I need to scan a load of LP and Laserdisc covers. The problem is they are 32x32cm, or about 12x12 inches.
You can get A3 scanners that are big enough in one dimension, but too short in the other. Some have a flat edge so that you can scan in two halves and stitch the images together, but they are quite expensive. Viisan make one for about £300, and Plustek make one for about £550.
Are there any good and cheaper alternatives?
I looked at taking photos but the results aren't great unless you have a quite large rig with well controlled lighting and a good camera. LP and LD covers tend to be glossy.
There is also the Fujitsu (now Ricoh) Scansnap power scanner which has an actual 1D scanner head in it, not a camera. It would need multiple passes to get the whole cover and the DPI is only about 150 near the edges, which is a bit low for archival copies. I want to capture the detail of the printing method, and then de-screen and downscale for viewing.
Even an A4 scanner would be okay if it had two flat edges, but the only ones with flat edges that I have seen are Plustek and those only have one flat edge.