https://www.diybookscanner.org/en/index.html

Toggle Navigation

  * Home
  * Getting Started
  * FAQ
  * Designs
  * About Us
  * Forum

  * English
      + English
      + Espanol

Welcome to DIY Book Scanner

We are a community of people who build book scanners. We have taken
preservation into our own hands. We are the missing link between your
bookshelf and your e-reader. Join us! Get involved by trying a simple
scanner, building a kit, or pushing the limits of scanning technology
. If your questions can't be answered by reading, write us an e-mail:
diybookscanner [at] gmail.com.

What is a Book Scanner?

A book scanner is any device used to digitize the pages of a book.
Every book scanner has three parts. Cameras are used to capture
images of each page. A controller triggers the cameras and saves the
resulting photographs somewhere convenient. The scanner rig provides
an ideal photographic environment while holding everything together.

Latest News

Pi Scan 1.0 Released

Archivist Quill: Scanning a Book from Jonathon Duerig on Vimeo.

Pi Scan 1.0 is now available. Pi Scan runs on a Raspberry Pi and
controls two cameras for book scanning. In addition to many bugfixes,
Pi Scan 1.0 lets you adjust both zoom and shutter speed and provides
many input options for triggering the cameras. Keyboard, mouse, touch
screen, foot pedal, and push-button inputs are all supported. For
more information, see the project page.

Archivist Quill

[quill-1]

The Archivist Quill is a new build of the Archivist using aluminum
beams instead of plywood. Kits are available now with or without
electronics. The electronics pack for the Archivist Quill comes
pre-installed with Pi Scan, a touch screen, cameras, and everything
else needed to get started. Questions about the Archivist Quill can
be sent to info at tenrec dot builders.

Book Scanner Rigs

Book scanners can be as simple as a cardboard box rig, a camera on a
tripod, and your hand as the controller. Or they can have multiple
moving parts with computer-controlled capture and high resolution
cameras. Here is how a typical scanning rig comes together:

[scanner-design]

  * Lighting

    Though some scanners rely on ambient room lighting, dedicated
    lighting is important to capture good scans. You want the lights
    to be strong and even. The lights must also be positioned to
    minimize glare and reflections.

  * Cameras

    Each camera must be mounted securely and aligned to point
    directly at the center of the page it is scanning. If possible,
    you want two cameras so you can capture both pages at the same
    time.

  * Platen

    The easiest way to avoid page curl in your images is to flatten
    the pages by pressing them against glass or acrylic. While there
    are some computer algorithms that can help dewarp the pages after
    capture, it is always more reliable to just capture flat pages in
    the first place.

  * Book

    The book lies at the center of any scanning rig. It is
    alternately pressed against the platen for scanning and then
    pulled away so that the page can be flipped.

  * Cradle

    The cradle supports the back and spine of the book. While any
    contact with a book will cause wear and tear, a V-shaped cradle
    can minimize the wear that scanning can cause.

Get Started