Smitty615 Loc: Columbus, OH

I have somehow lost several images out of my iMac library that I need, so I have scanned actual photos of them back into my library but when I go to have 4x6 copies made, they come out not of usable quality. What might the problem be? The scanner I am using is a Canon TS 9020.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You should scan to the highest PIXEL RESOLUTION your scanner can support. Take a run of the mill 24MP camera. That's a camera creating image files of 6000x4000 pixels. If your scanner supported 6000x4000, those scanned images would be the same pixel resolution as using your 24MP camera.

If you want a gold-standard print of a pixel-based image, you need to achieve 300 pixels per inch aka 300 ppi. That is 'printed' inch, so your 4x6inch print is 1200x1800 pixels, or a 2.2MP image file. (1200x1800/1000000=2.16MP).

Any scan setting that reaches 1200x1800 pixels into the resulting JPEGs will create images for 4x6 printing. Ideally, you'll use a larger pixel resolution, say 2000x3000, if you can't get all the way to 4000x6000.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Are you scanning at maximal optical resolution (2400x4800 dpi)?

Smitty615 Loc: Columbus, OH

Thanks. Had not thought about that. Will go back and try again.

Smitty615 Loc: Columbus, OH

Thank you. That did the trick. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Smitty615 Loc: Columbus, OH

Thank you very much for your suggestion. That solved my problem.