Without a wide-format scanner, you could be turning away business. That’s because growing numbers of organizations, companies and government entities are in need of wide-format scan services. They range from architects, engineers and contractors to manufacturing companies, oil and gas utilities, grade schools and federal, state and municipal governments, to name just a few.
Given image quality improvements and scanner price reductions, this may be the best time ever to reap added profit through wide-format scanning.
“There are a few ways print providers can get business if they have a scanner,” said Chip Hollingsworth, technical services manager for Paradigm Imaging in Costa Mesa, CA. Paradigm is a distributor of large-format scanners for Colortrac, Graphtec, and Kurabo. “Lots of times people will have paper originals and need to get scanned documents from them,” Hollingsworth said.
“In addition to architectural and engineering documents needing scanning, there is courtroom work. Lawyers need to create exhibits for court trials, which may involve taking an image, blowing it up, printing and mounting it on an easel.”
Scanning services can also be provided to artists. A painter for example, might sell a painting for $5,000, later offering limited prints of the work for $500 each. “For artists running galleries, this is a business opportunity allowing them to go further from a revenue standpoint,” he said. “When scanning artwork, you need a flatbed scanner, such as a Kurabo 24-by-36-inch flatbed scanner.”
The scanning of maps used by those working in geographical information systems and land management is yet another demand area, said Greg Kockler, technical segment Americas product manager with HP in San Diego. Oil and gas utilities are in need of scanning services, especially in this age of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” And elementary schools in particular require scanning to produce the education graphics that adorn classrooms, Kockler reported.