Using The 120/220 ANR Insert

The ANR Insert’s edges have been “lightly swiped” by the glass cutter but have not been fully rounded. Use protective gloves with the ANR Insert unless you are sure the “light swiping” is enough to prevent cuts to your skin.

The 120/220 ANR Insert is fairly simple to use with 120/220 film. The insert can be used in different ways depending on how much trouble a particular piece of film gives you. If you are not using standard 120/220 film, please see the “Special Use Notes” found toward the end of this page.

Cleaning

According to the glass manufacturer’s representative, Windex and a soft clean cloth can be used to clean the ANR Insert. The representative said an alcohol based glass cleaner may work somewhat better on the etched side of the insert if you have a stubborn smudge that has embedded itself very deep into the etching.

Using the Insert by Itself (not taping)

The first method is simple. Film is placed normally in the holder and the ANR Insert is placed on top of the film (instead of T-locks) so that the anti Newton surface is touching/against the film in the film holder. You must place the film into the holder so the film arches up and away from the scanner’s glass bed or the ANR Insert probably will not have any positive effect.

Mounting with Tape

Some films need to be “controlled” more. In this case, the strip of film can be attached to the etched surface of the ANR Insert. This "package" is then flipped over and inserted into the MF Film Holder’sä film channel so that the film is facing toward the scanner’s glass.

Tape for Mounting

Use a tape type that will not leave a residue on your film. It should be fairly thin so it can wrap around the edge of the insert if necessary, yet still allow the insert to fit into the holder’s film channel. You can buy expensive tape specifically designed for scanner mounting from companies such as Kami although most people find 3M’s “Magic Tape^®” (it is also marketed as their “invisible” matte tape) works just as well and it can be bought at most any decent office supply store, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. Spend the extra few cents and only buy the genuine high quality 3M product!!! Cut each piece of tape straight using scissors. The serrated edge left by the tape dispenser will not work as effectively as a scissor-cut straight edge. TIP: Precut a number of tape pieces so you save time and won’t have to stop to cut more tape as you process multiple strips/pieces of film.

Step-by-Step Procedure

First, hold the ANR Insert at an angle to your room’s light source and determine which side of the insert has the etched surface. Below are two images to help you determine which are the etched and un-etched sides of the glass.

This first image shows the un-etched side of the glass. Notice the glare and the sharp/well defined reflection of the tree and clouds. You DO NOT want to attach your film to this side of the glass.

This second image shows the etched side of the insert. It is actually reflecting part of the same scene as seen above. However, please notice there are no defined shapes in this reflection. In practical terms, you cannot distinguish the reflection of the tree. Tape your film to this side of the insert!

Next, place the insert on a dust free surface so that the etched surface faces up. Make sure the surface on which you place the insert will not scratch the anti-Newton Ring glass. I recommend a 3M^® microfiber cloth for a good soft and relatively dust free surface. These cloths are great for cleaning the ANR Insert as well as your scanner’s glass. Wal-Mart sells these for just a few dollars or they can usually be found in any store that sells optical products.

Decide which film orientation is best. If your film has a serious arch running cross-wise, you want to orient the film so that the edges curl away from the glass (as shown in the picture on the left). You DO NOT want to orient the film so that the center of the film bows away from the glass in the middle. Improper orientation could lead to poor focus and/or Newton Rings if the bowing is great enough. Correct orientation will allow the sides of the film channel to help flatten any curling or arching along the long sides of the film.

Epson^® recommends inserting the film so the emulsion side (dull side) is facing up and away from the scanner’s glass and thus the manufacturer’s edge markings on the film appear to read backwards (as viewed when the insert is placed into the holder). If your film is relatively flat, orient the film this way first, but don’t be afraid to experiment with the orientation of the emulsion. If you scan your film “emulsion side down,” you will need to reverse or flip your image to make it laterally correct. This is easily accomplished in Photoshop by using the following menu commands: Image > Rotate Canvas > Flip Horizontal.

You most likely will find it easiest to successfully attach your film to the insert if you pre-attach the tape at the point(s) on the ends of the film strip/piece before you start the actual placement procedure. Attach the tape to the blank frame spacing found at each end of the film strip. Don’t let the tape cover any part of your image you wish to scan…

…Or if you don’t have enough blank frame spacing left on the end of your film strip, tape along each side as shown in this picture (thus utilizing two small pieces of tape on each end). If using this latter method, make sure the tape does not wrap too far around onto the other side of the glass. Otherwise the tape could appear in your scans. Additionally, make sure to create a little cross-wise tension between the two pieces of tape when applying the second piece of tape to ensure cross-wise flatness.

Attach one end of your film to the holder.

Now attach the other end of your film but remember the key goal to accomplish when taping down the second end of the film is to create a moderate tension in the film. This helps minimize any lengthwise curling of the film. This is accomplished by pulling moderately on the film before you attach the tape and then maintaining that tension as you tape the film to the glass. (The other end of the film should already be taped down and thus allow you to create this tension).

Make sure to orient your film so it leaves an even amount of space on each side. This ensures that both sides of the film will be in contact with the film channel’s sides/ledges.

Now gently flip the insert over and place it into the MF Film Holder’sä film channel. When looking at an insert placed into the holder (as in the image to the left), the glass is on top of the film. The ANR Insert is never positioned between the film and the scanner’s glass bed.

Look down through the insert’s glass to check that all edges and ends of the film are oriented so they are not obscured by the sides OR ends of the film channel. Adjust the insert’s placement within the MF Film Holder’sä film channel as necessary.

Finally, carefully place the film holder in its normal correct position on the scanner’s glass bed. Check to make sure the insert did not shift within the holder when you moved the holder+insert onto your scanner.

You should now be ready to scan!

Note: The ICE feature often does not work well with anti-Newton Ring glass, so it should be turned off.

Special Use Notes

For:

XPan or other film formats narrower than 120/220

You should use the second taping process described above where BOTH corners on each end of the film strip/piece are taped down (thus all four corners will be taped). You want to tape the corners on each end to create a flattening tension in the cross-wise direction and then create tension once more in the long direction when attaching the other end of the film to the insert. Again, you most likely will find it easiest to successfully attach your film to the insert if you pre-attach the tape at all points on the ends of the film strip/piece before you start the actual placement procedure. You may need to tape the film at one or more points along the sides when using non 120/220 film or a modified “full frame” holder. The number and location of the tape placements will vary based on the film format and amount of curl or arching exhibited by your particular piece of film. If you want to see another set of pictures describing how to create cross tension while taping the film to an ANR Insert, please take a look at how film is taped to the dry mounting station. The taping concept is similar: http://www.betterscanning.com/scanning/msdry.html .

It is recommended that you cut a mask from black/opaque material that masks the unused area around the perimeter of the ANR Insert when scanning films smaller than 120 format. This mask is placed ON THE BACK SIDE of the ANR Insert AFTER you have taped the film to the insert, then inverted/flipped the insert and placed it down into the film holder! This will block stray light and reduce the chance of flare/ghosting. You can use the film masking templates for the larger mounting station to get the correct aperture size. Then just cut down the outer dimensions of the mask to fit the 120 ANR Insert size. The mask templates can be downloaded from this link: http://www.betterscanning.com/scanning/mscutmask.html

Click on the following links to go to:

ORDER NOW - Pricing and Ordering Page for ALL Products

Back to the Page You Were Previously Viewing

Safety, Return Policy, Warranty and Disclaimer Information

Batch Scanning Notes for the MF Film Holderä Page

Home Page for All Products

E-mail Contact: scanning@betterscanning.com

MF Film Holderä Patents Pending