (even though it already seemed spotless) it seems to have disappeared now, thankfully.

It just took me 5 hours to scan a 100-page magazine (my first) and crop/join all of the split images and centerfold. Gives one an appreciation of all the hard work the people on these forums have put in, doing this kind of thing for years.

I thought exactly the same after scanning my first magazine. ;)
First of all, your sans look really good! :thumbsup: Don't let that line put you off posting your scans.
Since you already scan at 300dpi with descreening on, I would suggest to turn it off and see what happens. Same with the resolution, try a different resolution.

Quite frankly I expect that changing the settings won't make a difference and you should take the scanner back to the seller for an exchange. You will have a better case when you try different settings first.

Thanks, Jim, that's really encouraging to hear; definitely intending to do a load more scans in the future :)

The scanner seems to be behaving itself atm but if the problem pops up again I shall definitely try your suggestion, cheers :thumbsup:

Definitely looked like a hardware problem: Either a dead pixel in the CCD array or somthing preventing takeup. What I find useful for troubleshooting, calibration:

Scan a light gray target (plain paper, ...) at the highest optical resolution with all processing turned off. Descreening is useful for magazines, but it tends to mush over scanning issues. A high resolution scan like that should show issues with the hardware, dirt, and color casts.

I am usually careful about keeping the glass plate of my magazine scanner clean. If it is dirty I clean it with a little bit of cleaning alcohol and wipe it with a microfiber cloth.
The wiping is needed at least once for every scanning session since these old magazines leave small dust particles behind. They are easy to spot when you take an LED flashlight and point it at a shallow angle at the glass.

ADF?
 

Are you using an automatic document feeder (ADF)?

Sometimes a speck of paper or dust will get carried onto the glass as the paper is fed through, and gets stuck and just sits there while the rest of the page rolls by.

Does the distance of the line from the edge of the page match up with the staple holes?

If that's the problem I don't know any way around it except to blow/dust every page before feeding it through.

The Epson V370 is a regular flatbed scanner and doesn't have a document feeder option AFAIK. But what I've seen with older scanners is minor dust / debris accumulating *behind* the glass. Even in sealed units. Usually this is not a problem as long as the glass is clean. But if the scanner gets moved a lot, a particle may end up sitting on top of the sensor blocking a pixel or two and making a line. If that's the case, turning the scanner on its side and gently shaking it may dislodge the dirt. This should be easy to spot with a flashlight and a good magnifying glass. Since you know where the line usually ends up, you may also know the rough area of the scan array where to look.