How to Make a Print from Old Slides on a Flatbed Scanner

Old 35mm photographic slides will lighten and become weak in time. A scanner attached to a PC permits to take images on old slides, and digitize and save on a PC for printing. Most flatbed scanners are ready with a special attachment on inside cover for holding a slide in its original cardboard mount. If scanner model does not have a slide adapter, special templates are accessible for arranging many slides on scanner. Digital imaging software is utilized to clean up scanned photo, adjusting color, removing scratches and even taking away red-eye problems caused by flash photography.

Instructions

1. Step 1

Explode slide with some bursts of compressed air to take out dust and dirt specks that can become magnified in a printed picture.

2. Step 2

Put in slide adapter in cover of flatbed scanner. The adapter has a groove on every side the width of a standard 35 mm slide in its mount. The slide slips into grooves, which handle it flat and level.

If scanner is not set with an adapter, purchase an adapter or plastic model that handles many slides for scanning together.

3. Step 3

Close the scanners cover and push "Power" or "On" button. Switch on the PC and printer.

4. Step 4

Push "Scan" button to scan and move the image on slide to PC. Your scanner software must run automatically on PC when "Scan" button is pressed.

5. Step 5

Check slide image on PC monitor for color quality, faults, cuts or other issues. Utilize software like Adobe Photoshop to change color, crop and image size, cover up scratches and delete other defects.

6. Step 6

The size of photo printing paper should be tested and fit the image into it. E.g. if making 5x7 inch prints, click "Image" tab showing scanned file, then select "Image Size". Enter the wanted dimensions in Width and Height boxes as 5 and 7 (inches), or reverse based on image orientation, then tick "OK".

7. Step 7

Click on "File" button with the scanned photo on show, then select "Print" from drop-down menu.

8. Step 8

Choose a printer to utilize if more than one is attached to PC. Load the printer with photo printing paper. Click "OK". A print of scanned image must appear from printer in some minutes, based on speed of the printer.