[ Mike Walter wrote in 170708 MMDigest:

> Hi all, I am looking to gain access to a large flat bed scanner
> that can scan a poster that is 39" wide and 54" tall.  A black and
> white scanner with capabilities to download the image to a computer
> file is preferred.

Flat bed scanner resolution tends to be low, but distortion is
basically zero.  My response is do-it-yourself:

- Set up the poster in front of a 'high resolution' camera (e.g.,
Canon 5D or best other, not your cellphone!).

- A long focal length camera lens is best; I would use 100 mm or
better.  This minimises distortion which can be fixed in PhotoShop
if it's a concern.

- Use nice, flat daylight to illuminate poster (a cloudy day at
noon-ish, no direct sun).

- Place camera on a stand or table, etc.; definitely not hand held.

- Use a camera cable release (to eliminate camera shake).

- Take pictures at, say, aperture f/8 and use the "RAW" setting if
available.  (RAW allows complete control of all things except focus).

- Load into a Mac (preferred), use Lightroom or PhotoShop (if
necessary).

- Output the final image as a PDF (encode at 300 dpi or at least
200 dpi).

- With friends, or your own equipment, the above can be no cost
(except time).

- Check with Kinkos, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Fedex, etc.,
some of which may have a large format printer, black & white or full
color.  (This is the costly part).

Hope this is helpful.

Cheers,
Jim Marke