Scanners4CAD eMagazine - August / September 2007

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

CCD: Oops! Scanners4CAD apologise. We got it wrong!
SOFTWARE: WideTEK adds a network bridge with Scan2Edit software.
PRODUCTS: IDEAL introduces single footprint scanner / printer stand.
COMING SOON: Scanners4CAD travels to Denmark to visit Contex.
AWARDS: Large format scanner awards - Judging the Judges.
SAFE SCANNING: How to protect fragile and damaged technical drawings.
PRICEBUSTER: Large format's lateral thinker - the scan-in-strips Deskan 6!
HOT NEWS: Contex to be sold.
INTERVIEW: Ian Ferrier, Deskan.

25th September 2007

CCD: Oops! Scanners4CAD apologise. We got it wrong!

We recently had an online article "Scanning uncovered" appear in MCAD Magazine (UK) from EDA Publications. EDA (Electronic Design Automation) also publish AEC Magazine. Both are respected CAD magzines containing independent, objective and credible editorial.

So, it was a big embarrassement for us to say that CCD stands for "Close Contact Device". Correctly, it stands for "Charged Couple Device".

Ouch! How that slipped through we do not know.

Our article (now corrected) was said by MCAD to "look beyond the marketing hype and tell you all you need to know when buying a wide format scanner for CAD". A longer version of this article, entitled "In a nutshell, all you need to know before buying a large format scanner for CAD!", will appear on this web site shortly. Several industry experts spotted our error as soon as we referred them to the article.

Jon Jordan, LFSP Product Manager at Art Systems Ltd, the UK distributor of Contex scanners, was first to spot our error. "Nice article" he said in his email, but " one small error. CCD should stand for Charged Couple Device".

Peter de Winter Brown, sales and marketing director at Colortrac Ltd, wrote "CCD stands for Charge Coupled Device". He said that "As a lot of people already knew exactly what CCD stands for I would change this ASAP as it might damage the credibility of the article". He added that "It would be nice if you got off your fence and instead of making hints and tips about what to look for in Scanning Software you came straight out and said which product you think is the best".

We will. Watch this space.

Thomas Ingendoh, the president and CEO of Image Access GmbH, developers of the exciting networkable and OS-independent WideTEK 36, took the time before rushing off to Intergeo in Leipzig to give us the benefit of his considerable technical knowledge. "Great article with a little flaw " he said. "The correct spelling is Charge Coupled Device."

"The reason behind this is, that the CCD elements build up an electrical charge caused by photons that is transferred into the charge coupled shift register. The transfer happens all in parallel, once per scan line, therefore 7500 individual charges are transferred into this shift register. During the exposure time this shift register is clocked and the charge is transferred to the next cell. The last one gives its charge to the output amplifier which converts it to a voltage proportional to the charge (and the amount of photons received). The amazing part of this technology is, that although the charge is transfered through 7500 cells the loss is typically less than 1%.

"Now the funny part is the following. The CIS elements do exactly the same! The difference besides the optical elements is the size and the speed. Because traces on silicon have a very high capacity, long trace length cannot be run at high frequencies. Pixel frequencies are in the range of 1 - 4MHz while CCDs easily achieve 60MHz.

"Size is different too because the selfoc lense of CIS sensors is a 1:1 lens system. The elements are typically about 30 - 50 times larger in respect to the active area. The LED illumination with three scan lines at 1/3 pixel offset is usually a gamut limiting factor, because it is not easy to produce a good white with RGB LEDs".

Summing up, Ingendoh says that "The biggest benefit of CIS is price, the absence of stitching if it is a solid device with all sensors in the same line as well as a compact design. The biggest advantage of CCD is speed, color gamut, depth of focus as well as the potential of using a better controlled light source."

We apologise for our error and thank the large format scanner industry for their guiding hands!

Click here to see the article in MCAD Magazine.

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

24th September 2007

SOFTWARE: WideTEK adds a network bridge with Scan2Edit software.

We like the Image Access WideTEK 36 scanner a lot. It is fast, has excellent scan quality and is networkable. Its closest rival is the new Contex Puma G600 iJET at twice the price.

Like all groundbreaking, innovative technologies and like ALL brand new scanners the WideTEK has had its fair share of teething problems. We believe these have now been addressed.

For us, as specific CAD users working with technical drawings, by far the biggest short-coming was the WideTEK's absence of easy scanning and post-scan editing software that could perform useful functions for users with dirty technical drawings. While the WideTEK is supplied with Scan2Net browser-based operating software, it was our view that changing its parameters to suitable values required too much guesswork and re-scanning.

We raised our concerns with Image Access. Two weeks ago they emailed us with two press releases. One announced their attendance at Intergeo 2007 in Leipzig, (September 25 - 27, Hall 3, Booth L3.411), the other announced new Scan2Edit software. According to the Image Access press release, "the intelligent Scan2Net technological platform now has an ideal client software partner: Scan2Edit!"

Scan2Edit provides Scan2Net scanner operators with an effective and easy to use tool for scanning directly into their preferred graphics applications, all in a single step. (Note: Scan2Edit can be used with any Image Access scanner running the Scan2Net OS, not just the WideTEK). Among the image enhancement or graphics software supported at present are:

• Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat and ImageReady,
• Corel, CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT,
• GIMP,
• PhotoLine,
• Paint Shop Pro,
• PhotoImpact,
• Scan2CAD,
• Ulead,

as well as the industry-standard OCR applications:

• ABBYY FineReader and
• Omnipage.

So, what exactly will Scan2Edit do?

• Scan in colour, greyscale and monochrome.
• Save in a variety of image formats, JPG, TIFF, etc.
• Create PDF files directly from the scan software.
• Automatically crop and deskew the source document.
• Make image enhancements through software, like thresholding, etc.
• Enhance the quality of colour scans by using ICC profiles.

The Scan2Edit software is hosted on the client PC and acts as a sort of Twain driver replacement. It communicates with the scanner via TCP/IP.

Scan2Edit software -
click to enlarge.
 

When running Scan2Edit, the dialog (right) comes up. You can click through the tabbed parameter pages to set all scanning parameters and preferences and the preferred application to which you will scan. You can edit parameters using the slider bars on the left and see the changes take place "on the fly" (dynamically) in the Image Preview area on the right.

Parameters that can be edited "on the fly" include Colour Mode, Brightness, Contrast, Gamma, Despeckle, Invert and Rotation. After changing the parameters, you do not need to rescan the drawing. You can continue changing parameters until you get the image exactly as you want it, then bring it into your chosen application.

If you are scanning in Monochrome, one of the parameters is adaptive thresholding. Typically, thresholding will clean or whiten a dirty drawing's background while strengthening the foreground (line) drawing detail. The vital importance and value of thresholding to CAD users with dirty technical drawings cannot be overstated. Thresholding can allow images to be quickly tidied up to a high standard. Readers should know that the quality of thresholding varies from program to program.

Finally, Image Access claim that Scan2Edit enables the operator to solve all scanner exceptions (paper jam, time out, skew too large, other operation / system errors, etc.) outside of the application.

While we have not yet seen the Scan2Edit software, it sounds as though it will go a long way to making the WideTEK more viable in a CAD / technical drawing environment where users want to get the benefits of high image quality and networking. We are hoping to get an on-line demo soon. (Because the WideTEK can be accessed across the internet from your browser, it is possible to scan remotely even if you are in the UK or US and the scanner is in Germany or elsewhere.) We look forward to reviewing Scan2Edit fully and printing our conclusions here.

Scan2Edit is free of charge to all Scan2Net scanner owners and available for download from the Image Access Customer Service Portal.

See: http://www.imageaccess.de

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

13th September 2007

PRODUCTS: IDEAL introduces single footprint scanner / printer stand.

IDEAL's new SFP353 adjustable
stand for Contex scanners

A simple product of growing importance in large format scanning is the adjustable stand which integrates two standalone devices, a wide format scanner and printer, into a single, space-saving footprint. Such a system is immediately familiar to the buyers of multi-function systems, like KIP, Océ, Xerox, etc., a market which is now believed to be larger than the stand-alone scanner market - and growing fast!

The latest major player in large format scanning to discover the need for "repro" stands is IDEAL.com, the exclusive US distributor of Contex scanners. With no stand forthcoming from Contex, IDEAL.com, the largest Contex distributor worldwide, has built the new SFP353, an adjustable single footprint stand for Contex scanners. The SFP353 scanner stand enables an IDEAL / Contex large format scanner to "piggy-back" over a large format printer to transform the scanner and printer into a space saving solution for scan-to-print and quick copy applications.

The Colortac Universal Repro
Stand without printer

These stands offer several benefits. The first is that they allow the buyer to purchase a scanner with any printer of their choice and to build an alternative to systems like the expensive HP Designjet 4500mfp or the less expensive KIP 3000 which has a colour scanner but only a monochrome printer. The second benefit is that the buyer can accomodate their existing large format inkjet printer within the scanner stand's adjustable footprint to make a more practical and productive scan-to-print or copy system, as well as to get better use of space in a cramped drawing office.

The granddaddy of
stands - HP's 815mfp

Perhaps not unexpectedly the first company to offer a high stand that integrated a scanner and printer was HP. Their HP Designjet 815mfp gave others the idea of combining scanners and printers from different suppliers into competive, alternative bespoke configurations. The first distributor to see the benefits of such a configuration was Paradigm Imaging, a US distributor of Graphtec scanners. In May 2005 their EIS Ultima system combined a Graphtec scanner with a Graphtec, Canon or HP printer.

Randy Geesman, President of Paradigm Imaging, said "We recognized a need to combine scanner and printers into this configuration a long time ago. The trend over the past few years has been to use a scanner for more than just creating image files. Our ErgoStand has given us a way to really differentiate our product offerings in the marketplace."

We asked Jay Maggenheim, President of IDEAL.com, why IDEAL, not Contex, were manufacturing the single footprint stand?

"IDEAL adds value to Contex scanners" Maggenheim said. "We have a long history of adding value with software such as our ScanOS operating software, etc. It is simply a case of seeing a need and filling it. The economics of a weak dollar helped us to make this decision. The new printers from Canon and HP's large install base make IDEAL's stand perfect for companies trying to save space with a scan-to-print solution."

Contex have told us that manufacturing adjustable stands is cheap and easy for their distributors. Well, that's okay if you are in the USA with a large market to supply but if you are in the Yemen, Uzbekistan, New Zealand or South Africa it is less easy to build small quantities economically.

So, why are Graphtec and Contex not manufacturing these stands themselves and shipping them out to their distributors?

Scanners4CAD believe the probable reason is that Graphtec and Contex have agreements with their OEMs that they will not produce adjustable stands that will allow Graphtec and Contex resellers to put together a combination of a printer and a scanner that could be used to compete against the OEM. Graphtec and Contex between them OEM thousands of their scanners to companies like HP, Océ and KIP who sell them as part of their own multi-function scan/print/copy systems.

The Colortac Universal Repro
Stand with printer
 

The only wide format scanner manufacturer to produce adjustable scanner stands for their distributors is Colortrac who has the smallest share of the OEM business at present. As a result, they are the large format scanner manufacturer least likely to be affected by any OEM constraints. They introduced their Universal Repro Stand in December 2005.

Peter de Winter-Brown, Colortrac's Sales & Marketing Director, said that "Colortrac see a growing need for multi-function scanner / printer stands in the marketplace. As a result, Colortrac has undertaken the manufacture of adjustable scanner stands in order to ensure that stands sold with Colortrac scanners adequately comply with international safety requirements. The benefit of these stands is that they give our international resellers the opportunity to aggressively compete in the multi-function scan/print/copy system market against HP and others on a reasonably even keel."

Colortrac manufacture their Universal Repro Stand in China. It accomodates the basic computer components of keyboard, screen and PC on the side of a raised Colortrac SmartLF series scanner underneath which most popular inkjet printers can fit. It is capable of being raised to a maximum permissible height of 49" (125cm) above the printer. The Colortrac Universal Repro Stand costs GBP £595.

The Paradigm ErgoStand
 

Paradigm produce their stand, the ErgoStand (for ergonomic), in the USA. It is adjustable to the Graphtec scanner user's needs. Although Paradigm have had enquiries from Contex scanner users the ErgoStand can only be used with Graphtec scanners because of the greater size and weight of Contex scanners. The ErgoStand has a list price of USD $1295 (including PC, keyboard and monitor tables).

IDEAL produce the SFP353 in the USA. It is available through IDEAL's extensive North American dealer network and to Contex distributors worldwide. The SFP353 stand is compatible with wide format printers from leading suppliers like HP, Canon, Epson and others. It is adjustable from 32" to 53" high. The current US list price of USD $990 will increase slightly when a monitor table and stand is added shortly.

For further information, please contact:

Jay Maggenheim,
IDEAL Scanners & Systems, Inc.
Tel: 301 468 0123 ext.1230
http://www.ideal.com

Randy Geesman,
Paradigm Imaging, Inc.
Tel: 888 221 7226 (SCAN) or 714 432 7226
http://www.SCANtopia.com
http://www.paradigmimaging.com

Peter de Winter-Brown,
Colortrac Limited
Tel: 01480 464618
http://www.colortrac.com

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

11th September 2007

COMING SOON: Scanners4CAD travels to Denmark to visit Contex.

The Contex flags flying high

We were surprised to discover that we had arrived in Denmark on the 200th anniversary of the Second Battle of Copenhagen, (16 August - 5 September 1807), a British attack intended to seize the Danish fleet. After two days of ruthless bombardment which resulted in over 2000 civilian deaths and 30% of its buildings destroyed, Copenhagen surrendered.

Denmark is now, and has been for many years, a close friend and ally of Britain. Two hundred years after the 1807 hostilities, Danish troops serve in Afghanistan alongside British personnel. Thus it was fitting that while we were in Copenhagen to build bridges with Contex, the biggest large format scanner manufacturer worldwide, the Royal Navy was back in town returning to the Danes a ship's bell forcibly removed two centuries earlier.

Today the Kingdom of Denmark is a contented country which ranks Number One on the map of global happiness. Despite some of the harsh things we have said of them in the past the Contex staff welcomed us warmly at both their impressive factory in Svendborg and the head office in Alleroed. We found the Danes friendly and helpful and quick to speak excellent English. Contex staff were no exception.

Svenn Poulsen, President and CEO of Contex A/S and Contex Holding A/S since September 2006, has, we were told, stated that he wants Contex to be a "more worldwide company". In other words, he wants Contex staff to speak more English. This might be hard to achieve as Contex staff members, like most Danes, already switch from Danish to English and sometimes other languages with enviable fluidity.

Scanners4CAD certainly learned a lot more about Contex products while there and now has a much better understanding of the company and its products.

We learned that in 1923 Contex were making shoe blacking, a messy substance which gave the then owners the idea of using it as an "ink" in simple, hand-turned "roto-print" duplicating machines. The very last of these simple Contex print devices were purchased in the 1980s by the Swiss Army who in time of war are required to retreat to the mountains where they must survive without electricity.

Claus Bach Lassen and Brian Honeycutt
inside the Svendborg factory with
scanners ready for shipping

By the 1960s Contex employed thousands of workers developing electronic calculators and electrostatic copiers but, overtaken by technological developments, most of the workers were laid off in the 1980's. The old business was wound up and the foundations were laid for Contex Scanning Technology. Development of the scanning technology began in 1986. By 1988 Contex had introduced its first monochrome large format scanner. By 1990 Contex could present a line of them. Their first wide format colour scanners were introduced in 1996.

Today, Contex employs over 240 people and is the market leader in large-format scanning. But you probably know that already! What you don't know is that lunch in Contex's canteens is better than in the average British restaurant.

Contex gave us unrestricted opportunity in their head office in Alleroed to evaluate both the Contex Hawk-Eye G36, which we have been critical of in the past, and the new and exciting Contex Puma G600. We had a long look at their WIDEImage software and iJET technology. We spent two productive days with Brian Honeycutt, Contex's knowledgeable Product Manager, who drove us through unspoiled countryside to the Contex factory in Svendborg where Claus Bach Lassen, their multi-lingual Senior Purchasing Manager gave us a guided tour of this highly automated production facility.

Brian Honeycutt and Niels Appel
of Contex and Steve Hannath
of Scanners4CAD outside
Contex's Alleroed head offices

Finally, we enjoyed an interesting meeting with Niels Appel, the affable new executive VP of Sales & Marketing. This was followed by an excellent Italian meal at the superb Casa d'Antoni.

So, with all this lovey-dovey reconciliation in the air between the British Royal Navy and the Danes and following Contex's first class hospitality, will Scanners4CAD now do a U-turn and embrace Contex's products unreservedly?

To read our reviews and reports, see Scanners4CAD's October / November Contex Special Edition!

Click here to subscribe to our email newsletter or here to subscribe to our RSS News Feed.

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

31st August 2007

AWARDS: Large format scanner awards - Judging the Judges.

Amongst the publicity material which we recently received were three "We've Just Won A Prestigious Award!" announcements from Contex, KIP and Océ.

We congratulate the winners on their achievements and their awards.

Contex, KIP and Océ are all formidable wide format imaging technical innovators and leaders in their fields. International success has led Contex to dominate the standalone large format scanner market while both KIP and Océ now offer exciting products in the new multi-function market for scan and print systems.

These press releases set us thinking. Why just Contex, KIP and Océ?

Other manufacturers, like Colortrac (with their innovative low cost CIS and CCD technology), Graphtec (with their compact and excellent SK200 CIS scanner) and Image Access (with the first true networking scanner) have also done much to innovate and improve and reduce the cost of large format scanning. They also deserve some recognition but none is forthcoming. Why?

Without taking anything away from Contex, KIP and Océ, we think that the way in which awards are presented is flawed. If you look at the vast majority of the technical press that offer awards, how many have real merit? Often, but not always, these awards are simply a magazine's way of rewarding their advertisers to ensure the future flow of further revenue into the publisher's coffers.

I've worked in magazine advertising, publishing and PR. I know!

Unfortunately, few magazines or web sites will examine ALL scanners on their relative merits. Because only a few scanners get reviewed only a few get a shot at an award. It's a lot like the National Lottery - if you don't have a ticket you don't stand a chance of winning. Often as not, it is a canny PR department that gets their products into these situations. Again, I know. I have done it myself.

As a result, the benefit of some awards to readers looking for an indicator of a product's relative superiority is often debatable. The real beneficiaries of such awards are the product's marketing team. They receive a very useful promotional endorsement for their scanner and web site. Pinning a big "Editor's Choice" rosette on their product will do very nicely, thank you.

Without wanting to bring any magazine into disrepute, just how knowledgeable is the CAD and imaging press when it comes to understanding scanners and scanning? Are individual editors likely to know enough about them to write with any authority?

The answer, I think, is generally "No".

Editors usually have a good, broad general knowledge about their subject matter but they are seldom as expert as their readers (the users) and the industry they promote.

Do CAD magazines understand large format scanners and scanning?

Most CAD magzines have a much better understanding of CAD software and printers than of scanners. This is because scanners and scanning is only a small ancillary part of the CAD process - and sometimes not even that. As a result, most CAD magazines do not have enough experience to evaluate large format scanners or write with any authority on the subject.

There are opinion-makers in the CAD and document imaging press who don't fully understand the relative benefits of TIF versus JPG or PDF files in terms of scanned image quality, who have never scanned ten drawings in a row, never used the software in a production environment, never rotated, despeckled or thresholded an image, never raised the hood to free a snagged drawing, never lugged a scanner home to "play" with, never carried it up two flights of stairs and never converted a scanned image into CAD.

Because scanners are difficult to transport, most CAD editors will never use one in their office. The closest many will get to a scanner is a demo from a salesperson. Consequently, many editors will appoint an "industry expert" to write on the subject. Unfortunately, this "expert" is often in the employ of a sales, PR or marketing department selling the very products they are writing about.

Do large format imaging magazines understand large format scanners and scanning?

Technically, you would expect large format and document imaging publications to get it right, scanning being the daily activity of their readership.

Sadly, an examination of some document imaging magazines shows many in-depth articles written by an advertiser's VP Sales or PR department. Unlike CAD magazines who depend less on scanner advertising and who could be expected to be more critical, large format document imaging magazines are more likely to pull their punches, if indeed they have any weight to throw, to ensure the regular flow of revenue from their mainstream scanner advertisers.

Like all publications, document imaging magazines exist to sell advertising. As a result they are unlikely to offer independent, objective and critical buying advice. Yet they offer awards. Given, as we claim, they do not have the necessary knowledge in the first place and are slaves to their advertisers, how do they decide what products are good and bad? Well, the answer is that no product is ever described as bad. All products are "good" but some are just a bit "better". Rather than call a spade a spade they embrace the status quo and all that is safely bland and unchallenging.

So, how do these magazines decide what's "Best" and most deserving of an award?

Because of their lack of product knowledge and their unwillingness to offend their advertisers, some magazines will pass the buck, typically asking their readers to vote for their favoured products. It sounds like the perfect compromise.

There are several problems with this approach. The first is that in order for the vote to be valid and meaningful you need a reasonable number of people to participate. In one such case the readers voted in such a low numbers that several products tied. Tough call! Did the editor flip a coin or was the ad manager asked to decide?

The second problem is that when products are new they have far fewer users than the long-established products that were yesterday's standards. So, for example, while a new scanner model has been available for six months or so, its predecessor has been around for several years and has 20 times more users in the market. Surprise, surprise! Suddenly the new, fresh-from-the-factory product wins reader votes. It sounds fishy to me but one possible reason is that only people with new products are inclined to vote. Whatever! It is unsatisfactory!

Third, the reader has probably never used many other products and so is not really in a position to say that the product they have chosen is "the best". In such a scenario the product with the greatest number of users stands the best chance of winning the vote. The number of users is as much a reflection of the winning manufacturer's marketing as it is a reflection of the merits of the product itself. Sadly, the best product is not always the biggest seller!

Finally, not only is there NO guarantee that the voter actually uses this device, there is NO guarantee that the voter DOES NOT sell it!

What are the alternatives?

Awards are also available from independent product evaluators and comparative analysts. Most magazines' editorial policy reigns in any zealous criticism of an advertiser's product or claims. Companies that sell reports do not depend on advertising and have less to fear from the consequences of their criticism.

While it is by no means certain that they will supply the objectivity you need to make an informed purchase the fact that report providers review hundreds of devices in the course of a year should make them reasonably expert in their field. The fact that they sell reports and not advertising means that they have nothing to loose by telling the truth. In fact, they have everything to gain.

The Océ award came from just such a company, BERTL® Inc, which claims to be a source for objective, independent product evaluation reports and comparative analyses on digital imaging devices and workflow solutions.

BERTL is an acronym for "Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories".

In business for over 15 years, BERTL claim that at all times their primary focus is the end user. BERTL claim to prohibit any manufacturer control over their product evaluations, and say that they base their opinions, ratings and awards on a combination of rigorous analysis and worldwide customer satisfaction research, done at BERTL's own expense. Covering more than 5,000 products, BERTL publish what they claim is the world's most extensive and diverse library of evaluation reports on copiers, printers, MFPs, production and workgroup scanners, wide format devices, fax machines and colour production equipment devices.

Although BERTL talk the talk we want to hear we have NOT YET evaluated a BERTL report and until we do so cannot vouch for their ability to walk the walk. However, given our concern about some publications' award procedures, we are optimistic that BERTL represent a possible professional alternative.

Unfortunately, however, while BERTL claim to cover "all major manufacturers" there appear to be NO reviews of Colortrac, Contex or Graphtec scanners in BERTL's list of reports. In fact, these companies appear not even to be listed among BERTL's long list of business equipment suppliers. If correct, BERTL are not particularly useful to the confused potential large format scanner buyer at this time.

See: http://www.BERTL.com

CONCLUSION: Is there a need for Large Format Scanner Awards?

Yes, there is a place for awards that recognise technical innovation that brings new benefits and practical solutions to large format scanner users.

However, given the failure of the general CAD and imaging press to challenge some manufacturers's claims and to understand large format scanners and scanned image quality, we have profound reservations about their authoritiy to present awards.

Rather than allowing awards and expensive reports to be your judge, we suggest you take some of your worst drawings to a local scanner supplier and get them to scan them for you. Don't take anyone's word for granted. Watch the scans being made. Observe whether the process appears easy or not, and note how long it takes to get a result that satisfies you. Then, take the results home and study them in detail, at your leisure. Do this with two or three different makes of scanner and compare the results. Award the company and product that impresses you most with your business!

We would very much like to hear your views on this subject. Click here to email us.

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

15th August 2007

SAFE SCANNING: How to protect fragile and damaged technical drawings.

We are often asked how to scan damaged and fragile large format documents and drawings safely.

Most potential buyers and users of wide format scanners sensibly realise that the more damaged or fragile a drawing the more difficult it will be to safely feed the drawing through the scanner. Very thin originals, such as those on onion skin or newsprint, are also liable to be damaged during the scanning process.

Despite what manufacturers claim about the sensitivity and suitability of their scanners for scanning fragile documents and drawings and the superiority of their particular drive technnology, etc., it would be foolish to take their assurances at face value. Sod's Law dictates that if a valuable drawing can snag, get stuck, chewed up, crumpled or concertinaed in the scanner roller mechanism, it will do so perfectly.

Fortunately, there is a simple and easy solution which works equally well with all makes of large format scanners. Document carrier sheets are wide format plastic wallets that hold and protect your fragile and damaged drawings during transport through a scanner's rollers, the time when they are most vulnerable to being damaged.

Document Carrier Sheets - Beauty is but skin deep!

Also known as plastic wallets and sometimes as "skins", document carrier sheets are a precautionary prophylactic designed to prevent any damage to your delicate drawings. Just place your valuable but vulnerable drawing inside the clear plastic carrier sheet, then scan it. The flexible but strong plastic wallet gives your drawing the strength and support it needs to go smoothly through the scanner.

Some wide format scanners are supplied with plastic carrier sheets, others are not. As they are relatively inexpensive ask your scanner supplier to include the sizes you are most likely to need with your purchase. They may even throw them in for free. The large fomat scanner business is now so competitive it is not unusual for the scanning software, floorstand and other items to be thrown into the bargain. As buying a document carrier sheet is not at all straightforward, let your scanner supplier have the hassle of sourcing them for you.

Why do wide format technical drawings get damaged?

The problem is widespread. It is seldom the case that one works exclusively with pristine drawings that have been hung up, laid flat or or stored in rolls.

The older a paper drawing gets and the more you bring it out of storage to use, the more at risk it is of becoming dog-eared, frayed, torn and dirty. The only way to prevent damage to a technical drawing and to keep it in a pristine condition is to never use it. This is not possible in the real world. As a result, many technical drawings exist in a less than perfect condition.

Most drawings with creases, folds, dog-ears and even minor tears will scan without problem. Tears are more troublesome than crinkles, as scanners will generally flatten crinkles out. However, badly torn or crinkled wide format drawings and documents can cause difficulty. One of the worst things you can do to a large format drawing is fold it down to a small size. Folds often show up as dirty areas when scanned.

The main things that can go wrong with a drawing in storage are humidity (stretch), dryness (shrinkage) and dust and insects (dirt). Every drawing office's most common accident is spilt tea or coffee (stains), or worse, ink stains. Another is sunlight which causes drawings to discolour and or fade. Drawings placed temporarily on top of sunlit cabinets and on window cills have the curious ability to remain there for years, along with the struggling, sometimes long under-watered but occassionally over-watered and dusty drawing office plant.

Most of these marks can be removed by careful scanning and post-scan editing.

The size of large format paper drawings makes them awkward and unwieldy. They drag on the ground, can't be laid flat or be easily examined in confined spaces and kink or fold when you realise that you're holding them the wrong way round and have to let go of one corner to grab the other. Mostly it's the edges of the drawings that go, first becoming curled and crinkled, then frayed and torn.

Only by properly storing drawings by hanging them on "hangers" in purpose-designed cabinets or better, rolling them up and storing them in tubes, can you hope to prevent the edges of the drawings from becoming scuffed and knocked around. Never store you drawings in bins where they are vulnerable to abuse and rough treatment. Never fold them up and store them one on top of another.

Simple steps to take to avoid snagging while scanning

The first step flies in the face of every scanner manufacturer who claims speed as a benefit for their product. In order to safeguard a valuable drawing SLOW the scan speed right down. The slower the scan speed, the less likely it is to snag. The best way to destroy a valuable drawing is to run it through a scanner at maximum speed.

Drawings that are fed by a few rollers only are likely to skew more than ones guided through the scanner by the maximum number of rollers. (It is for this reason that Graphtec recommend you scan A4 drawings in large format document carrier sheets - see below.)

Where possible, always try to scan in landscape i.e. along the longest edge using the full width of the scanner. Not only will this will improve the grip of the scanner on the drawing and reduce skewing but it will also avoid the need to rotate the drawing after scanning it. Because the longest edge of the document is in contact with the maximum number of rollers it will generally be easier to load.

There are other things you can do to improve the chances of a snagless scan before having to buy a document carrier sheet. Try:

• feeding the drawing in by the least damaged side,
• sello-taping the damaged drawing together,
• trimming the torn edges of the drawing sheet,
• cutting the dog-eared corners off and sello-taping new ones on.
• And more! See: Large format scanning hints and tips by Alan Darbyshire.

Who supplies document carrier sheets?

All the major scanner manufacturers - Contex, Colortrac and Graphtec - now offer their own or third party document carrier sheets. You should be able to get these when buying a scanner or if you already have a scanner order them from a Contex, Colortrac and Graphtec reseller.

Graphtec are ardent exponents of document carrier sheets and can also supply them with their scanners. Among the reasons they cite for using them on a wide format scanner are:

• scanning a drawing smaller than A4 or non-standard size,
• scanning a drawing that is "limp" or limper than newspaper,
• scanning torn or damaged drawings,
• scanning badly creased, crumpled or curled drawings,
• scanning transparent or translucent documents,
• scanning documents to which pieces of paper have been taped, etc.

The document carrier sheet is best stored by hanging vertically using the reinforced hanging strip on a hook or alternatively by laying it flat in a drawing chest or similar.

The document carrier sheet is a great leveller between scanners. It allows delicate drawings to be scanned equally safely by all types, makes and models. It removes any advantage that some scanners' particular drive technnology might have in handling fragile media.

How much do they cost?

Prices vary according to quality and source.

NOTE: Vistaplan / Colortrac wallets are not quite large enough to take full D and E size drawings.

NOTE: Colortrac and their UK distributor, Allied Images, recommend and supply plastic wallets from Vistaplan. Readers should be aware that these wallets were originally designed to be used as protective storage sleeves, NOT as document carrier sheets. However, Vistaplan claim they can be used for this purpose.

The most expensive document carrier sheets are obviously the ones from the major scanner manufacturers. If you have less than, say, 200, drawings, a cheap and cheerful plastic wallet will suffice. (One user, quoted below, has now successfully made about 300+ scans using the cheaper Vistaplan plastic wallet.)

Buyers should be aware that while there may be some additional strength in document carrier sheets supplied by the major manufacturers they too will be subject to wear and tear and will be need to be replaced from time-to-time. There is no guarantee that a manufacturer's document carrier sheet will last any longer and provide a better return on your investment than a cheap and cheerful plastic wallet.

User Comments

One document carrier sheet user writes that "We obtained some wallets from Vistaplan. As it was difficult to obtain exactly what we were looking for we ended up cutting the wallets (much like polypockets) up. However, these are becoming damaged from going through the scanner, so we will be looking for some more in the future. If there was a more tailored sheet we would be interested in it. In fairness the sheets have been used a lot. At a guess each carrier sheet has been used a few hundred times. As we cannot expect these sheets to last forever we will order up some hopefully more suitable carrier sheets in due course".

The Team Administrator, Business and Information Systems, in a UK Local Authority was concerned that the wallets from Vistaplan were not specifically designed as document carrier sheets. Instead of purchasing a compromise she chose to buy Contex's more expensive document carrier sheet. She writes that "We eventually sourced what we wanted from Plotterworld through Art Systems, (the UK Contex distrbutor), and await delivery of them tomorrow! We went for the more expensive Contex transparent document carrier sheets as these are specifically for putting through scanners and are priced at £93.61".

What are the downsides? Does the use of a document carrier sheet affect scan quality?

Yes, but the difference in scan quality between drawings scanned with and without a document carrier sheet is almost imperceptible.

Colortrac advise that when using plastic wallets, it may be necessary to increase the brightness and saturation settings in their ScanWorks software to compensate for the opacity of the wallet.

The big problem is the difficulty one sometimes experiences trying to put a drawing into a document carrier sheet and the time it takes to do this. Static electricity coupled with non-rigid paper can make it annoyingly difficult to get drawings into a plastic wallet without damaging them further.

Finally, document carrier sheets get worn with use. When scratches mount up over time these can have a negative affect on scanned image quality.

Are there any scanners that can safely scan without damaging a drawing?

Yes, the Shapemakers Deskan, the subject of some of this month's articles. The Deskan is unique in that it uses an A4 motorised scanner to scan in strips which are then stitched together. This process requires a glass to be placed between the drawing and the scanner head which protects the drawing from all moving parts. There are a number of companies and institutions that use it for exactly this benefit, although it may not be the solution for everyone.

PRICEBUSTER: Large format's lateral thinker - the scan-in-strips Deskan 6!
INTERVIEW: Ian Ferrier, Deskan.

Where do I buy document carrier sheets?

We can provide a list of UK and US suppliers. Please email us and we will advise you by return.

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

6th August 2007

PRICEBUSTER: Large format's lateral thinker - the scan-in-strips Deskan 6!

I first came across the Deskan large format scanning system at the AEC Systems Show 2001 in Chicago. What attracted me to it then still holds true today - it offers cost-conscious CAD users a much more affordable wide format scanning solution than conventional scanners. Seven years on this unusual Australian scanner is under new ownership and works up five times faster.

While the Deskan 6 is distinguished by an attractively lower price than conventional scanners, what really sets it apart is how it works. The Deskan 6 is unique in that it uses an A4 motorised scanner head to capture an A0 or E-size drawing in seven strips. Each strip is individually scanned and saved, automatically corrected for distortion and joined by stitching software that recognises special control points. Conventional wide format scanners work in much the same way but scan and stitch the whole drawing in one pass.

The obvious downside of the Deskan system is that it takes longer than conventional A0 or E-size scanners to scan a technical drawing or map. But, on a positive note, it offers cost-conscious users with relatively low volume scanning requirements i.e. the great mass of CAD, CNC, GIS and mapping users, the most affordable large format colour scanning capability available today. If you are willing to take a bit longer to acquire large format scans, the Deskan 6 will save you thousands of dollars, pounds or euros!

The cost of the Deskan 6 is USD 3900, GBP 2050 and EUR 3020 (excl).

This is less than half the cost of an entry level Colortrac SmartLF Cx40e, Contex Hawk-Eye G36 or Graphtec ScanPrint SP200W, three of the more affordable colour scanners available from the major manufacturers today. The Deskan 6's prices do not include freight which varies depending on the destination. It can be bought online from Shapemakers, the Australian manufacturer, or from their resellers.

See: http://www.deskan.com

Deskan does everything other scanners do, only differently!

The Deskan uses CCD (close circuit device) technology to scan drawings up to A0 or E-size and larger in 24-bit, 8-bit colour or greyscale and monochrome (black and white) at up to 600 dpi optical resolution, the maximum any scanner saves at present. Its use of CCD technology means that it gives good results with black and white drawings and is especially good with colour maps and artwork.

Once a scanned drawing has been stitched together it can be saved in a variety of raster formats. The Deskan first saves the image as an RCF (raster control file) which can be exported as one of 27 different formats, including the standard BMP, CALS, JPG, PCX or TIFF but not PDF. It will also save a PSD (Photoshop) file, handy if you want to edit a colour scan in this industry standard graphics program.

While the Deskan's raster images are the same as the end result from a conventional large format scanner, the image is created by a fundamentally similar but longer step-by-step process.

Conventional wide format scanners scan drawings in strips using up to 4 cameras (CCD) or 5 LED arrays (CIS). These strips are stitched together automatically as the scan is made. Generally, a conventional scanner user is unaware of the stitching process until it fails to work. Despite what manufacturers say, all conventional scanners can and often do display stitching problems.

Unlike conventional scanners which are all sheet-fed i.e. you insert the drawing to be scanned into the front of the scanner and during scanning the scanner's transport system pulls the drawing through the scanner to the back, the Deskan requires the drawing to be laid flat on a level surface and a glass carriage, guide rails and a motorised scannner to be placed on top of it. The drawing is then scanned in individual strips, as many as needed, which are later automatically stitched together by the scanning software.

So, by scanning in individual strips and stitching these images together, the Deskan is doing nothing different to what Colortrac, Contex or other scanners do. The only difference is that it takes longer.

Scanning is in sequence from left to right. The process is as follows:

1. Lay the drawing or map, etc., on a flat surface and tape it down evenly.
2. Starting at the left, place the glass carriage over the document.
3. Place the guide rails and motorised scanner over the document.
4. Start Deskan Color Express software.
5. Select the required setting - resolution, colour / mono, file type and size of sheet.
6. Scan and keep Strip #1.
7. Move the glass carriage and guide rails with the scanner attached to the next station to the right.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 as many times as needed.
9. Use Deskan Color Express software to automatically join the strips together.
10. Save the data as a raster control file and or export it as a BMP, JPG, TIFF file, etc.

Clearly, the main attraction of the Deskan is its price. It saves the buyer money at the expense of scan speed. How big an issue the speed of its scanning is depends on your workflow priorities. Shapemakers say they would not recommend it to a high volume, fast turnaround scanning bureau. The ideal market, they say, is cost and quality conscious users with occasional scanning needs.

How long does the Deskan take to scan an A0 image?

The more strips, the longer it takes.

• A1 or D-size - 4 strips
• A0 or E-size - 7 strips

Shapemakers list the following speeds on their web site as examples.

Black and White (Monochrome):

• A0 scan at 100 dpi - 2 mins
• A0 scan at 200 dpi - 3 mins
• A0 scan at 300 dpi - 4 mins
• A0 scan at 400 dpi - 5 mins

A rough guide to comparive A0 scan speeds at 400 dpi from other devices shows:

• Colortrac SmartLF Cx40e - 24 seconds.
• Graphtec ScanPrint SP200W - 9 seconds.
• Image Access WideTEK - 17 seconds.

Colour:

• A0 scan at 100 dpi - 4 mins
• A0 scan at 200 dpi - 5 mins
• A0 scan at 300 dpi - 7 mins
• A0 scan at 400 dpi - 9 mins

A rough guide to comparative A0 scan speeds at 400 dpi from other devices shows:

• Colortrac SmartLF Cx40e - 1 min 26 seconds.
• Graphtec ScanPrint SP200W - 1 min 30 seconds.
• Image Access WideTEK - 17 seconds.

Please note that the Deskan's speeds will vary according to the host PC's computer speed, hard disk speed, port speed and available memory, etc. Also, anyone with any experience of scanning will know that while a scanner may scan in 9 seconds there is an awful lot of faffing around before and after scanning that makes such near instantaneous times appear to be wishful thinking.

Scanning small and oversize drawing sheets

Small images up to A4 in size can be put beneath the glass and scanned as one strip.

You can scan documents larger than A0 or E-size provided that the control crosses near the top and bottom of the glass are not covered. They need to be seen by the scanner so that the software can align the strips for joining. In other words, you can scan as many strips as you need, however they cannot be any higher than the guide which has a limit of 870 mm or 34.25".

Drawings too large to fit on the scanning base i.e. larger than A0 or E-size, must be scanned in two parts. The Deskan Express Color software includes a Document Merging command that produces a new image based on the content of two existing images. Its use requires the placement and identification of registration markers common to both drawings that are to be merged.

To scan an oversize drawing, the first part must be scanned in 7 strips, (the master document), and the second part in 7 or less strips, (the merge document). Markers must be placed in the master document on points that are also in the merge document, then the same must be done again in the merge document. The Deskan's Helmert transformation algorithmn requires a minimum of two markers to be used. The merged documents can be saved as a single file. Stitching accuracy is claimed to be within 1-2 pixels.

Safe scanning and portability

In addition to the Deskan's main benefits of low price and the quality of its scanned results, it has two other significant benefits. It is able to scan the finest fabrics and the most delicate drawings and maps without fear of damage to the originals and, weighing approximately 19kg, it is undeniably portable. No other large format scanning solution offers all of these benefits in one system.

Despite what conventional scanner manufacturers claim about the sensitivity with which they treat fragile documents, it takes a brave operator to feed a precious document into the mechanised maws of a sheet-fed scanner's throat. Most sensible operators will take the precaution of first placing a valuable document in a clear plastic wallet or document carrier sheet for protection. It sounds simple but it is not always a quick and easy matter getting a delicate drawing into a document carrier sheet.

The Deskan offers an excellent alternative. Because of the way that the Deskan system works, specifically the need to lay a glass sheet between the drawing to be scanned and the motorised scanning head, NO part of the drawing comes in contact with any moving part of the Deskan' system. The only possible issue with the Deskan method is getting the drawing or fabric to lie flat under the glass.

Shapemakers state that the Deskan is used specifically for this feature by Australian bodies like the State Library of Western Australia, Bureau of Meteorology, Lands Department of NSW, Australian National University and Sydney University. Provided you are satisfied with the quality of its image stitching and have time to spare the Deskan's method of safe scanning offers peace of mind.

More than any other wide format scanner, the Deskan is extremely portable. Weighing approximately 19kg it can be set up on a clear, flat table, plugged in, started and be ready to scan in a matter of minutes. There should be absolutely no problem transporting it in the back of an average family car providing that the scan glass is adequately stored and protected.

Deskan Fastparts

Shapemakers is a leading Australian CNC engineering company. Their own precision engineered materials and components feature throughout the Deskan 6. Ongoing R&D has resulted in safer lifting and easier positioning of the motorised head and guide rails during operation, a new carriage design that eliminates cradle adjustment and reduces scanner drag and improved strip analysis.

One area where the Deskan has proven success and which its owners know well is the CNC market. Increasingly, Shapemakers see Deskan's future in scan-to-vector solutions such as their Deskan Fastparts. This provides CNC engineers with an affordable and reliable scan-to-vector solution for reverse engineering parts quickly and cost-effectively. Once a part is vectorised, a .DXF file can be sent to a cutting application for accurate reproduction. With the Deskan solution it is possible to scan parts up to 1180 x 870mm.

For many CNC companies the need to reproduce profiles and shapes, like those of a gasket or artwork, from a cutting file is a time consuming process. Deskan FastParts is intended to eliminate hand measuring and drawing by automatically scanning and converting old gaskets, drawings and seals into ready-to-cut DXF files in as little as five minutes. Bundled with Scan2CAD raster to vector conversion software, Deskan FastParts enables users to scan the part they want and to vectorise it "more-or-less instantly".

System Requirements

Just like conventional scanners the Deskan needs to be run from a host PC. The recommended PC specification is relatively modest by today's standards. Given the need to stitch large images together, performance can be enhanced by running a faster PC than the suggested minimum Pentium 1.6 GHz PC with 768 MB RAM, 1 Gb Hard Disk space, MS Win 2000 and XP supporting USB 2.

Aussie David vs Global Goliaths

It's tempting to use a "David versus Goliath" metaphor where Deskan is David and Goliath is, well, everyone else - Contex, Colortrac, Graphtec, etc., etc. But, while plucky little David won his fight, I don't see Shapemakers' slingshot taking on Contex's panzer divisions. But nor do I see them running away. Aussie Deskan will stand its ground and be an attractive solution for the cost-conscious.

The Deskan will save you money but the compromise is on productivity. It gives you a wide format colour scanning capability that takes longer to capture an image than if you had a more expensive, faster conventional scanner. Instead of scanning once you must scan many times but ultimately you get much the same result for less. For high volume professionals for whom time is money the Deskan is not an option.

As we have overtstated the Deskan's slower than average rate of scan productivity we must point out that it will scan A2 / C-size drawings almost 50% faster than A1 / D-size ones. So, if like many CAD users all you want is a limited A2 / C-size and or A1 / D-size scanning capability, the Deskan is potentially capable of a faster rate of productivity. Further, once used several times the Deskan's repetitive but simple step-by-step manual scanning process should be quickly mastered to provide quicker results.

One downside is that the Deskan needs a large flat space to scan on. However, this requirement for a flat surface and the use of a glass covering ensures safe scanning of fragile or damaged drawings. A large flat space may be hard to find in a small cluttered office like mine but, unlike conventional scanners, the Deskan's component parts can be quickly disassembled and packed away until needed, then as quickly assembled and used. This will suit small, crowded drawing offices where scanning is infrequently done.

As shown by its reseller base it appears that most of the Deskan's appeal at present is in the developing world where labour costs are low and the cost of buying a conventional scanner impossibly high. Resellers in Europe and North America are less likely to offer it because, sadly, they prefer to sell conventional systems on which they make more money. Interested First World buyers should consider buying the system online direct from Shapemakers.

Shapemakers
QLD, Australia.
Tel: +61 7 3848 7371
http://www.deskan.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxjmbhiRWrY

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

1st August 2007

HOT NEWS: Contex to be sold.

Contex, the Danish global leader in large format scanning, is in the final stages of being sold for approximately USD240m or GBP120m.

There has been recent speculation among some industry commentators that Contex are in trouble. The nub of the speculation centres around the belief that Contex's new G600 scanners are merely yesterday's products repackaged for today's market. Critics charge that Contex lacks technical direction and is losing sales to competitors.

Perhaps this is wishful thinking. None of its rivals are in any position to displace the combined might of Contex and its OEMs in the marketplace any time soon. Despite Contex's supposed woes their domination of the the global wide format scanner market continues even though their rivals have experienced a recent up-turn in sales and profits.

Further, Contex are no longer just a scanner company. Their recent purchase of Z Corporation, an emerging heavyweight in the booming rapid protoyping 3D printer market, was an inspired product acquisition. This is a new and developing market, one which Contex and their 120 distributors worldwide are into early. Contex distributors and resellers have much to look forward to. A new owner might well invigorate Contex with an infusion of new energy and products.

Below is the text of both a Contex and Ratos press release:

Ratos AB has signed an agreement to buy the Contex Group

Press Release: July 25, 2007

I am pleased to announce to you today that the Swedish private equity fund Ratos AB has signed an agreement to buy the Contex Group (including the companies Contex Holding A/S, Contex A/S, Vidar and Z Corporation) from EQT and other shareholders.

Ratos is expected to assume ownership and control after due approval by the authorities within the next 1½ - 2 months. This successfully concludes a process that was initiated by our current major shareholder EQT just before Christmas 2006.

Ratos is listed on the OMX Nordic stock exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and traces its roots back 140 years as a steel wholesaler by the name of Söderberg & Haak, incorporated in 1866. The name Ratos emerged in the 1930s, as the company gradually moved away from being an industrial enterprise towards becoming a pure investment company. The company was listed in 1954, and since the late 1990s, Ratos has successfully operated as a listed private equity company, creating value for its shareholders and employees through the acquisition of companies for development and later divestiture.

For Contex, this change of ownership marks the beginning of the next phase in the development of the Group, and we have already laid down the roadmap in the shape of our "Vision 2012" strategy plan. Our new owners have fully bought into this plan, which prescribes a strong organic growth through 2012 with a doubling of the Group's turnover, supplemented with targeted acquisitions of companies that can add further value to us.

Our new owners represent the "buy-and-build" philosophy, which is so familiar to us from the EQT ownership since 1999. In essence, the focus is on growing the company, investing in opportunities, and in achieving excellence through highly competent and skilled employees. Thus, from management’s perspective, Ratos is the ideal new owner to help us in achieving our ambitious vision and our plans for the future. We very much look forward to working together with our new owners and a new board of directors and to moving forward with executing our Vision 2012 strategy.

Therefore, the transfer of ownership within the next couple of months will not change our daily operations, our structure, or our management, nor will it change our strategic direction. So we look forward to continuing our relationship with you and your company in full continuation of the plans and discussions we have had to date.

Sincerely,
Svenn Poulsen
President & CEO
Contex Holdings.

See: http://www.contex.com/pressroom/default.htm

Ratos to acquire Contex Holding A/S

Ratos is to acquire 100% of the Danish company Contex Holding A/S, a world leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of advanced two- and three-dimensional image solutions. The sellers are EQT (60%) and a number of other investors. Ratos' investment is estimated at approximately SEK 600m.

(Editors Note: SEK 600m = GBP43.72m and USD88.44m [1st August 2008]).

Contex Holding A/S is a world leader in the development and manufacture of advanced two- and three-dimensional image solutions. The company has three business areas: Contex A/S (50% of sales), which manufactures large-format scanners and related software, Z Corporation (30% of sales), which manufactures products for printing out 3D models, and Vidar Systems Corporation (20% of sales), which manufactures film digitisers for medical diagnostics. Manufacturing is conducted in Denmark and the USA, and the company has a total of 435 employees. Sales are made in more than 80 countries, with the USA accounting for 46%, Europe for 36%, and the rest of the world for 18%.

Contex has had annual growth (pro forma) of 33% since 2004. Operating profit (EBITA) in 2006 was SEK 165m on sales of SEK 901m.

"Contex has strong market positions today in all of its product areas," comments Ratos' CEO, Arne Karlsson. "We believe the company has potential for continued strong growth. We also see opportunities for complementary acquisitions, especially in the area of 3D imaging."

Ratos' acquisition of Contex is at an Enterprise Value of approximately SEK 1590m. Ratos is acquiring 100% of Contex, which will be financed with approximately SEK 600m in equity from Ratos. Senior executives in the company will be offered to co-invest with Ratos.

The deal is conditional upon customary regulatory approval.

For further information, please contact:
Arne Karlsson,
CEO,
Ratos.

See: http://www.ratos.se/default____97.aspx

EQT to sell Contex to Ratos
25/07/2007. Source: AltAssets.

EQT Danmark and other investors have agreed to sell Contex Holding, a developer, manufacturer and supplier of 2D and 3D digital imaging solutions, to Ratos for approximately $240m. Ratos is acquiring 100 per cent of the Allerød, Denmark-headquartered company.

Ratos is investing approximately SEK600m (approximately $90m) in equity. Senior executives at Contex will be offered to co-invest alongside Ratos, the firm said.

EQT acquired Contex in 1999 in a public-to-private transaction.

EQT partner Peter Korsholm said, 'During EQT's ownership, Contex Group has developed significantly through a combination of acquisitions and high organic growth rates, which has resulted in the company's revenues increasing fivefold from $25m in 1999 to $122m in 2006.

"During the spring of 2007, Contex Group developed a new five-year strategy plan outlining the future direction of the company, and we see Ratos's ownership as a natural step in the company's further development", Korsholm continued.

EQT manages funds with activities in buy-outs and mezzanine finance.

Ratos is a listed private equity company.

Copyright © 2007 AltAssets

See: http://www.altassets.com/news/arc/2007/nz11348.php

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

1st August 2007

INTERVIEW: Ian Ferrier, Deskan.

Scanners4CAD spoke to Ian Ferrier, managing director of Shapemakers, the Australian manufacturers of the Deskan 6, a unique wide format colour scanner that scans A0 and oversize drawings in A4 strips which it stitches together.

Conventional large format scanners work in much the same way, scanning in strips and stitching them together, but while they do it automatically in one pass the Deskan must make several manual passes before finally stitching all the images together automatically. This takes longer but does offer CAD users with relatively low volume scanning requirements i.e. the mass CAD market, with a more affordably priced colour scanning solution than faster, conventional devices.

Scanners4CAD: "I first saw the Deskan on the Abakos booth at the AEC Systems Show 2001 in Chicago. How did you get involved with Deskan?"

Ferrier: "Abakos developed the original Deskan concept but were bought out by an Australian consulting engineering firm. We were involved with them at a time when they were looking to depart from Deskan. We took up the product in 2002 and have developed both the hardware and software further since then. Our Deskan 6 is now five times faster than Abakos' Deskan 5 which you would have seen in 2001."

Scaners4CAD: "I was intrigued by the Deskan when I saw it in 2001. Then, like now, it was an affordable but time-consuming way to create large format scans. How practical a solution is it?"

Ferrier: "Deskan is the end result of a great bit of lateral thinking and offers a solution for the real world, that is where users have a need for large format scanning but don't have the necessary buckets of money to buy a conventional high volume scanner."

Scanners4CAD: "Given that the Deskan scans a wide format drawing in A4 strips which it stitches togther, it is a unique large format colour scanner. Is being so totally different to other products in the market an advantage or a disadvantage?"

Ferrier: "We readily acknowledge that we cannot compete in the same market as Contex, Colortrac, Graphtec, Vidar and others. Our strength lies in our price and our uniqueness. These are the attributes we work on when we market our product around the world."

Scanners4CAD: "What is the cost of the Deskan?"

Ferrier: "We sell the basic unit online at USD 3900, GBP 2050 and EUR 3020. These prices do not include freight and vary on the destination."

Scanners4CAD: "I guess the success of the Deskan hangs on three issues. The first issue must be the quality of its image stitching. To be fair, all scanners with more than one camera or set of sensors stitch images together and all have image stitching issues. Image stitching is not an issue unique to the Deskan. So, how reliable is the Deskan's image stitching?"

Ferrier: "Our stitching tolerance is a very acceptable plus or minus 2 pixels."

Scanners4CAD: "The second issue relates to the first. How smooth and fluid is the motorised movement of the scanner head?"

Ferrier: "The scanner travel is very smooth. The stepper motors used these days are very good and the glass base offers an excellent substrate for the rollers to travel on. The software is designed to read predetermined calibration marks on the glass and correct the data as it travels if there are any anomalies in the scanning process, such a wheel slippage, (highly unlikely), or lateral travel, (again highly unlikely). The supplied software will compensate for this."

Scanners4CAD: "The third issue must be the time it takes to scan a wide format drawing in strips and stitch them together. Is scan speed an issue?"

Ferrier: "If you need to scan 5000 drawings a week or run a scanning bureau, I would not buy a Deskan system. But, if you have a low to medium scanning requirement, limited funds or need to scan fragile items, then Deskan is a very good alternative to a more expensive conventional scanner. Speedwise, you can achieve speeds of about 5 and 9 minutes respectively for an A0 drawing in black and white and colour at 400dpi. If you want to save money, do not do many scans or live in a country where labour costs are low, then its speed is acceptable."

Scanners4CAD: "You place a glass over the drawing to both flatten and protect it. Does this create an issue with image distortion due to the glass?"

Ferrier: "No. The glass we use is a optically clear starfire toughened glass. Distortion is not a problem."

Scanners4CAD: "By placing a glass over a drawing you ensure that it will never be touched by a moving part of the scanner. This must give the Deskan some advantage with fragile or damaged drawings. Do you have users who use it specifically for this feature?"

Ferrier: "A number of bodies such as the State Library of Western Australia, Bureau of Meteorology, Lands Department of NSW, Australian National University and Sydney University use Deskan specifically for this feature. These are the ones we know about. We have sold many units to government bodies in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and the Phillipines. Sales in these areas would be for a combination of price and features."

Scanners4CAD: "So who buys a Deskan scanner? I imagine that they will be most popular in the developing world or among the cost-conscious?"

Ferrier: "Not necessarily. What is interesting about the world of scanners is that the range of users is very diverse. This is why I love the industry. We've sold Deskan scanners to surveyors, golf course designers, train enthusiasts, governments, scaffold companies, waterjet cutting businesses, gasket companies, universities, fabric designers, carpet companies and libraries to name a few."

Scanners4CAD: "Do resellers understand your product? Are they not more likely to want to shift more conventional and more expensive wide formar scanners on which they make more money?"

Ferrier: "It really depends on which market they specialise in. GIS dealers are good and understand our scanner but retail computer peripheral businesses do not. For them a traditional roller fed scanner gives them greater profit for their effort plus they can negoitate an ongoing maintenance contract for that type of scanner. Deskan is so simple there are no maintenance issues and the price is low."

Scanners4CAD: "What is the standard warranty on your scanner? How do you support them internationally?"

Ferrier: "We offer a 12 month guarantee on the system. Deskan is simple to use and requires very little support. Any problems can be dealt with easily via email or phone."

Scanners4CAD: "Are there any specific large format scanners, like Contex, that you compete against or are you so far under every other manufacturer's radar that that don't know you're there?"

Ferrier: "We are a small player in the world of large format scanners. Other manufacturers do not know much about us and are more concerned with their own core business and the "bigger" worldwide competition than us. We are in a very small niche market."

Scanners4CAD: "What is Deskan FastParts?"

Ferrier: "The Deskan Fastparts system is the collective term we use for our scanner technology and vectorising software that we market to cutting businesses such as gasket manufacturers. Any business that has to duplicate parts would find Deskan Fastparts an asset. It allows users to scan a component up to A0 in size, vectorise the part and cut it out by machine quickly and easily with minimal knowledge of both processes. It's a great system and one we plan to marketing aggressively."

Scanners4CAD: "Does Deskan come with a basic raster to vector converter? How have these worked for you? We know that what users expect is always far more than raster to vector conversion is capable of."

Ferrier: "No, we do not want to go down the path of developing our own raster to vector conversion software. We find that Scan2CAD is a very reliable raster to vector conversion software package. We are building our knowledge of Scan2CAD so we can support our customers who use it with the right answers to their questions."

Scanners4CAD: "When I saw the Deskan in 2001 it used, if I remember correctly, an Epson A4 scanner. I've seen on your web site that you designed and made the scanner head. How much of the Deskan system do you manufacturer?"

Ferrier: "Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a standard A4 scanner we could use in the Deskan. If there was, it would have saved our company a vast amount of reseach, development, engineering and money. We manufacture the whole unit. The motor unit is driven by a power pack that plugs into the scanner via the USB cable."

Scanners4CAD: "Are you able to tell us how many Deskan scanners have been sold since you started in 1995?"

Ferrier: "We are a company that talks in thousands, not hundreds of thousands."

Scanners4CAD: "You recently posted a video of the Deskan on YouTube. Congratulations! You seem to have stolen a march on other much bigger scanner manufacturers who have yet to do this. Has YouTube worked for you?"

Ferrier: "Yes, YouTube is great marketing tool. It quickly allows anyone to see how simple the system is to use."

Scanners4CAD: "Where does Deskan go from here? What development plans do you have, if any?"

Ferrier: "We see our future lies with scan to vector solutions such as Deskan Fastparts. We are undertaking further software development to enhance Deskan's features in this area and we are very positive for the future of our product. The scanning industry is a tough, highly competitive business environment and requires 100% commitment to your products and support network to survive."

Scanners4CAD: "Most CAD users have relatively low volume scanning requirements and can't justify the cost of a conventional scanner. Your Aussie ingenuity offers them an affordable solution for the real world. In addition, the Deskan scans fragile drawings more safely than any conventional scanner. And it's portable, something many CAD users want. As you are doing unique and interesting things in the CNC market we think the Deskan will be around for many years yet. It has much to recommend itself to those not fixated on conventional scanning methods and willing to compromise on speed in exchange for substantial savings. We wish you good luck. Thank you."

Shapemakers
QLD, Australia.
Tel: +61 7 3848 7371
http://www.deskan.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxjmbhiRWrY

Click here to return to the main News and Views page.

• Home

• News and Views
• Get Newsletter
•  RSS News Feed

• Buying a Scanner
• Ask an Expert
• Hints and Tips
• Glossary

• Comparison Chart
• PDF Brochures
• Press Releases

• Get a Quote
• Find a Used Scanner
• Find a Supplier
• Find a Bureau

• Raster to Vector

• About Us
• Contact Us

• Advertise on this Site