Investment Comic Books

On 4/18/2024 at 11:30 AM, Forbush-Man said:

Looking for some help here from the forum collective.  I have an HP Scanjet 7400c that's been a great scanner, Made a move a while back to another state.  I locked the scanner before moving and forgot it was locked when I went to set it up a couple of months later.  When I plug it in it makes all the usual start-up sounds & lamps up, but when I direct it to scan, it makes clicking noises and it does not move the lamp.  I imagine this has happened to others, and maybe it's been discussed before.  Can anyone help me out with some good advice on how to fix it?  I'm not afraid of opening it up to make any physical adjustments but would feel more confident if I could get a little guidance first. 

Trying to find someone to work on a scanner is just plain 

I had this happen to me… my MICROTEK 9800… it’s a giant paper weight now.

On 8/9/2023 at 2:11 AM, wytshus said:

If you take a look at this year's winners, you will see that we put a premium on sincere passion for the hobby.  

@Daffaholic's set is everything we look for in a Custom Set.  It still amazes me what can be accomplished in the Collector's Society if someone has a mind to express their love for comic collecting.

For me, this image alone was enough, I never watched the series, but I absolutely love the artwork!

 

This is one of the coolest sets I have ever read!

I have used CGC since 2013, and I have never looked at the set page until today... Wow I am missing a new world of collecting. Considering I am a (part time) web designer I should whip up some cool designs on my own page!

Maybe I need to research this a bit more and tell my story in a set.

On 7/24/2023 at 11:23 AM, fastballspecial said:

Ive used the same Canon Flatbed Scanner for many years, but it cant do slabs.
I will have to look and see how wide the HPs are in comparison. Ive literally used two 
Canon flatbed scanners for 15 years. My old one still works as well, but a driver issue
finally forced me to update to a new one about 4 years ago.

 

HP I talk about in my blog post, been there done that… ugh it was a rough experience!

On 7/23/2023 at 9:26 PM, DocHoppus182 said:

Looking great!

Yeah I think it shows the true color of the slab, and closest representation I could get. 

I used to calibrate TVs, so I have calibrated my monitor and the color profile. Then I played with the controls of Windows 11 photo app and measured the color accuracy of that of the comic itself and they look as close as I could possibly get it!

On 7/20/2023 at 6:53 PM, CGC Mike said:

Please complete a submission by selecting the mechanical error option under damaged book.  Be sure to write this on the packing slip.

Approved by CGC Mike

Attn:  Matt Nelson

Be specific as to where the damage is

Also, write Attn:  Matt Nelson on the box.  When you ship the package, PM me the tracking number.

 

PM'd you!

Recent scans. Wide range of conditons/ages.

On 3/20/2023 at 5:34 PM, DocHoppus182 said:

I just got the Plustek A320E and I am enjoying it.  I'm not tech savvy whatsoever, I still need a bit of help tweaking the settings.

I have scanned hundreds on mine, not one hiccup!

I use Windows 11 Photo app and here are my best calibration settings I have found work best for me and my calibrated LED monitor. 

On 7/20/2023 at 6:53 PM, CGC Mike said:

Please complete a submission by selecting the mechanical error option under damaged book.  Be sure to write this on the packing slip.

Approved by CGC Mike

Attn:  Matt Nelson

Be specific as to where the damage is

Also, write Attn:  Matt Nelson on the box.  When you ship the package, PM me the tracking number.

 

I will do that! I will get this done by tomorrow night.

Does @CGC Mike still help with these types of issues?

On 7/19/2023 at 11:30 PM, Investment Comic Books said:

I use Windows 11 "Photos" app and I use these exact settings everytime because I measured them with calibration/my monitor. First I crop, then I color correct.

Still shows all the defects as if you were looking at it, and show true color accuracy as its seen in person. Now I understand everyones monitor is different and does not have a calibration software or tools to do this, but I am just speaking from my experience. Unfortunatly some slabs I struggle to get rid of the lightbleed from the scan bar, I think reduce it depending on angle of comic on glass and less light in the room.

On 4/24/2023 at 6:12 PM, Timed said:

Does the A320E work on Windows 11? 

I use Windows 11 "Photos" app and I use these exact settings everytime because I measured them with calibration/my monitor. First I crop, then I color correct.

If you are looking for a great scanner and the one I use:
Plustek OpticPro A320E - A3 CCD Sensor Flatbed Scanner, 12" x 17" scan Area with 7.8 Second Speed. Windows,Mac, ICA & Twain Compliant.
https://amzn.to/3Q4CqTj

So I got this back from CGC this week. I scanned it pre-send, and it was clearly mishandled and damaged. What should my recourse be? See POLL.
 

On 10/4/2022 at 10:28 AM, TomDehnert said:

What do you have your setting at seems like they are a little over contrasted not to be offensive I’m just still dialing mine in. 
 

I have on the unit 25 for contrast and that seems almost identical 

No offense at all, I just realized you are right it is a bit over saturated, so I tried to dial it back, trying to get as close to the slab in real view. 

On 2/28/2023 at 12:04 PM, Rob said:

CZUR owners, can you let me know what settings you use and show some examples?  I bought one last year, and hate it lol.  I want to give it one last try, before ditching it and getting something else.  My scans come out pixilated, which I assume is due to using too low of a DPI.  I went with their highest default setting (don't remember what it is) but maybe I need to go into the custom settings and input something higher.

Jumping ahead, if I do decide to replace it, what is a good one to use with a Mac?  Looks like maybe the Plustek A320?

I re-wrote my blog post on this topic! 
 

https://blog.investmentcomicbooks.com/2023/03/best-graded-comic-book-scanner.html?m=1

Not sure if anyone’s still looking, but I wrote a blog post on this topic. 
 

https://blog.investmentcomicbooks.com/2023/03/best-graded-comic-book-scanner.html?m=1

My A320E is the perfect solution. 

On 10/11/2021 at 1:10 AM, Wisconsin Comics said:

Best Scanners for graded comics article

This is my story with scanners.

I have upgraded my website and I will re-post this story again on my new website eventually.

That is very strange, I wonder if CGC runs their data on-prem... pretty worrysome if they do not have any kind of fail-over or backup in a seperate data center. 

Best Scanners for graded comics article

This is my story with scanners.

On 9/14/2021 at 5:17 PM, Dr. Love said:

Regarding the Plustek - what OS are you using? An Amazon review said it was troublesome to load with Windows 10

Here are some back scans, these are so accurate! 

On 9/14/2021 at 4:26 PM, buttock said:

Those look great.  How would you say the colors compare to the actual books in hand?  

Colors look exact, in fact the most accurate exact colors I’ve seen a scanner reproduce.

The Plustek works fantastic on Windows 10, anyone who has issues… may not understand drivers, color profiles, and scanner settings… 🤷🏼‍♂️
 

My journey with CGC comics & scanners

https://wisconsincomics.com/scanning-graded-comics/

Plustek no manipulation to the photos… natural scan.

🤯