Artwork Scanning Services
If you plan to make prints of an original artwork, it’s essential to start with an outstanding file. We offer simple digitisation through to full service artwork reproduction – for the very best print result.
Professional artwork scanning serves two important purposes.
To faithfully document your artistic practice for perpetuity, and to allow you to produce fine art prints that do your artwork justice.
Our 25×18 inch flatbed scanner is extraordinary, and we're really proud to have it in our arsenal. Unlike conventional flatbed scanners, it can scan flat (with diffused lighting) or in 3D, capturing visible surface texture. This enables us to reproduce otherwise tricky media, including canvases and works with variable textures and reflective qualities.
Artwork reproduction is our specialty. More than retouching, the artwork reproduction process is a finely tuned skill acquired by extensive experience with specialist equipment. It’s practised with eyes acutely trained on detail, and a whole lot of patience.
We offer two artwork scanning options.
We utilise the same state of the art equipment for both; the difference is in the polish of the deliverable file.
Artwork Reproduction Scans (print-ready scans)
The endgame is a print-ready file with remarkable fidelity to the original artwork. We take care of the scanning, detailed retouching, colour balancing and proofing – you receive a master file and an A4 proof.
Raw Scans (unedited scans)
A basic, express service. We scan your artwork and provide you with an un-edited, high resolution file. We crop and straighten your file/s, but no other edits are made.
Artwork scanning FAQ's
We scan at either 600 or 1200 pixels per inch. Our scanner produces true optical resolution so both options will produce pin-sharp, beautiful files. The resolution you choose should be determined by how large you ultimately intend to enlarge/print your artworks. We can assist you in determining the 'right' resolution for you if you let us know how large you'd ultimately like to print the file.
We can generally scan artworks up to A0 in size. An exception is stretched canvases; the maximum size for stretched canvas is 600 x 1000mm. Large artworks are scanned in sections and digitally composited to create a complete file.
We can't scan items behind glass for a number of reasons, so if you wish to have a framed item scanned it will need to be removed from the frame prior to scanning. We do ask that all artworks arrive at the studio already removed from the frame - we will not take on the responsibility of de-installing framed items. If the artwork or the frame is particularly old and/or valuable, we suggest taking it to an experienced framer for disassembly.
Float-framed canvases (with no glass) do not need to be disassembled; so long as the surface of the artwork is flush with the floating frame, we can scan them without issue.
Order an artwork scan
All artwork scanning jobs are arranged by appointment, which you can book online.
Turn around times
Raw scans are typically completed same-day; larger jobs may take 1-2 working days.
Artwork reproduction scans have a minimum turn-around time of one week, with the turn-around increasing with the number of artworks in your order. Your artwork must remain on-site for the duration.
Pricing
We offer flat rates for both artwork scanning services; the size of your artwork, resolution and the service you choose are the determining factors. We publish a Services Guide which comprehensively details all of our services and pricing – just provide your email below, and we'll send it to your inbox.
For more information about artwork scanning or any of our other services, drop us a line. We'd love to hear from you.