Document Actions
Standards
Scanning Standards by Type of Material
- Text (Books)
- Documents (Handwritten, Ledgers, Receipts)
- Photographs (Prints)
- Photographs (Negatives and Slides)
- Large Format (Posters and Maps) Above 17 x 24 inches (A2)
Digital image collections incorporated into the UNT Libraries' permanent collections must adhere to the minimum requirements given below. Depending on the specific objectives of the projects, higher resolutions may be desirable for some materials. Please note that this document is not intended to address all technical issues and does not describe the details of operational procedures. See project-specific guidelines for further information.
Text (Books)
| Image Types |
Bit Depth |
Color Space |
Resolution (ppi) |
Scale |
File Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B&W Text Only | 1-bit | Bitonal | 600ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed or lossless compression no LZW) |
| B&W Text with Illustrations (Photos, Drawings, Plates, Charts) | 8-bit | Grayscale | 400ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
| Text w/ Continuous-Tone Images & Photos (Color) | 24-bit | RGB | 400ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
Special Instructions for Book Scanning
Bitonal
Crop text to include a solid white background with a uniform margin. Save only the text. Erase black spots created by stains or notes on the original page unless the notes are a valuable part of the content.
Grayscale
In the case of a page that includes both text and an image, crop the scanned image to include the outline of the book as well as a uniform black border.
In the case of a page that is just a plate, crop the scanned image so that there is no border--just the page itself.
In the case of a document such as a map or a deed, crop the image with a uniform black border.
RGB color
Use only where the color is an integral part of the content. Crop scanned image to include a uniform black margin from the felt surface of the Zeutschel table.
Documents (Handwritten, Ledgers, Receipts)
| Image Types |
Bit Depth |
Color Space |
Resolution (ppi) |
Scale |
File Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B&W Text Only* | 1-bit | Bitonal | 600ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed or lossless compression no LZW) |
| Handwritten Documents, Ledgers |
8-bit | Grayscale | 400ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
| Correspondence, Letters |
24-bit | RGB | 400ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
* We recommend scanning handwritten documents in grayscale or color.
Photographs (Prints)
| Image Types |
Bit Depth |
Color Space |
Resolution (ppi) |
Scale |
File Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B&W Photographs | 8-bit | Grayscale | 600ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
| Color Photographs |
24-bit | RGB | 600ppi | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
*As of April, 2009, we scan both sides of a photograph even if one side is blank.
Photographs (Negatives and Slides)
| Image Types |
Bit Depth |
Color Space |
Resolution (ppi) |
Scale |
File Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B&W Negatives & Slides |
8-bit | Grayscale | 5000 pixels across the longest side* | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
| Color Negatives & Slides | 24-bit | RGB | 5000 pixels across the longest side* | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
* Not sure how to figure 5000 pixels across the longest side? Download a film sizes guide.
Large Format (Posters and Maps) Above 17 x 24 inches (A2)
| Image Types |
Bit Depth |
Color Space |
Resolution (ppi) |
Scale |
File Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B&W Maps/Posters |
8-bit | Grayscale | 5000 - 10000 pixels across the longest side | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |
| Color Maps/Posters | 24-bit | RGB | 5000 - 10000 pixels across the longest side | 100% (1:1) | Tiff (uncompressed) |