KiwiArcader

Yep. You can create your own WIP page here. I don't scan magazines for this site any more as I have my own site and I don't host content from other sites so that we all have a different slant so to speak to encourage people to visit the different sites out there providing retro magazine content. If you want to have your scans hosted there as well as here let me know as I will happily make them available with your blessing etc but if you want them here only that's perfectly fine too. When you get your scanner let me know if you want any assistance/ pointers etc as I am happy to help where I can to get a person up and running scanning magazines for the cause of preservation. I can provide QuickScan Pro templates for my scanner too as more than likely they will work on your model as well if you have the same software. If you receive ScandAll Pro I cannot help as I do not have that software......

They are mainly UK and Australian magazines. I have already scanned over 700 magazines I have a few issues of EGM, a smattering of GamePro and a few Incite Video Gaming, Computer Games Strategy Plus and Computer Gaming World mags and that's about it for USA content. So anything you throw out in the USA category is likely not going to be anything that I probably have.

That's correct. it turns off the backlight but the scanning elements still work fine. The backlight is the doc scanners equivalent of the white backing screen that you see on flatbed scanners. Because they are duplex you cannot have that physical screen so they use light to provide the feature. And with lights you can turn them on/off in the software. Pretty cool......

Goodness yes, if I could do duplex scanning I would happily pay for the cleaning in an instant but getting them to reply is the issue right now. I have 1200+ mags to scan and having duplex would save a whole load of time and effort so email number three is on the way. Hopefully someone there wants to earn a few bucks right?

Yep. The upper scanning glass has got dust behind it causing lines and the servicing company hasn't answered my emails on the cost to have the unit scanning elements cleaned/replaced which is just marvelous when you live in a country with only one service agent for the thing.

Fujitsu's F1 scanner cleaner is just Isopropyl alcohol :-) Generally I scan in Landscape mode as I find it's easier creating templates in that mode, but that's just me. Each to their own ...... The software can determine page size etc but I scan with the backlight disabled to minimize bleed-thru which is very noticeable when scanning with a white background and when dark pages are scanned the software really doesn't do a good job of detecting the edges of the page. Templates solve that problem and once you have one setup for a magazine it's a breeze running subsequent issues through anyway. The scanner is the bomb for sure but if you get a page jam it really deals to the offending page. LOL

Let me know how you get on. I use a knife and cut in about 2mm from the spine on glued magazines to avoid the bulk of the glue and straight down the middle on stapled magazines. A couple of pointers re document scanners: The glass gets hot. That means if you have glue on pages, depending on how tacky it is, you will get glue sticking to the glass which causes stripes in the output. Older glue that is hard doesn't usually cause problems. Get yourself some Isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth and clean the glass often. Stapled mags (I don't know if you have any of those) have wider pages on the outer pages than the middle pages due to the fact that they need more paper to bend around. If you create a template for the outer pages you will find the scans of the inner pages have a big chunk of the scan plate visible. Either create two templates to cover the outer pages and another for the inner or just use an editing program to trim the excess off the scans yourself. Hard to explain but you'll see what I mean if you scan one :-) For bulk scanning use ISIS drivers with compatible software (ahh, those pesky nutters in the Middle East have given it a bad name) as these are dedicated to bulk scanning while TWAIN really isn't at all. I use Quickscan Pro but ScandALL Pro is also good (The non-Pro version doesn't work with ISIS drivers) If you create your templates just right you will find you actually have to do next to no post-scanning editing at all. Let me know if you have any issues and I'll do what I can to assist. Looking forward to seeing your scans.

The fi-6670 is the new version of the fi-5650c. It's so similar I am using a fi-6670 input and output tray on my scanner. You can check it out at Fujitsu's website. Just search for the model. I have to warn you those ones are EXPENSIVE!!!!!! As this is just a hobby I am no way going to buy one of those brand new. Geez .... sticker shock ......

Yep. I couldn't go back to an A4 scanner now. I have both a 5650c and a flatbed. Best of both worlds :-)

Those overhead scanners don't give the best quality as they use software to interpret the curvature of the open page. If you cannot afford an A3 document scanner then go for an A3 flatbed scanner. It will allow you to scan magazines without the need to de-staple/ debind them but it will be slower going. I'd guess the guy with the Dreamcast mags would prefer to get the magazines back intact. If you do want to go for an A3 document scanner you could try EBAY. I procured a Fujitsu fi-4530c (WIndows XP only) scanner which worked well for a good price then upgraded to the fi-5650c. It is hit and miss that way but I can only say I haven't had an issue buying off there. Mileage will vary .... The Fujitsu scanner are out and out the best for color fidelity IMHO. They are the only scanners I have used that scan neon/fluorescent colors anything close to what they are on the printed page.

Carrier sheets are short-lived, only good for a few hundred scans, and require folding the original page so I don't think they are realistic for long term scanning of oversized mags. Yep, OldGameMags is my little scanning baby. With 1700+ magazines scanned it gives Retromags a run for its money but they are different in that Retromags has a lot of USA and little UK content while OGM has heaps of UK/Australian but not much USA content so I tend to they complement each other :-)

The iX500 is fine is you can put with 2 caveats, one big and one really big. You need to debind your mags to put through them. I have no issues with that but it wouldn't be any use to someone who wants to keep their magazines given the need to cut them up to put through the document feeder. E.g, it isn't any use for scanning the guy's Japanese Dreamcast issues as he want them back again. It is an A4 format scanner. If you have larger magazines like those produced by UK companies like Future PLC (Amiga Format, N64 Magazine, Edge etc) you are not going to be able to scan them unless you cut the page to hell and back. Even A4 size magazines that are stapled will require the outer pages being cut down to fit through the feeder. Other than that it works well. One of my website members uses it for smaller mags almost religiously. I couldn't live with the A4 format limitation given the content in my collection so opted for an A3 scanner, its big brother, the Fujitsu fi-5650c. Much more usable for my UK mags.

It's still in publication at the current time even though the USA Official PlayStation edition was shuttered some time ago. Not sure how long it has though given Future PLC's recent moves to consolidate and run with just the UK versions. Mind you, look at the state of Nintendo oriented publishing now. Zilch!!. Zip!! Even if they drop back to UK versions it's still better than the black hole that is dedicated Nintendo mags ...

I agree wholeheartedly when it comes to large photographic books (I love Egyptian history books and have several) printed on really nice paper stock but as someone who has had old paperbacks and magazines turn fragile and in a few cases have the paper actually start to disintegrate (old Edgar Rice Burroughs novels) I would rather sit down and read them on my Galaxy Note Pro or iPad Mini than see them fall apart. For me it's all about the content rather than the medium it is delivered on nowadays when it comes to novels and magazines. Being able to travel and take dozens of mags comics and novels to read on the plane sure beats being stuck with one book due to weight restrictions etc. Sounds strange coming from someone in his 50's right?

I don't know where you heard that. From what I read free is free to everyone BUT pirates won't have the status changed from pirated/unlicensed to licensed simply by loading Windows 10. If you have a legitimate Windows 7/8/8.1 key and you install Windows 10 over the top you will have a licensed and free version of Windows 10 when it is released.

I have 1200 mags approx. sitting on industrial strength shelving in my basement but my answer to how to store them is cut up and scan the mags with a document scanner and then throw them out. Saves heaps on space and drops all that weight off the house foundations :-)

1. Super Mario 64 ..... still THE game for me on N64 2. Banjo Kazooie .... probably a better game than Super Mario 64 but it doesn't have the nostalgia factor for me 3. Mario Kart 64 .... endless hours disappeared playing with my kids 4. Wave Race 64 .... ditto Those are pretty much the only games I boot up on my N64 emulator nowadays when I get nostalgic for the N64. The whole Zelda thing was lost on me .....

I'd suggest you have a look over at my website then

Yeah, The early years of PC Gamer US were fantastic and about the only USA version that actually was better than their counterpart across the ditch. Totally regretting dumping them now

No USA mags can hold a candle to the likes of the Brit mags Computer & Video Games, Edge & Arcade from a content or layout perspective other than the fact they beat the crap out of everyone else's mags for the sheer volume of advertising content.

Excellent. Thank you JohnSmith

Ahh .... my bad ... it is actually the Nov 97 issue I have. Duke Nukem cover. The Dec 99 issue also had Duke and I somehow mixed the months. Doh!!! I will scan this behemoth as soon as I get the courage up to debind the issue. It's going to be one BIG pdf file methinks ....

I acquired another four issues of the USA version in an auction recently. Dates for these are Apr & Dec '99 and Jan & Dec '97. One weighs in at a massive 448 pages. OMG ......

Hiya E-Day, If you already have it up on FIlefactory here you can PM me with the link and I'll download it and re-upload it onto the OGM account. Or you could upload to Filefactory or Mediafire via the upload links on the OGM homepage. Whatever is easiest for you really ....

Yep. Those are my scans and they were definitely named as AUS versions. There are plenty more issues over at my website :-) BTW, there are a lot of magazines not in the database, especially Australian and New Zealand magazines.