they never invented A better way to scan film than a drum scanner

Drum scanning: the finest quality, highest resolution method available to scan your film.

We use the best two drum scanners available – the Heidelberg Tango drum scanner and the Aztek HiResolve 8000.

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Heidelberg Drum Scans

Each drum scan is performed on a custom basis to retain your film’s delicate highlights, deep shadow details, smooth gradients, and excellent grain rendition.

All Film Formats

We can scan anything from subminature up to 11 x 14″. Our scanner excels at:

  • Color Negatives
  • Slides/Transparency
  • Black and White negs

Fluid Mounting

Increases highlight and shadow detail in your scans while removing much of the dust & scratches, emulsion blemishes, etc in your film. There’s no way to simulate the improvements fluid mounting offers – you can only fluid mount film with drum scanners and some flatbeds.

High Resolution

These scans are the best possible starting points for fine art prints. Scans are available up to 11,000 dpi for 35mm film, and 8000dpi for all formats up to 8″ x 10″ film.

Drum Scanning Pricelist

Important: The prices shown here are for raw base scans — which means the file hasn’t yet been cleaned, retouched, or tuned for a specific paper. Color and black-and-white negatives are inverted into a positive state as a starting point for further edits.

Think of a raw scan like a high-resolution negative: it gives you maximum flexibility to edit, refine, and make it your own.

If you’d like us to handle the cleanup, dust-busting, or mastering for print, we can do that too. Those services are simply billed a la carte at our normal hourly rate in ¼-hour increments.

Scan SizeResolutionFile SizeMax Print Size1 scan2-10 scans11-25 scans26-50 scans
small4000dpi125 MB13" x 20"$35.00$32.55$29.75$28.00
medium8000dpi500 MB26" x 38"$50.00$46.50$42.50$40.00
large11000dpi1 GB35" x 50"$100.00$93.00$85.00$80.00

Scan SizeResolutionFile SizeMax Print Size1 scan2-10 scans11-25 scans26-50 scans
small4000dpi375-600 MB30 x 30"$50.00$46.50$42.50$40.00
large8000dpi1 GB60" x 60"$100.00$93.00$85.00$80.00

Scan SizeResolutionFile SizeMax Print Size1 scan2-10 scans11-25 scans26-50 scans
small4000dpi600 - 750 MB40" x 48"$65.00$60.45$55.25$52.00
large8000dpi2.3 - 3 GB60" x 70"$130.00$120.90$110.50$104.00

Scan SizeresolutionFile SizeMax Print Size1 scan2-10 scans11-25 scans26-50 scans
small2000dpi350 MB21" x 60"$75.00$69.75$63.75$60.00
large4000dpi1.5 GB31" x 90"$145.00$134.85$123.25$116.00

Scan SizeResolutionFile SizeMax Print Size1 scan2-10 scans11-25 scans26-50 scans
small2000dpi450 MB26" x 32"$75.00$69.75$63.75$60.00
medium3200dpi1.1 GB42" x 53"$100.00$90.00$80.00$75.00
large4000dpi1.8 GB52" x 65"$125.00$116.25$106.25$100.00

Scan SizeResolutionFile SizeMax Print Size1 scan2-10 scans11-25 scans26-50 scans
small1200dpi700 mb30" x 40"$75.00$71.25$67.50$64.50
large2000dpi1.8 GB52" x 65"$125.00$116.25$106.25$100.00

Scan SizeResolutionFile SizeMax Print Size1 scan2-10 scans11-25 scans26-50 scans
small1200dpi700 mb30" x 40"$75.00$71.25$67.50Contact for Quote
large2000dpi1.8 GB52" x 65"$125.00$116.25$106.25Contact for Quote
extra large2666 dpi3.2 GB72" x 90"$200.00$190.00$180.00Contact for Quote

We deliver unmatched quality and support for your art.

Your art deserves the best care.

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FAQs about Drum Scanning

A drum scanner is the best scanner for capturing the dynamic range, tonal quality, detail, and sharpness of negative and transparency film. These professional machines, like our Heidelberg drum scanner, have the ability to make exact reproductions. Our Tango drum scanner weighs 550 pounds and stands five feet tall, while our Aztek (the smaller scanner) weighs 140 pounds.
 
 
Your film is fluid-mounted to an acrylic cylinder (the drum) and sandwiched between optically clear Mylar. The fluid mounting increases highlight and shadow detail in your scans. It improves fine detail while removing much of the dust & scratches, emulsion blemishes, etc) in your film, and reduces film grain. There’s no way to simulate the improvements fluid mounting your film offers – you can only fluid mount film with drum scanners and some flatbeds, not with an Imacon or Noritsu scanner. The end result is drum scans that are cleaner and sharper, without feeling like the scans have been sharpened with a filter. This process is especially beneficial for areas of the film that require enhanced detail.
 
 
After mounting, the drum is loaded into the scanner, where it spins at high RPM as the scan head (also called the “periscope”) travels up and down in a series of extremely precise micro-steps, slowly yet faithfully recording the film’s details line by line. A medium format negative may take up to 2 hours of scanning time.

The prices listed are for raw base scans. A raw scan is not a print-ready file (i.e a file that has been cleaned of dust/scratches, retouched and edited for print on a specific paper). Order a raw scan if you’d like a high resolution drum scan to edit yourself for printing. Additional scan cleanup/dust-busting, or editing (also called mastering) to prepare images for printing is charged at our normal hourly rate in 1/4 hour increments. Contact the studio for a quote.

Excellent question! We are lucky to have two drum scanners in our studio. We prefer the Heidelberg Tango for transparencies and most negative scans. The detail it pulls from highlights and shadows is clean and effortless, and the grain is beautiful.
 
Our Aztek HR8000 allows us to scan large format film at a higher resolution, but that doesn’t always translate into meaningful improvements in your prints. Aztek’s software can sometimes help with extremely thin negatives.
 
We’re always happy to suggest which scanner is best for your particular project.

Brad (Candela’s owner, guy who does almost all of the drum scanning) has been operating drum scanners since 2005 and has owned or operated Heidelberg Tangos, Primescans, S3900, Imacon Flextights, Nikon Coolscans, Epson flatbed scanners, and Aztek HR8000s.
 
Brad was trained in drum scanning by Bob Cornelis of Color Folio, and has drum scanned film for clients all around the world, including Richard Misrach, Todd Hido, Roger Minick, Debra Bloomfield, and many more!

If you have copy art (slides taken of your artworks), order drum scans to start the printing process. If you have existing artwork (paintings, drawings, maps, etc) that you want digitized, please use our artwork scanning service.

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