Any Advice on old &/or new Photo Scanners?

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SeanMcD

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We have been using a Kodak PS50 photo scanner for years. We then purchased a PS80 which offered more. When Kodak discontinued the PS photo scanners, we found a 2nd PS80, but without a dongle. That was no problem because we already had one and they were not going to operating at the same time. What I didn't realize, until a few years later, was how bad the bankruptcy really was. They discontinued products that were not a large income for the company. Kodak discontinued the PS scanners 100%. They then removed the verification page from the site, so if you didn't already have the program installed and verified, you could no longer install the program to a new computer. (Luckily, I found a past Kodak employee that had the last updated version of the program where the verification part of the program was removed. We could install the program on any computer, as long as you had the dongle to operate it.) It made me feel the way I did with Adobe and Acrobat 7. They took it back, more or less. You might have had it installed in your computer, but they turned it off.

Well, we cleaned the scanners on a regular basis and found that only some parts were available to buy for replacement pieces. After a few years, lines appearing on the scanned images. We tried to clean the scanner more and have had no luck. I have a feeling that inside on the glass plate that scans the front side of the photos, there might be a scratch or something. We now have the same type of line on two of the scanners, not in the same place. We used to use Kodak i1420 document scanners and I've seen the same type of lines on scanned documents. It just means the clear plastic image guide was scratched and needed to be replaced. We did that for years, but you don't have the option with the PS photo scanners.

Does anyone know of any options we might have to get them looked at and/or fixed? The main problem is the availability help and needed parts. Kodak has all of their scanners the same way as Fujitsu. Some basic parts are available to replace, but otherwise; you have to find a company that's signed a contract with them and has access to the "real" user manual and the ability to order the needed parts. I'm afraid we might be at a dead end with photo scanners that have always worked terrifically.

Second, if I'm right and we no longer have these scanners, what photo scanner do you think would be the best replacement - Not Canon? Last, Kodak updated the Kodak Picture Saver Scanning System program and it easily organizes and titles your scans. Does this program work with any other scanner, or is that program for the PS scanners only? The reason I ask is because of the need of the dongle to use it. I would imagine that that's now just a program Kodak threw away and can't be used any longer.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Sean


By the way, I know scanning negatives are better, I studied photography. We're a document scanning company that had clients ask us about converting their old photos and movies. 10 years ago, we added photo scanning and video conversion. We do this for clients who just want to throw away there old photos, save them to an external drive and share them. We scan 2000-7000 photos a day for clients. The kodak scanner has always given us clean and sharp scans. All other scanners that we've tried, seem to produce images of the photos with dots/pixels and not a smooth photo. We'll spend a day trying different settings, but none seem to be as clean.
 
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MattKing

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Welcome to Photrio.
Have you reached out to "Alaris" - the part of the Kodak business that went as a result of the bankruptcy which is actively involved in document scanning technology.
They have been hived off of Kodak Alaris - who market and distribute Kodak photographic still film.
 
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Crowley scans for the Rockefeller Archives.

Rockefeller also has inside scanners where they scan themselves.
Here are some other links. Maybe you can glean some leads. Also why not call them directly. Maybe they can guide you.
Good luck
 

Atassie

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We have been using a Kodak PS50 photo scanner for years. We then purchased a PS80 which offered more. When Kodak discontinued the PS photo scanners, we found a 2nd PS80, but without a dongle. That was no problem because we already had one and they were not going to operating at the same time. What I didn't realize, until a few years later, was how bad the bankruptcy really was. They discontinued products that were not a large income for the company. Kodak discontinued the PS scanners 100%. They then removed the verification page from the site, so if you didn't already have the program installed and verified, you could no longer install the program to a new computer. (Luckily, I found a past Kodak employee that had the last updated version of the program where the verification part of the program was removed. We could install the program on any computer, as long as you had the dongle to operate it.) It made me feel the way I did with Adobe and Acrobat 7. They took it back, more or less. You might have had it installed in your computer, but they turned it off.

Well, we cleaned the scanners on a regular basis and found that only some parts were available to buy for replacement pieces. After a few years, lines appearing on the scanned images. We tried to clean the scanner more and have had no luck. I have a feeling that inside on the glass plate that scans the front side of the photos, there might be a scratch or something. We now have the same type of line on two of the scanners, not in the same place. We used to use Kodak i1420 document scanners and I've seen the same type of lines on scanned documents. It just means the clear plastic image guide was scratched and needed to be replaced. We did that for years, but you don't have the option with the PS photo scanners.

Does anyone know of any options we might have to get them looked at and/or fixed? The main problem is the availability help and needed parts. Kodak has all of their scanners the same way as Fujitsu. Some basic parts are available to replace, but otherwise; you have to find a company that's signed a contract with them and has access to the "real" user manual and the ability to order the needed parts. I'm afraid we might be at a dead end with photo scanners that have always worked terrifically.

Second, if I'm right and we no longer have these scanners, what photo scanner do you think would be the best replacement - Not Canon? Last, Kodak updated the Kodak Picture Saver Scanning System program and it easily organizes and titles your scans. Does this program work with any other scanner, or is that program for the PS scanners only? The reason I ask is because of the need of the dongle to use it. I would imagine that that's now just a program Kodak threw away and can't be used any longer.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Sean


By the way, I know scanning negatives are better, I studied photography. We're a document scanning company that had clients ask us about converting their old photos and movies. 10 years ago, we added photo scanning and video conversion. We do this for clients who just want to throw away there old photos, save them to an external drive and share them. We scan 2000-7000 photos a day for clients. The kodak scanner has always given us clean and sharp scans. All other scanners that we've tried, seem to produce images of the photos with dots/pixels and not a smooth photo. We'll spend a day trying different settings, but none seem to be as clean.

Hey, do you have a copy of this software I could use by chance?
 

wiltw

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An issue that you can also run into is that the original vendor has failed to test their driver software on versions of the O/S released years after the scanner was on the market, so even if you have a working unit, its scanning software might not function.
In the case of Canon, the 8800 scanner does work even with Windows 10 even though its driver was not validated to operate on Windows 10, and the Canon scanning software is also not officially supported on Window 10 either, but it works.
 

Jon Buffington

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I know this is an older thread but a resource that can provide services for older electronics, printers, scanners, etc. is AES.
https://www.aesintl.com/

They repaired a Kodak Pakon F135+ for me about 6-8 years ago and others have used them. Seems they offer repair services for older commercial Kodak products. Quick and affordable turnaround.
 
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