Criteria for Choosing Copy Stands, Repro Stands, Repro Workstations & Vaccuum Easels

Choosing the perfect Repro Workstation/Copy Stand for any situation varies by budget, size, type of material to be digitized, functionality, degree of automation, and available space to house it. In an effort to meet most individual needs and budget points, AIA offers the largest selection of types and brands of Repro Workstation/Copy Stands, and our own brand called AIAXact Select.

By keeping all components of all Repro Workstation/Copy Stands modular, AIA allows you to actually design your own system and set your budget limit.

Frequently, Repro Workstation/Copy Stands receive short shrift in the design of a digitization workstation. The choice seems like a no brainer and a perfect place to cut cost. However, the choice of a Repro Workstation/Copy Stand is as critical to the overall system as good tires are to a car, or great speakers are to a stereo. Mismatched components, cheap under-built and engineered stands can affect critical focus by not achieving parallelism or optical centering. Not providing stability will affect image quality, and not providing essay and precise movements of camera will affect productivity. The following is intended as a guide to help you evaluate the component parts of a Repro Workstation/Copy Stand, and provide some "tips" on their use.

Base & Work Surface

* The size of the base table sets the limit of the size of the material which can be scanned in one pass.

* Choose a base size that accommodates your most common needs. Do not plan for the occasional exception, as it will increase your budget.

Most common standard sizes are:16"x20," 20"x24," 20"x30," 24"x30," 30"x40," 40"x60."
Custom sizes are available.
Work surfaces can be laminated wood or composite, vacuum frame, magnetic, stone.
All work surfaces must be perfectly flat corner to corner diagonally, and be absolutely smooth.
Vacuum bases are most often also magnetic, and should be self-masking to reduce noise and distribute power evenly regardless of the size of the material being scanned, and cut down on production time by eliminating the need to mask off the area not covered by "art."
Vacuums should not be used to hold down rolled fragile material. Library snakes, beanbags, or other devices should be used.
For book scanning only, select magnetic surface, since you do not need a vacuum and a book cradle can be placed directly on the table.
Granite and marble tops are perfect surfaces for maps and large "art."

Base Table

Table height off the floor determines the distance between the Scan Back or Camera and the work to be scanned. The larger the size of the area to be scanned the greater the focal distance. This is important for both optical/mechanical and ergonomic reasons.
If the table height is fixed, not variable, all focus adjustments must be accomplished by moving the camera only. Thus, covering large areas may necessitate having the camera higher than you can reach to focus it without a ladder, and/or the use of wider-angle lenses, which can lead to falloff.
A fixed height for a 40"x60" scan area is usually between 14 and 15.5 inches. Thus, each piece of art has to be laid down and adjusted with the operator always bending over.
Standard height is 24."
Table should be heavy and massive. It is the foundation that provides the system's stability.
Tables should have built-in leveling legs.
Some systems provide the ability to vary the height of the base by either moving the base up and down the column, lowering the base via heavy springs, or using manual and hydraulic adjustable legs.

Camera Column (Optical Rail)

Length of column dictates focal length of the lens.
Columns usually come in 3 sizes, 40", 50", 60", and 72"
All columns can utilize special brackets and hardware that allow them to be mounted flush to a wall, and then any size table can be moved in and out.
The higher the column the heavier and more rigid it has to be. There cannot be any play what so ever, the column and table should meet at a perfect right angle, and the column should be level on all sides and parallel.
40"X60" bases require a 60" column.
Because of their height, 60" columns should be motorized
There are two types of motor drives--two gear drives which allow the camera to be moved several sprockets at a time (fast mode) and a slow mode that moves the camera one sprocket at a time. A variable speed motor allows fine gearing and very precise minimal movements and thus can, in conjunction with screen readouts, help focus or adjust focus. Variable speed is always preferable.
Medium format and large format cameras using digital backs require heavy columns.
The column has a camera arm which extends from it and must place the lens in the optical center of the base.
Mounts or camera arms are a vital component. Some use a simple tripod mount and manually move extension tubes in and out to achieve optical center. These may shift and/or give over time. More expensive units offer one-piece heavy ball and socket designs custom made for a particular brand and kind of camera to achieve precise immovable permanent centering.

Table

Tables come in standard heights of 14," 24" and 26."
Tables can be made with built in transmissive light boxes in the base.
Tables should have leveling legs or devices.
Tables should be made from ridged aluminum and steel and held together like a tank.

Lighting

Lights can be attached to the table, or come on free-standing light stands.