This is accomplished using a Helium-Neon laser which scans across the film and transmitted light is collected, and converted to an electrical signal. The signal is then digitized to provide an 8 or 12 bit resolution image which can be stored on disk, transported to other computers for manipulation, or printed. The Microtek 36-bit ScanMaker III has an optical resolution of 600 x 1200 and a dynamic rang of up to 3.4 which delivers remarkably accurate color scans. The scanner is accompanied by a Transparent Media Adapter for scanning filmstrips, transparencies and slides.
All computers are network capable.
Available software for image manipulation consists of Analysis, NIH Image, PSI Imaging, and Adobe Photoshop.