Merchandise Photography: Scanning the Printed

"How to Maximize Your Ebay, Etsy, Offerup, 5miles etc.. listings with better pictures" by DRG. This for beginners to advanced operations and beginners alike. Also covered is a wide array of new age technology selling methods, merchandise photography and scanning, efficient shipping strategies and even time management as far as advertising is involved.

In this Hub we cover the following: Scanning The Printed!

This chapter is particular to people who sell certain things than can be scanned. Please check the list below to see if this applies. Also if it does not apply, read along to learn about some items that you can sell in an efficient way.

For those of you that sell:

1. Jewelry

2. Sports Cards

3. Books/Magazines

4. Prints: (etchings, engraving, lithographs etc...)

5. Coupons

6. Photos

7. Paintings (any flat canvas)

8. CDs

9. Posters

10. Stencils

11. Comic Books

12. Newspapers

13. Stamps

14. Cloth patterns

15. Small plates

Just to name a few and give you an idea. These items can all be scanned and it is safe to do so. Here are some examples of the benefits of scanning items:

Scanning Jewelry

Scanning jewelry is a great way to naturally advertise. You can even alter the background by simply adding a background under the cover of your scanned.

Scanning Prints & Paintings

If you were to search on Ebay for prints like, engravings, lithographs, etching and even a painted canvas, etc... what you see is pictures of prints in frames or on a flat surface. Trust me, this is not a good quality picture.Depending on your scanner bed size you can scan these items rather take a picture of. Of course make sure the canvas is dry when you scan it.

Scanning Stamps

When you search for stamps online, you'll more than likely see pictures of stamps. Scanning stamps enlarges them to a great quality. Also there's the very time consuming bunches of stamps. You can line up or place anywhere on the scanner bed as many stamps as you can fit and it will separate them in JPEG

The remainder of items on my list you'll see pictures of items. Simply put, if you scan the items rather snapping a shot of it, it will blow up to great scrutiny! For most of these items (usually over 1 ft) you will need a bigger scanning bed but for the most part any standard scanner should do. Some scanners have a higher DPI than others meaning that it will blow the scanned image up to more pixel depth making it a pristine scan. In particular for prints it does an amazing job and in some scanners can be pictured in real size format.

Below is an image of a scanned etching to show the depth of scanning a print or anything that can be scanned. Double tap the print to focus in.

A great Print & Scanner Deal. Recently Canon released the Pixma MG2920 with remarkable advanced scanning solutions. It's a must have for a power seller or amateur seller alike scanning at 4800 * 600 dpi. Also the printer and scanner is wireless. Having a wireless printer has many advantages unknown. This printer allows you to print even if your not home. Also there is the cloud storage and compatibility to third party technology that enables access from an app across any pc or mobile OS platform. If your a seller and go on vacation you can still print to home or business your shipping labels for business to commence.

Below is a Canon Pixma MG2920

Thuis article is to basically let you know that taking scanning items as oppose to taking pictures is a smarter decision. Try it out and you will instantly see the results. Many printers come with a scanner and most people don't even use their scanners. Aside of selling items, scanners are good for documentation purposes. Scan your bills or your ID and important documents to have a digital copy in case you lose your purse or wallet. PLease be sure to keep that in an online drive that is secure or a personal thumb drive and store it in your safe or P.O. box if you have one.

Here are some scanning tips:

The time saver

A great time saver for those of you who sell sports cards, stamps, stencils and the more smaller items. You don't have to scan one by one. The new common printer & scanner bundles are actually smart devices. You can lay down a bunch of cards (with minimal 1mm separation) and it will be saved as individual pictures to a great quality. For stamp sellers than means you can scan up 100's of stamps at one time, depending on your scanner bed size. For print sellers, (and by print sellers I mean fine prints) the scanner allows the print to be scrutinized for condition. By scanning both front and back a potential buyer can date and tell the type of paper it's on. In other words, no need for a magnifying glass.