scanning currency and Espon tech support - Page 2

kevcoins · 03-11-2009, 08:41 PM

i just got a brother it works great but it wont scan slabbed coins

ML94539 · 03-11-2009, 09:11 PM

maybe you can disable the service that photoshop uses in control panel/ administrative tools/ service instead of uninstalling, since install and unistall take a lot of time, and just enable the service after you are done scanning.

scottishmoney · 03-11-2009, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevcoins

i just got a brother it works great but it wont scan slabbed coins

Slabbed coins are a PITA to scan on just about any scanner, you are almost better off trying to get a decent digital image of them with your camera.

Particularly bad are mirror finish coins, like proofs etc. Silver is the worst, then red bronze or copper, then gold. The best scans are usually darker bronze, then gold and toned silver.

This piece is in a slab, but a dark originally toned coin with even toning:

I have a proof 1860 SL dollar that I cannot image any which way with the scanner, or even my digital camera. I have given up on it. It is blast white, with a mirror finish, in an NGC slab.

Daggarjon · 03-11-2009, 09:41 PM

The issue is not PS. I did uninstall it only because i am so frustrated at the whole thing. Once uninstalled, and rebooted, i tried a scan .. same thing. I get the warning box telling me the scanner cant *blah* *blah* blippity *blah*.

Then i tried something i didnt do before - brain fart.. or aneurysm most likely.... i went into my running processes while the warning box was up .. i checked to see what system resource was behind the GUI ... it is escndv.exe - which so happens to be the running process for the espson scanner. Nothing to do with PS.

I tried scannign to PDF, no luck there either.

I will have to reinstall PS, and yes ML94539, it does take forever. But i had to give it a try. What administrative service are you reffering to? the only one i ever found there was the for Windows Image Acquisition. Stopping or starting that has no effect on the scanning abilities. Is there another service i shoudl look for that is not so easily named?

Tommorow, i am bringing my Canadian, Euro and a note i know will scan.. and try to scan them all at the local best buy. The scanner that works, might get purchased.

Whats a wee bit funny during this whole deplorable process, is that the guy trying to do whats legal is being beaten into the ground.. where the true counterfeiters dont use cheap scanners.. THEY USE PRINTING PLATES. So preventing users like us from scanning does nothing but upset those who use the products... sigh!

How long before all countries have whatever is pereventing the scanner from scanning. How long before all scanners prevent it... how long before all the older scanners alot of folks are using wear out and die?? Whats doing it all.. and no - its not the Eurion symbol. At least not on its own. Some notes with Eurion, scan just fine.. but then others dont. There is more to this mystery.

I will report back here... tommorrow.. from home OR jail

... what my scanning attempts at the local best buy result in.

for now.. the deep set frustration continues.

scottishmoney · 03-12-2009, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daggarjon

Whats a wee bit funny during this whole deplorable process, is that the guy trying to do whats legal is being beaten into the ground.. where the true counterfeiters dont use cheap scanners.. THEY USE PRINTING PLATES. So preventing users like us from scanning does nothing but upset those who use the products... sigh!

Very true, true counterfeiters do use printing plates, but there are not a lot of "true" counterfeiters anymore, now often times it is some pimply teenager playing around and scanning their wallet finds and trying to pass them off.

Making plates and doing a professional looking job is more a thing of the past now. Unless you are the North Korean government or Iran and Syria, doing it the old fashioned way is too much expense and trouble.

Daggarjon · 03-12-2009, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottishmoney

.. now often times it is some pimply teenager playing around and scanning their wallet finds and trying to pass them off...

Very ture, and i unerstand 'some' attampts to be made to thwart they idiocy. But i dont understand why more folks have to deal with the results, then the original offender. let the idiot kids go to juvie or jail if they want to pass off badly scanned currency. Dont make it so the rest of us cant perform legal activities, only to 'try' to stop a few morons from doing illegal things.

Something i think i 'could' live with, is when a scanner scans a currency note, that an invisible watermark is placed on the note. That watermark would then only show when it is printed. But then... it is still legal to actually print currency notes, as long as the correct proceudres are followed ... so not being able to print the note would still inhibit others from legal activities.

my citizen feet certainly are feeling stepped on!

lettow · 03-12-2009, 08:56 AM

Have you tried turning the note upside down or scanning vertically? I have seen posts on other discussion boards that indicate this worked for them.

scottishmoney · 03-12-2009, 09:17 AM

And my wife was recently asking why I keep that old Canon scanner, never used, down in the basement. It is reserve for when the HP 4370 gives up the ghost.

Daggarjon · 03-12-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lettow

Have you tried turning the note upside down or scanning vertically? I have seen posts on other discussion boards that indicate this worked for them.

absolutly lol i tried croocked, reveresed, upside down... everything but on edge

I even cut strips of paper out and placed them over the places where i can see the Eurion symbols, and on the Canada $5 note, i placed a piece of paper over the foil as well.. the scanner still wont scan them.

I placed an email to Epson tech support last night - apparently, the phone tech support is different then email tech support?! The email i sent asked them why the scanner doesnt let me scan newer world currency, and asked them not to insult me by telling me it doesnt prevent the scanning. I asked them to either help me stop the problem in the scanner i have, or tell me which scanner to get that doesnt have that 'problem'. I 'might' have copped a slightly larger additude then needed, especially when i need their help... but this whole thing is so '1984'!!! Im an epsilon .. just give me my pill.

I have not heard back from them, yet. I dont think i might either. They might just use that email as further evidence that the FBI andsecret service need to visit me - heck, i should have given them my address to make it easier on them. in the end, i am doing nothing illegal or wrong!

I will still make my treck to the local best buy store today.. ibrought my $5 note from canada, my $5 euro note and a 1000 Dinara note from yugoslavia. The 1000 dinara note i know scans. Its the other 2 will be a test. If that is, best buy actually has a scanner hooked up to a pc... im really not sure they ever do.

Daggarjon · 03-12-2009, 12:53 PM

So my trip to best buy was better then expected. No, not because of the issue at hand, but only because of the cute salesperson

So i go into best buy, and im walking around looking at their 'stuff. Now, Epson told me directly that Best Buy was a reseller. I left thinking just how that could be!!!! Granted i have a prejudice against best buy as all they ever have in their store is mid to low grade stuff at high end prices. That aside, i knew that going in.

I walk around all the all-in-ones they have in stock. They had maybe 20. i dont want an all-in-one though. I mean i can buy a cheap scanner for $50-$70, how on earth can a scanner, fax, copier and dish-car-per and home window washer.. all come in this 1 little machine for the same or less??? The answer - serious lack of quality. Im not rich

i only wish... So i can only buy in a certain price range. i would rather spend all i can on the 1 item i need, then spend the same amount on 32 flavors, when the 1 flavor i want is now completely crap in quality. So this cute saleperson walks up and asks if she can help, i told her i was looking for a scanner. Now in tru best buy style, she tells me they only carry 1 flatbed scanner - and its sold out. (imagine that ... at best buy ... really now)

I didnt want to ... but i couldnt leave without at least looking at the dreaded all-in-ones. Now for being an Epson dealer/reseller/who knows... i was very surprised to see they did carry 1. thats right ONE epson scanner/fax/copier/anything else thrown in here type thingy. And it cost $69. How on earth could they possibly do that. Must have play-dough innards i thought. Of course i was correct in my earlier assumption that none of the scanners were hooked up to any pc... but i was wrong in thinking i couldnt test them. It seems alot of new scanners dont need pc access, but they do need something. Best buy, in there smart moments, decided to at least power the doo-dad all-in machines. So i placed my $5 canada note on the glass and looked over the buttons. On most of the machines, all it would let me do is copy the image to paper.. i really didnt want to do that, because i think then i 'would' be breaking a law. So i didnt push it. I do have several memory cards on me at all times due tot he devices i carry, but i didnt want to start sticking too many things where they dont belong and attract too much attention. The Espon machine would not scan the note. I do not know if it was because it didnt have a PC access, or not. Several of the HP machines did scan the note. I wasnt able to save it to file, but the preview window on the machine showed the note. I will never buy another HP as they are known for quality... what am i saying - they are not know for anything. The HP machiens took about 15 minutes just to figure out what you want to scan. You can just hit a scan button see the preview and go from there.. nope.. you tell it what your scannign and pick among several preset photo options. 5x7 gets my note mostly on the scan, but alot of wasted space as well. After 20 minutes of messing with the Hp, i moved on.

Best buy it seems didnt have anything of value or of use. Big surprise? nope. I still had time left for my lunch hour, so i hit up the Sams Club across the street - didnt expect anything so i wasnt disapointed. Then i hit the Office Max down the road. Same type of thing as best buy, all they had were all-in-ones machines. Noen of them were powered, but since they had the same machines best buy had, it didnt matter. They did have a Visioneer flat bed scanner. I couldnt test it as it wasnt powered, plugged in to anything, or otherwise in any circumstance where doing anything more then looking at it would make a difference. that was $99. It weas a very quick visit to that store. I then made a last stop at the Target at the end of the strecth of stores. Same as sams clu - no expectations, never disapointed.

in the end, i got a little bit of excersise, and found nothing of value. I might call back Epson to see where they actually have the products for sale, as best Buy just aint it. I could try the local Micro center, but its not nearly as 'local' as the other shop i visited today... that store is about 1 hour or so away. i cant hold my breath about being able to look at a machine there any more then the pictures on the box. So i dont know if i should try to visit it, or just grab up the visioneer and pray that does something for me.

skippy · 03-12-2009, 01:11 PM

If you really need the file in PSD format here's what you do:
(I have done this for a couple of my post of some notes here, but I did already have the program)
Find an old copy of Photoshop CS or CS2 which came with the extra program called ImageReady. You might find a copy on eBay for a decent price; just make sure they transfer the license to you or that it has never been registered.

ImageReady has built in scanner access under the File | Import menu. Any scanner in the past 10 years is accessible via the Twain driver. The Epson scanner software will load, scan the note at any desirable dpi resolution, it will bring it automatically into ImageReady, crop/resize as needed in ImageReady, and then save it as a JPG or PSD file. I can't recall if the PSD can be opened in the full Photoshop program but I don't recall a "you can't do that" error prompt when I tried. But if nothing else you can just open it in ImageReady any time you want and do the basic resize, crop, adjust, resave as another format at anytime but you still have your original uncompressed PSD file as a backup.

So all in all it's not the scanner that's the problem but the software you use.

If you'd like to try a free basic image program try IrfanView which has Twain access but it won't save in PSD format but you can save it in an uncompressed TIFF format and resize, crop, from there. I've used this free, frequently updated program since 1998.

BTW my scanner is an older Epson 3170 model that has more than enough resolution for document scanning.

Daggarjon · 03-12-2009, 04:43 PM

thanks skippy, but the process you mentioned does not work. That was one of the original methods used back in the early days of PS CS, and it worked at some points, but not always. It does not work now at all, at least not for me. I also do not need to scan into the native *.psd PS extension, i only need the jpeg extension. So far nothign has worked.

I talked with some of Epson stech support guys again today. This time my call was elevated to senior techs, because how they put it 'the nature of your usgae is quite unique'. I wouldnt go that far, but i bet its not a call they get everyday - i want to scan money. Of course i had to go round-and-round with them telling them i have been to the rulesforuse website, and that i am following the rules, and its not the website thats causeing the problem, and that it is their scanner. Im still not convinced they are not forwarding all my calls and info to the FBi and secret service

I was put onhold after i told them some of the notesi was not able to scan, this particular call center must be somewhere in Germany or the Euro zone - as they readily had euros available to them. They were able to scan using the scanneri have, at least i think he said they used the same scanner. Int he end, they gave me a process to try once i get home and have access to the scanner. Some process where buttons have to be pressed if they are not, some other buttons not to press if they are, some options to turn on, some to turn off yadda-yadda ect. So, later ontongiht, i will try this elaborate process that invloves me holding that the ctrl button, the escape button, and hitting the enter button 27 times (exaclty) while reciting ... anyone ever watch that Foamy episode, Episode #57 (tech support) :rolleyes? i was going to link to it, but its got bad words

Once i try this process, i will let everyone know if it works, if it doesnt i will no longer have a scanner and i will swear up and down to my insurance adjuster that i really have no idea how that hole got in my wall!

ML94539 · 03-12-2009, 07:16 PM

[quote=Daggarjon;542207]The issue is not PS. I did uninstall it only because i am so frustrated at the whole thing. Once uninstalled, and rebooted, i tried a scan .. same thing. I get the warning box telling me the scanner cant *blah* *blah* blippity *blah*.

the problem is not the scanner, I have a epson v300 and I was able to scan these. i don't have any photoshop software installed.

the problem is adobe photoshop, you need to disable photoshop, no matter what brand of scanner you have, if you send your scans to photoshop it's not going to work.

Adobe® Photoshop® software includes a counterfeit deterrence system (CDS) that prevents the use of the product to illegally duplicate banknotes. As implemented, CDS prevents users from opening detailed images of banknotes within Photoshop. The CDS technology was commissioned by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group (CBCDG), a consortium of central banks from around the world. Adobe has included CDS in Photoshop at the request of the CBCDG.

Laws regarding the reproduction of currency images vary widely from country to country. In some countries, reproduction is permitted for specific purposes given certain restrictions, but in other countries any form of reproduction is considered a crime. For complete information about the rules in a given country, please consult CBCDG’s Web site, www.rulesforuse.org. Where applicable, this Web site will also indicate where you can obtain legally reproducible currency images, and who to contact for further questions and information.
In the event that you are unable to get your currency-related question answered through the rulesforuse.org Web site, please send an e-mail to photoshopcds@adobe.com. Adobe will see to it that your request is forwarded to the appropriate person at the CBCDG.

Daggarjon · 03-12-2009, 08:25 PM

Folks keep saying i canot bring images into PS with my scanner. I have said all along i am NOT doing that. I never have, never will or ever want to scan any images into PS. The issue is NOT PS with this. It IS the scanner. I use the scanner software to scan my notes, NOT PS. In no part of my process is PS opened, thought of, or even looked at. so please, stop advising how to or how not to scan with PS. Also, i can scan the US $100 note. Its the notes i have listed previously in this thread i cannot.

UNITED STATES:

Quote:

The Counterfeit Detection Act of 1992, Public Law 102-550, in Section 411 of Title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations, permits color illustrations of U.S. currency, provided that:

1-the illustration is of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of the item illustrated;
2-the illustration is one-sided; and
3-all negatives, plates, positives, digitized storage medium, graphic files, magnetic medium, optical storage devices and any other thing used in the making of the illustration that contain an image of the illustration or any part thereof are destroyed and/or deleted or erased after their final use.

That was easy .. all are obeyed at all times

Euro:

Quote:

Reproduction in electronic media:
For publicly accessible digital images, a banknote may be reproduced if both the following criteria are met:

The resolution of the image is 72 dpi or less.
The word “SPECIMEN” is printed diagonally across the reproduction in a contrasting colour – the length of the word “SPECIMEN” must be at least 75% of the length of the reproduction and the height of the characters must be at least 15% of the width of the reproduction

Well lets see there.. they use the term 'may be reproduced...'

England

Quote:

Reproduction in electronic media:
A banknote may be reproduced if Conditions 3 and 4 (see “Reproduction in printed media”) and 6 (see below) are met:

Condition 6 - The reproduction includes the word “SPECIMEN” twice in solid black capital letters: once from the bottom left corner to the top centre and once from the bottom centre to the top right corner – the length of the word “SPECIMEN” must not be less than one-third of the length of the reproduction and the height of the characters must not be less than one-eighth of the height of the reproduction. This applies to both complete and partial reproductions.

and there.. there too they say 'may be reproduced...'

at all times i obey the law to its full extent.

Here is a scan of the Canada $5 note, that i cant scan. That is all i can scan of the note. Any more, and the scanner kills the scan. I can try it in any rotation, any angle, and either side.

I jumped through all the hoops Epson advised i follow earlier today. As expected, it didnt work. I might try to uninstall the epson driver and see if XP has a default driver i could use... anything but epson.

zekeguzz · 03-12-2009, 09:32 PM

I have an epson V200 PHOTO SCANNER but I don't scan currency only coins. I never encountered a security problem. I scan into MY PICTURES, transfer to PICASA 3 then after editing upload to PICASA Web Site.
My only gripe is that the besst resolution smallest H x L is 0.10in. Can't get smaller no matter what I try. HELP Cents" FG" get very blury and can't be improved much after editing.

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