yaoi.caScanning
Introduction
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You have the choice of using a third-party scanning software, or the scanning software that came with your scanner. I use the scanning software that came with my scanner and find that it works just fine for me. Do not output your scans in JPG format (unless you are doing a quick and dirty scan). Output your scans in TIF or PNG. If there's an automatic numbering feature, use it. Use the advanced features in the scanning software, but use them judiciously. You don't have to use every single feature in the scanning software -- just what is important.
CanoScan Software Set-up
For those using the CanoScan software, following are screen shots of the settings I use:
Colour Pages
Scan colour pages at a minimum of 400 dpi. Remember, these are for output on the Internet and do not require insanely high resolution. Use the selection tool to scan only the area you wish to scan. Try to perform as much of the cropping as possible during the actual scanning process (please note exception below). The less work you have to do in the graphics program afterwards the better.
The only exception for cropping during scanning is when you are scanning for the purpose of scanlation. If you have not debound your manga, there is a good chance that some of the pages will not be perfectly straight. The resulting scans will require "tilting" (straightening) in the graphics program by the cleaner (before editing). Therefore, when scanning where there is the possibility of crooked pages, crop a little distance around the page edges so that the cleaner has as much page to work with as possible when tilting.
I prefer not to tweak the colours and levels in the scanning software of a colour scan simply because I prefer to play with it in the graphics program on an individual basis.
Black and White Pages
Unless you really wish to, don't scan black-and-white pages in colour mode. I confess that some books look very good au natural, but my own preference is to use grayscale for black and white. It tends to make the scans look crisper and cleaner. But this really is an individual choice.
Scan in grayscale at a minimum of 300 dpi. Some people choose to scan at a higher dpi, but for web samples and even scanlations, 300 dpi is usually sufficient. Again, it's a matter of personal choice and experimentation.
Select the region you wish to scan, and proceed to whatever area of your scanning software that will allow you to level manually. If your scanning software does not allow tweaking the levels manually, then you will need to tweak the levels in your graphics program. In the CanoScan software, setting the levels is found under the colour tab. Use the histogram to guide your manual settings.
There are three points on the histogram: black point, midpoint and white point. The trick is to make the black parts of the manga as black as possible, and the white parts of the manga as white as possible WITHOUT compromising the clarity of the image. You can over and under level a scan, which still happens to me on a semi regular basis when scanning an unbound manga. I use different manual leveling guidelines depending on whether I am scanning for samples or scanning for scanlations.
Scanning for Samples
When scanning for samples (scanning for scanlation further below), drag the black point across to the first peak in the histogram (from the left). If you find that it is too dark, back off a little bit, but do not go past the centre point of the first peak. It is better to fall short than go past.
When scanning for samples, drag the white point across to the first valley in the histogram (from the right) if it makes sense to do so. If the initial white point seems to be stretching up alongside the far edge, you will not wish to drag the white point too far inwards. If you do, you will lose some shading and definition.
Note in the image below that while the white point has been dragged across to the first valley, the image has lost some of its lighter shading and definition.
You will have to play around with the settings to find out what works best in your software and by your eye. There are always exceptions to the rule, making this a bit of a difficult process to get used to in the beginning, but you will find leveling during the scanning process makes working with the images later much easier (especially if you scan as much as I do).
In the example below, you will not want to move the white point hardly at all. The histogram's initial white point fixes itself all the way up along the side. This almost always happens when the scanner is having to contend with a book's curve, which translates into gutter shadow. Even though you can see some shading in the gutter (the centre of the book), there are other ways to deal with this, and are best not tampered with during the scanning process. Keep your focus fixed to the centre spine of the two pages themselves or any region away from the centre of the book itself. Naturally, the farther away from the glass the pages are, the more shadow will be created, which is why it is important to weight the top down as much as possible. The only way to really eliminate this complication is to debind the manga -- this is personal preference.
For reasons of aesthetics, and making the whites as white as possible, you can try tweaking the white point just a little bit even when the histogram's edge is clinging right up alongside. Be mindful of any lighter shading that you might sacrifice.
The lower the white point, the further towards the centre of the first valley you can reposition the white point without sacrificing much of the image quality. Just a reminder to perform all your cropping during the scan. It's not a terrible thing to lose a little bit of the page. However, if you are scanning for scanlation and not using a debound book, scan more than the page itself as seldom are the pages scanned perfectly straight, and the cleaner will need all the "page" they can get when tilting the scan (straightening the page).
Unfortunately, sometimes the art work extends right to the gutter or centre of the book. This makes it very difficult to crop out any curl in the page. In those instances, I would sooner have a noticeable curl in the artwork than have the artwork diminished by being cropped out. Again, personal preference will guide you.
Scanning for Scanlation
When scanning with a debound manga for scanlation, it's often prudent to zoom into the scan itself after the preview scan. This will allow you to crop as perfectly as you like. The advantage of a debound manga when scanning for scanlations is that you can place the pages perfectly straight on the scan bed and not have to concern yourself with tilting (straightening) later on in your graphics program of choice.
With a debound manga, the black and white points will be "true" and unaffected by any interfering gutter shadow.
When scanning with a debound manga for scanlation, final tweaks regarding leveling are best performed in the graphics software. (Addendum Jul-26-06) I have since been experimenting with a new technique where I level three times -- once during scanning and two more times in the graphics program (once before I resize and once after I resize).
Don't risk over-leveling as the image quality will be diminished as a result. Reposition the black point to the edge (from the left side) of the first peak. Reposition the white point about half way between the first peak and valley from the right side. Reposition the mid-point a small degree (-5 in my software) to a slightly lighter point. Depending on how "dirty" the pages are, the resulting scans may only require spot cleaning with a white brush in the graphics program, and to bring luster to the blacks, use the dodge tool or black brush over those specific areas of your image. For dirtier pages, level twice more in the graphics program before spot cleaning.
Why a three step levelling process? It provides the smoothest scans. Levelling once puts you at risk to over-levelling. Gradual levelling minimizes that "dithered" appearance -- especially when gradients are involved.
Why reposition the mid-point? Repositioning only the black and white point often results in a scan that is darker than the original. To emulate the original as much as possible, the mid-point needs to be repositioned to lighten the mid grey tones. And yes, even the mid-point is adjusted at each levelling step.
Note in the screen capture below that the blacks are not solid black (which they should be). When scanning for scanlations, don't risk over-leveling by moving the black point to the centre of the first peak (as discussed further up this page). If you do over-level, you will darken the entire image unnecessarily and potentially lose detail. For scanlations, it's best to use the dodge tool or a black brush in the graphics program to darken the appropriate areas. If you're scanning for samples, you might want to slide the black point a little closer to the centre of the peak and/or auto-level during the batch script process when outputting the images.
scanning 
