Recurring problem with V600 scanner with lines

I have this recurring problem with my V600 where I get some lines running through all of the pics in a 645 negative strip. My understanding is that it is caused by dirt in the calibration area, the cutout at the top of the Epson film holder. Today though I cleaned the glass before I started and yet I still got a few lines. And this happens regularly and usually the remedy is to clean the glass again. I'm using 70% isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth to clean. Am I doing something wrong, or is there a way to prevent this? I get these and have to clean the glass again and it'll wipe off but I'd like to have a sure way of eliminating them.

In the pic you can see the line below the bottom-most leaf on the right. I tried to emphasize it in Lightroom but the color is so similar to the water that any change I'd make would change the background to it too. The line runs all the way through but it is hard to see anywhere else. There's also a second line barely visible dead center.

I sometimes get a dark bar along the side of a negative scan. I attribute it to the scanner picking up a reflection off the ribbon cable. Not the best scanner, IMO.

I went back to the scanner and gave it another wipe with alcohol and tried again and there were no lines.

zacfi said:

I went back to the scanner and gave it another wipe with alcohol and tried again and there were no lines.

Click to expand...

That's comforting!
The cyan lines associated with the leaf and in the center of the image do indeed look like typical 'calibration-area' lines, although other causes can also play a role. Especially the fact that they're seemingly pure cyan suggests they're happening on the red channel, only. This means it can also be tiny dust on the sensor strip itself, or a malfunction in the actual sensor. The line just left of the vertical twig and just left of center frame looks like a different kind of problem. It's between the red lines in the snippet below. This could be a hairline scratch on the negative.

When troubleshooting dust in the calibration area of the platen, keep in mind that the dust can also adhere to the underside of the glass. At some point with these scanners it becomes necessary to clean the glass on both sides. It's not difficult to open up the scanner and lift out the glass, fortunately.

I rescanned this photo, the next photo on the strip, and here is the before wiping the glass again and after. You can see the lines from the photo I posted above continued down to this one too in the same place, the one on the right they are gone. Any differences in the water are due to dust removal attempts in LR. It is obvious in the sky.



Your eyes play tricks on you too, the docks look like they are angled differently but they are the same photo.

Looks good!