Scan Tailor: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

How to Get Perfect Book Scans with Scan Tailor

1. Prepare scans before Scan Tailor

• Scan resolution: 300–600 DPI for text; 400 DPI is a good default.
• Color mode: Grayscale for black-and-white books; color for color content.
• File format: Use lossless (TIFF) or high-quality PNG.
• Consistent lighting & orientation: Keep pages flat and consistently oriented.

2. Workflow overview (order of operations)

1. Import images into Scan Tailor.
2. Split pages (if scans contain two pages).
3. Deskew pages.
4. Select content (margins and crop).
5. Fix orientation and page order.
6. Output processed images for OCR or PDF assembly.

3. Step-by-step in Scan Tailor

• Project setup: Create a project and add the scanned images in order.
• Split pages: If scans include two pages, use Split to detect and separate them; manually adjust splits when auto-detection fails.
• Deskew: Run Deskew to correct tilt; verify visually and adjust if needed.
• Select content: Use Select Content to define crop and content boxes—leave enough inner margin for binding and set consistent outer margins.
• Margins: Use Margins tool to set final canvas size; choose “mirror binding” or larger inner margin for bound books.
• Page numbering/orientation: Use Fix Orientation if some pages are rotated; reorder pages if mis-sequenced.
• Output: Choose output format (TIFF/PNG) and DPI; export images for OCR or create a PDF with external tools.

4. Tips for optimal quality

• Use flat, even scans: A platen or book cradle reduces curvature.
• Correct curvature separately: For severe curvature, use tools like ScanTailor Advanced, BookBinder, or software with dewarping before Scan Tailor.
• Batch settings: Apply consistent settings across batches; preview representative pages.
• Conservative cropping: Avoid over-cropping; preserve baseline for OCR accuracy.
• Contrast & cleaning: Don’t over-sharpen in Scan Tailor—use dedicated image editors for advanced cleaning.

5. After Scan Tailor: OCR & PDF assembly

• OCR: Use Tesseract or commercial OCR; feed Scan Tailor outputs at 300–400 DPI.
• PDF creation: Use tools like ImageMagick, PDFarranger, or specialized PDF creators to combine images and attach OCR text.
• Quality check: Spot-check OCR, pagination, and margins before finalizing.

6. Quick troubleshooting

• Split failures: Manually draw split lines; reduce noise in scans.
• Skew not fixed: Increase deskew detection sensitivity or rotate pages manually.
• OCR errors: Increase DPI, improve contrast, or run despeckle filters.

7. Recommended settings (starter)

• DPI: 400
• Color mode: Grayscale for text books
• Output: TIFF/PNG lossless
• Inner margin: 10–15 mm (adjust for binding)

Use these steps and settings as a baseline; adjust for your book’s condition and the scanner you’re using.