Category Archives: Glossary

Lighting system

Professional scanners should have a lighting system that provides uniform and gentle illumination and can adapt variably to a wide variety of originals, depending on the specific requirements. In addition, the light sources should be glare-free as well as UV/IR-free, so that there is no radiation exposure for the user in accordance with EN60825-1.

LED lighting unit: Less is more!

All our book2net scanners are therefore equipped with a LED lighting system as standard, which provides a stable color temperature during the scanning process and thus guarantees true color reproduction. When using conventional LED light bands, different luminous intensities also occur in due to the different light paths on the surface, depending on the position of the light source. Therefore, we use only Fresnel lenses, which compensate for this process and provide uniform illumination of the entire scan area.

Thanks to the CMOS sensor technology we use and innovative process optimization, our scanners operate with an extremely reduced illumination time of 0.6 sec. This guarantees particularly gentle recording of originals with the lowest light requirement to avoid irretrievable damage to paper, ink and colors that can be caused by excessive light intensity.

In addition, we have optimized the design of our devices to ensure the best possible illumination and to assure constant scan quality:

The elegant black design of our scanners prevents annoying back reflections.

The rear-mounted lighting system and optimized housing curvature provide the optimum angle of light incidence to avoid uncontrolled reflections into the optics caused by the curvature of the side.

All of our lighting units are customized for specific applications as fixed components of our high-quality systems.

 

Additional lighting: optimal illumination for large formats and precious old books

Large formats and particularly valuable old books with waved surfaces, special inks, gold grounds and gildings require more than standard illumination.

To meet these special requirements, we have developed auxiliary lighting for our Ultra, Flash, Mosquito, Hornet and Cobra production scanners that can be integrated, mounted or controlled externally as required. The additional lighting can be easily synchronized with the integrated scanner lighting via a light control module. This ensures optimum shadow- and reflection-free illumination.

 

Sided light: individual illumination for special requirementsn

Some of our devices such as our reprographic systems and book2net Archive Pro scanners also feature individually controllable back and side lighting units to enable application-specific lighting scenarios.

Lighting scenarios with book2net reprographic system to highlight different features on a coin.

Advantages of the book2net lighting system:

Modern, LED lighting concept (UV/IR and ozone free, according to EN60825-1)

Glare- and flicker-free light (no flash effects)

Low energy consumption < 100 W

Stable color temperature of 5500 Kelvin

Lowest light intensity; controllable from 1000 to 3500 lux

LED lighting units individually adjustable and controllable according to special requirements

Unique Fresnel lens concept for uniform illumination of originals

Continuous regulation of the light emission angle

Additional illumination (optional)

Extremely long service life (10,000 working hours)

UV fluorescence

UV fluorescence examination is a non-destructive examination method used on works of art. It uses UV radiation to make surface phenomena visible that remain hidden to the human eye in normal light. This allows important insights into the condition of the objects to be obtained, particularly in paintings for the visualization of varnish layers, retouching and overpainting. Occasionally, it is also possible to narrow down the material groups used (including binders).

The short-wave UV radiation stimulates the materials used (e.g. varnishes, binders, pigments) to fluoresce. The different fluorescence properties of the materials used allow a differentiated perception.

UV fluorescence photography should not be confused with UV photography or UV reflectography.

Fluorescence

Fluorescence refers to the ability of some atoms and molecules to absorb light at a certain wavelength (the excitation: Ex, excitation) and then to emit light of a longer wavelength during a short-lived emission (Em).

Art technology, among others, makes use of this property when examining works of art. Properties can be detected and assigned to specific materials; the spectrum thus becomes material-specific, a kind of optical fingerprint. The storage of such reference spectra in reference databases supports the work of scientists in their research.

Luminance

Luminance is a photometric measure of the luminous intensity (brightness) per unit area of light travelling in a given direction. It describes the amount of light that passes through, is emitted from, or is reflected from a particular area, and falls within a given solid angle. The standard unit of luminance is candela per square meter (cd/m2).

Screw binding

In screw binding, the individual sheets are fixed from the outside by screws. The size of these screws also sets a natural limit on the number of pages. Hardcovers or special materials such as leather are mainly used as bindings for screw binding, as the screws also allow coarse materials to be held together firmly.

Ring binding

Ring binding or spiral binding works in a similar way to stitch binding. Here, too, the number of pages is limited, because the size of the rings sets the natural limit on the number of pages. However, unlike stitch binding, the individual sheets are not folded, but are usually simply stacked on top of each other. The punched or die-cut sheets are then held together by individual wire rings or a wire spiral.

Environmental protection

Environmental protection refers to the entirety of all measures to protect the environment, in which ecological action is in the foreground.

At MICROBOX/book2net we act ecologically and considerately by saying “YES” to Germany as a business location. In the development and production of our scanners, we attach particular importance to low energy consumption, not only with regard to the consumption of the end product, but also during the manufacturing process. If possible, we also offer the revision of old scanning systems to the latest status as an alternative to buying a new one.

We recycle everything that can be recycled and, if necessary, only work with certified waste disposal companies.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a principle of action in which economic, ecological and social action are in the foreground.

With this in mind, we at MICROBOX act sustainably and considerately and consciously say “YES” to Germany as a business location. We develop and produce on site in Bad Nauheim and purchase 90% of our materials from regional suppliers. This guarantees the quality and longevity of our products, which also have extremely low energy consumption. If possible, we also offer the revision of old scanning systems to the latest status as an alternative to buying a new one − an investment that pays off for our environment and our customers.

The components of the book2net scanning systems are connected to one another with screws. These can be easily removed during recycling and all components recycled separately. The steel housings are also fed directly back into the material cycle. In this process we only work with certified companies.

It is our aim to create attractive offers for our customers, which, however, are never at the expense of the environment or social and labor law requirements.