Gatton Park Lone Elm (XP2 crop of #1)

Less compressed version: https://flic.kr/p/GuWTAi

This might help. http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/scanning/index.php

Brilliant. Thank you Eric. I have an Epson scanner and I use the scanner software but I do also have Vuescan though I never understood how to use it. I will digest this information. Unfortunately, I only have an old laptop. I don't have a desktop computer or monitor and my laptop screen is dreadful. I do my best but often I can't really tell whether it's the image or the laptop screen as it lost its anti-reflective coating years ago and it also has some damage. I tend to scroll the image to help me detect whether it's the image or the screen. I'll get a new laptop when this one stops working, which may be many years or a few. I am not really that keen on modern things. We might get central heating one day! Also one day we must replace the pre-war vulcanised india rubber wiring and the lead water pipes but that's another problem and unlikely to happen in the next 40 years or so.

Incidentally, Elms (ulmus minor var. vulgaris, not the same as the American Elm) were almost wiped out from the UK by Dutch Elm Disease. They are now rare having been extremely widespread and highly valued as specimen trees both to look at and for the valuable timber. Water mains pipes were often made from Elm prior to the widespread use of metal pipes.

" a lot of messing about with scanner settings which despite that has still produced a flat picture" . Yep & unsharp too, despite you're blaming my people for a tree disease my advise to you is: get your gear together "Eric Rose This might help" thanks a lot !

That is the name of the tree disease in English because it was identified by Dutch scientists in 1921. It certainly does not imply blame in any way. I wonder whether the residents of the respective areas are offended by the names West Nile Virus, Ebola Virus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme Disease (to give a few examples)?

Everything I post seems to be unsharp according to you. It is not just a question of scanner settings but the resizing in order to post here. I will investigate further using the information that Eric has kindly provided.

Better say nothing at all. Language is worth a thousand pounds a word! Keep up the good work.

I wish language was worth that per word. The other thing about this print is it is a big enlargement of a fairly small part of the negative. I have been playing with XP2 seeing it what it can do at different EI's. It may be that the enlargement has exceeded what can produce acceptable resolution (when subjected to close scrutiny). The actual print seen from a normal viewing distance looks fine.

I've had a think about this. This might be an issue with pearl paper. Possibly the texture of the surface leads to a scan that isn't very sharp. I am going to experiment with a print printed on both pearl and gloss and see if there is a difference in sharpness when scanned. I don't actually like gloss paper though...