How to Create the Digital Version of a Book

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Scanning a book can have two meanings: reading a book quickly or converting the pages of a book into digital files. People want to read books quickly to learn a large amount of information quickly and efficiently. Instead, there are other reasons that lead them to want a digital version of a book. For example, if a book you love is breaking down, scanning its pages will allow you to get a permanent digital copy of it. Read on to find out how.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Scan a Book

Step 1. Choose a scanner

Depending on your needs and what you can afford, the options are: flatbed or sheet insertion scanners.

• The flatbed scanner is less expensive and allows precise digitization. Also, there is no need to separate the pages of the book or destroy the binding; you can use these scanners to scan anything you can put on the glass, not just paper documents. It is a simple and flexible tool, especially suitable for books.

• With the sheet insertion scanner you can scan both sides of a page much faster. The space required by the machine is the same, but scanning a bound book is impossible with this type of scanner (unless you destroy the book by separating the pages). Here are some of the other disadvantages of the sheet insertion scanner:

  • The moving parts dedicated to loading sheets can jam and fail, rendering the scanner unusable.
  • These scanners are not intended for books, but for scanning documents consisting of many single pages.
  • These scanners usually offer less detailed pages; the pages will have to move inside the scanner to be read by the machine.

  

  Step 2. Look for an extended warranty when purchasing your scanner

  A good insertion scanner, even a low-level one, is an investment.

  • If you will use your scanner a lot, get an extended warranty.
  • Consider getting one from a third party.

  

  Step 3. Separate the pages of the book

  This step is necessary if you want to use a sheet insertion scanner. With a flatbed one, it is still a good idea to separate the pages to get excellent image quality and avoid damaging the scanner (since to scan a bound book you have to press the cover of the book firmly on the glass).

  If there is a copy shop in your area, ask if they can remove the binding of your book using a prism cutter. This operation will cost you very little and will save you a lot of time; you can skip the following steps and all pages will be accurate and glue-free

  

  Step 4. Remove the binding from the book

  Contrary to what you may think, there are simple ways to do this, for both hardcover and paper cover books:

  • Hard Cover: Use a knife to cut the paper zipper between the cover and the sheets. Then pass a damp, not wet sponge over the tube to remove the paper residue.
  • Paper Cover: Use a medium heat hair dryer to gradually heat the glue that holds the bound paper. Then just pull the pages to remove them.

  

  Step 5. Use a utility knife to cut the pages into groups of 20

  You can start from the first page and go to the last. Or you can fold the book in half in the center and cut two equal portions in the center, then cut each portion in half and so on.

  

  Step 6. If possible, remove the binding glue, along with a thin strip of paper, with a sharp knife or industrial scissors

  Scissors are not essential, but if you decide to buy them, choose a sharp type so that you can easily get thin strips.

  • When using a roller cutter, overlap the paper well on the work surface, otherwise you will not be able to cut the edges well.
  • Also, for greater accuracy, when using a roller cutter, cut a few sheets at a time. With this tool, the margins will be narrower on one side. Good scissors and a photo editing program will allow you to get professional looking pages at the end of the job.

  

  Step 7. Remove the remaining glue on each page to protect the scanner

  If you've used industrial scissors or a roller cutter to remove the binding glue, you won't have much to remove.

  • There may also be some adhesive glue - remove it to avoid paper loading problems.
  • If you notice streaks on the images you scanned, some glue may have settled on the glass. Remove the glue from the glass with a soft cotton cloth moistened with isopropyl alcohol or glass cleaner.

  

  Step 8. As far as possible, do not change the layout

  If the pages are no longer in order after the preparation phase, arrange them in the correct order.

  

  Step 9. If you don't have Paper Port, purchase it or purchase a similar program

  Paper Port links digital pages together and converts them to various formats such as PDF, tiff, JPEG, PNG, etc. PDF files have the advantage that they cannot be accidentally altered while reading. For normal quality scanning, PDF or tiff files are sufficient.

  

  Step 10. Also consider downloading the Windows Live image editing program or similar program

  Use Windows Live to correct rough edges on pages by cropping them. These rough edges are caused by the book separating into individual pages and can be distracting. Use the "straighten image" and "crop" features of Windows Live.

  If you wish, make your scan jobs technically correct. Windows Live lets you get a uniformly sized final product with no configuration required

  

  Step 11. Make a digital copy of all pages, including blank pages:

  these pages have a purpose - they stop the flow of thoughts. If you don't include blank pages, make a note of them. For example, if you omitted blank pages 95 and 96, put a note on page 94 (write: "page 95 and 96 were blank"), because in the future you may think that pages are missing otherwise. Make the digital page number match the printed page number, or be very similar, so that when you use Adobe Reader, it will be easier to consult the book.

  

  Step 12. Protect your scanner by inserting one page at a time

  Scanner jams accelerate wear.

  Pages merged from Paper Port can be separated into individual pages with the same program, but if you save multiple pages in one image with your scanner, you will not be able to edit that file. If you scan each page separately, you can correct any errors by repeating a single scan

  

  Step 13. Make a note of how your scanner assigns the number to scans

  If your scanner assigns an increasing number to each scan, do nothing. This is optimal for inserting a missing page or a page that needs to be scanned again.

  • If your scanner defaults to date and time to title scans, change the configuration to an increasing number. It will be much easier to work this way.
  • When working with scans named by date and time, one option, albeit a tedious one, is to change the numbers to sequential numbers. Your best bet when working with time stamped scans is to divide the page into small groups. Pages have a tendency to stay in sequence when working with small groups.
  • When using Paper Port, work with a few pages at a time. The program works much faster with small amounts of pages. Instead of organizing 350 pages in a single step, divide them into groups of 60 pages - it will also be less heavy on your computer memory.

  

  Step 14. Use color scan for the cover (front and back) and for the pages with color photographs

  Experiment with different DPI settings and check the size of each page when working on a full-color book. Multiplying the digital page size by the number of pages will allow you to calculate the total file size.

  • Choose the DPI carefully considering the readability and size of the scan. Color scans take up a lot of space. Check the time it takes to scan a high-DPI page - it will take minutes, while a black and white scan, with the default DPI setting, will take seconds.
  • Each color scan must be edited with a photo editing program such as Windows Live Photo Gallery, as the text will appear washed out. In Windows Live, use the “adjust exposure” function and then “highlights” to make the text characters darker.

  

  Step 15. Use "grayscale" for black and white images

  If the page contains images and text, modify the exposure to make the text readable. The modification here will be absolutely necessary, because the grayscale scans will be pale.

  On Windows Live Photo Gallery, go to "edit exposure" and adjust the "highlights" selector. Change this setting to make the text darker and you will not be able to distinguish it from black and white text. Changing the highlights option will not affect the image or photo

  

  Step 16. For text, set the scanner to black and white and not auto

  If you set this to automatic, the scanner will automatically choose between black and white, color and grayscale, but often not accurately.

  

  Step 17. Check the digital images

  Always save them as a tiff file as this will make them easy to navigate and edit. Even though the final format will be PDF (Paper Port can only merge PDF files), it is difficult to browse individual files in PDF format.

  For example, if you were checking 100 pages of TIFF files, you could quickly scroll through them all; if instead they were in PDF you should open them one at a time. Also, PDF files cannot be edited, so if you have a 100-page PDF file including some of low quality, you won't be able to do anything about it. For this reason, initially save your scans in TIFF or other formats that can be edited, and convert them to PDF later

  

  Step 18. After checking the images, save them in PDF format

  Then, using Paper Port, merge the pages into one file. Grouped files can be separated if you find an error. A merged PDF file will be easier to check.

  

  Step 19. Prepare a good backup system on your hard drive or external drive

  This is a precaution against computer failures, errors and inadvertent deletions. If your backup system doesn't work, restore deleted items from the Recycle Bin. A scan can confuse you and you can make mistakes. Ideally, you should scan with a rested and clear mind, but as this won't always be the case, guard against mistakes with a backup system.

  

  Step 20. Try not to change the layout of the pages, especially the margins

  A book with small fonts is a good candidate for scanning, but don't crop the scan and don't shrink the margins (for example because you want to make the book more readable), because they serve a purpose. Margins are like an image frame, and a page looks better with them.

  When reading a book with small fonts on your computer, you can easily enlarge the fonts using the "zoom" feature. When working with very small print books, you can crop each page slightly to make the final product a few percentage points larger and more readable

  Method 2 of 2: Scan a Book by Reading It Quickly

  

  Step 1. Look at the index

  The table of contents, at the beginning of the book, is a great description of the structure of the book. Take some time to learn the structure of the book before proceeding with the reading.

  You are giving the brain a basis on which to enter information. If you don't learn the structure of the book and start reading, your brain will have to create the structure of the theme on its own before it can sort the information. To do this, it takes time and mental effort. Save yourself this effort by studying the index for 30 seconds before you start reading

  

  Step 2. Read the introductions and the end of the chapters

  In many cases, the introductions describe the course of what will be written, while the end of the chapters often summarizes what the author has explained throughout the chapter.

  

  Step 3. Read the beginning and the end of the paragraphs

  The beginning of paragraphs often gives the reader a preview of the content covered in the paragraph. After the sentence describing the topic, there is usually some evidence or justification. If you perform the reading correctly, reading only the sentence that describes the topic will make you understand the theme of the paragraph without having to analyze the tests that follow.

  The end of paragraphs will often contain a transition to the topic of the next paragraph. If you read the last sentence of the paragraph and the first of the following, it will be easier to understand the subject matter

  

  Step 4. Adapt your reading to the book

  Different types of books require different types of reading. A newspaper article is meant to be read quickly, while a math book is not. Before starting the speed reading exercise, decide how much of the book to read and if you can take the time to do in-depth reading.

  Fictional works are notoriously difficult to read quickly. You don't know how the book will end, you won't find a "guide" in the index. If you're reading a fictional book, take a minute or two to read (not quick) a portion of the book that you think is important. Learning about the details will help you tremendously in understanding the plot

  

  Step 5. Stop when you find important parts

  What is the purpose of speed reading if you don't remember or understand the most important parts of the book? Take a moment to slow down when you find interesting things. Really try to understand these important parts of the book. They will be the staging areas of your trip.

  • In some cases, the introduction of an important concept will be announced in textbooks. A section with a peculiar border clearly indicates that you should slow down and interact more with the available material.
  • If you're reading a novel, for example, read a brief summary of one chapter before reading the rest. This way, you will be able to identify the most important parts. When you get to these parts, you will know you need to slow down.

  

  Step 6. Try not to read sections twice

  In some cases, people read sentences twice without realizing it; to avoid re-reading, read more slowly. If you are reading fast but need to reread to understand the information, you probably won't be able to read as fast as someone who follows a slower pace but only reads the sentences once.

  Cover the lines of the book with dark paper once they are read. This way, you won't be tempted to read a line twice. After each row, move the card down

  

  Step 7. Practice

  Practice reading the book quickly at least once a week for 30 minutes. In this time, notice how many pages you can read while remembering the information. The following week, try to beat your own record without sacrificing learning.

  Advice

  • There are expensive copiers / digitizers (costing thousands of euros) which consist of a camera pointing towards the open book. They are mainly used by libraries and archives to copy large or fragile-bound books, or maps.
  • Listen to music, radio or TV while scanning to make the experience more enjoyable.
  • If you can get hold of a copy of Acrobat Pro, you can often scan directly to PDF by skipping the intermediate steps with Paper Port.
  • Clean the inside of the scanner to remove paper particles. Use a can of compressed air, a hair dryer, a mini vacuum cleaner, a duster or a rag.
  • First decide what you want the final format to be: a PDF, a text document or an image file. Scanning a book takes a lot of time and disk space.
  • Always think of ways to improve each step of the scan and adopt them. Improve the speed and ease of scanning.
  • Unplug the power cord between jobs to extend the life of the AC adapter (which can be very expensive).
  • Learn the literacy rules for your program, scanner and Papert Port.
  • When the binding glue is thick, the book has a tendency to break more easily. Therefore, when buying a book (not for scanning), choose one with a moderate amount of binding glue (and consequently more flexible). By opening a book in several pages, you will be able to understand how thick the glue is.
  • Read the manual for Paper Port and your scanner. Read a book about scans. Look for ideas and help on the internet. Ask the copy shop staff questions.

  Warnings

  • Read your scanner instructions! This article provides general guidelines, but each scanner has its own specific procedures that you need to be aware of before proceeding. - Reading the instructions will not only help you use your product better, it will speed up the scanning experience and reduce the possibility of errors.
  • Check online to see if an e-book version of the book already exists. It would be useless to destroy a book only to discover that you could download it in digital version for a few euros.
  • Make sure you follow all copyright laws on printing and distribution. Look inside the cover of the book for the rules on content reproduction. It could say that reproduction is only permitted for non-commercial and educational purposes.
  • If you have to destroy a book by cutting its cover and separating its individual pages to scan it, you will need to compare the value of the book with the value of the digital book, making sure that the latter exceeds the first before proceeding.