I keep getting this line in my scans.

[Ariston]

I thought I had it corrected, but it came back. I keep getting this line in my scans. The film is not scratched. I have an Epson V550. Any ideas?

 

[Anon Ymous]

If using Vuescan, you can calibrate your scanner. This usually gets rid of such lines.

 

[MNM]

check for dust or other material at the top of the film holder or under it. There's some small holes that the scanner uses for calibration and identifying the holder. Three in a triangle and 2 more to the sides perhaps? If something is blocking one of the holes or even just a spot on the glass directly below you can get lines like this.

 

[Trail Images]

Not familiar with the Epson units, but the Microtek i900 I've used since they were first released years ago now has had lines too at times. I found that it was dust on the scanning element. I used very light pressure compressed air to blow the scanning bay clean and each time it removed the lines from my scans.

 

[shutterfinger]

Epson scanners gas out and leave residue on the under side of the bed glass, mirrors, lens front, and in some cases the lens rear and sensor. Removing the sensor to clean it or the rear of the lens requires realignment of the sensor which is not an easy job.
The sensor and lens may be in a sealed block that cannot be opened. The under side of the bed glass, some of the mirrors are accessible by removing the bed cover. The transparency adapter glass may need cleaning on both sides also.

 

[Doug Fisher]

The smallest speck of dust on the top or underside of the scanner's glass bed located in the area under the calibration gap of the film holder will cause this. Have you really, really cleaned the glass to a dust-free condition in this area? (95% of people solve this problem by getting the dust situation under control.) If so, then another thing to try is running a few scans with the scanner tilted on its side at about 80 degrees (not a full 90 degrees) to see if you can get any internal dust to fall off. If those things fail to cure your problem, you have to open up the unit as mentioned above.

Doug

 

[Les Sarile]

If you reverse/move the film and the line stays then it's the sensor. In digital cameras this is called a dead pixel. In a scanner, the sensor travels top to bottom and that dead pixel therefore leaves a trail (line) of no data.
I would guess that changing your scan resolution will have adjacent pixels "fill-in" for missing pixel(s)?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I agree with Doug Fisher that the first thing to look for is dust in the calibration area.

 

[BMbikerider]

I have a venerable Epson V500 and have had this problem a couple of times close together. The solution was to thoroughly clean the upper surface of the scanner glass plate and the plate in the top cover where the scan head sits. I do mean thorough.!
I used isopropyl alcohol twice wiping it dry with a lint free cloth, then sprayed the surfaces with a cheap domestic polish which has anti static properties and it is now functioning as well as it did when new.

 

[Ariston]

I have a venerable Epson V500 and have had this problem a couple of times close together. The solution was to thoroughly clean the upper surface of the scanner glass plate and the plate in the top cover where the scan head sits. I do mean thorough, I used isopropyl alcohol twice wiping it dry with a lint free cloth, then sprayed the surfaces with a cheap domestic polish which has anti static properties and it is now functioning as well as it did when new.

Okay - I was unsure if it was intermittent failure or from a definite cause. I need to get the scanner up off the floor. That is where all the dust ends up!

 

[logan2z]

I have a venerable Epson V500 and have had this problem a couple of times close together. The solution was to thoroughly clean the upper surface of the scanner glass plate and the plate in the top cover where the scan head sits. I do mean thorough, I used isopropyl alcohol twice wiping it dry with a lint free cloth, then sprayed the surfaces with a cheap domestic polish which has anti static properties and it is now functioning as well as it did when new.

I had a similar issue with my Epson scanner, and thoroughly cleaning the glass plate in the scanner's top cover rectified it for me as well.

 

[Juusten]

If using Vuescan, you can calibrate your scanner. This usually gets rid of such lines.

I've got the same problem with my scanner - what do you mean by "calibrate" - calibrating with the IT8 target or some other process?

 

[Anon Ymous]

I've got the same problem with my scanner - what do you mean by "calibrate" - calibrating with the IT8 target or some other process?

No, it's a menu option. IIRC it's the Scanner menu, Calibrate option, I'm not at home at the moment, so can't check.

 

[Juusten]

No, it's a menu option. IIRC it's the Scanner menu, Calibrate option, I'm not at home at the moment, so can't check.

Found that option in the scanner menu, unfortunatley it's greyed out with my scanner (UMAX PowerLook 1120)

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

If you reverse/move the film and the line stays then it's the sensor. In digital cameras this is called a dead pixel. In a scanner, the sensor travels top to bottom and that dead pixel therefore leaves a trail (line) of no data.
I would guess that changing your scan resolution will have adjacent pixels "fill-in" for missing pixel(s)?

Les does the sensor head also move left to right or are their pixels all the way across?