I have done an extensive amount of this type of reproduction. (or had it
done I should say)  Printing and reproduction companies often have large
format scanners that can scan blueprints and save them as Tiffs or PDFs.
The most common width is a maximum of 36'.  The longest document I have
had scanned is 45 feet long.  The quality is very good if the person
doing it takes their time.  In some instances the reprints I had done
from the scans came out cleaner than the original document (go figure). 
	The only concern you need to have is the blueprint is scanned by
being fed over the scanning surface, so there cannot be large tears in
the print.  (it does not function like a flat bad scanner where the
scanning surface is move, rather the document is moved over the scanning
surface)  If the document is so fragile that it would further damage it
to be fed through the scanner, then having it photographed would be your
best bet.  That I know can be done, just have no experience in it.
	I don't know of any in Florida, but I can refer you to the one I
had used when in Baltimore.  The guy there does a great deal of large
format drawing reproductions for the city and enjoyed doing the
historical documents I would bring him out of 'historical curiosity'.
He took great care in handling very fragile documents and will wear the
white gloves and all if you ask him.

His name is John Goodwin with Gardens Reprographics located in
Baltimore, Maryland and their phone number is 410-539-2763.

If you don't want to send or hand carry documents to Baltimore, I am
sure there should be a company that has large format scanners in your
area.

Hope this helps,
Rick

Rick Olsen
Director of Operations & Curator
[log in to unmask]

Indiana Railway Museum
P.O. Box 150
French Lick, IN 47432
1-800-74-TRAIN
www.indianarailwaymuseum.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of R J
Sent: Monday, September 12, 2005 12:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: reproduction of blue prints and architactural drawings

Dear Fellow Listers,

I have about 15 blue prints and architectural drawings that need to be 
reproduced for a publication, but I am not sure how to go about this.
All 
are from the 1910s. Conditions range from fair to poor. Some are
brittle, 
others torn. There are pen on linen drawings (good contrast), as well as

blue prints (umptieth generationand poor contrast.) Sizes range from 24
x 40 
in. to 36 x 85 in.

Do you have experience with this? What would be best, scanning or 
photographing? In one lab they said they would have to use a carrier 
(acetate sheet?), which would result in some loss of detail. For the
blue 
print with minute details and little contrast that would be a problem.
They 
will not run the scanner without protective carrier, and even then I
would 
have to sign a disclaimer.

What about detail of the reproduction? If you want a scan with enough 
detail, would that mean you'd be dealing with a humongous file that a 
computer wouldn't even be able to handle? Is it doable to stitch
together 
the image from part-transparencies?

The unicorn tapestry comes to mind, and while the problems are similar,
the 
budget is definitely not, to say the least . . . :)

Any suggestions?

Thank you!

Remko Jansonius
Collections and Archives Manager
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Miami, Florida

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