Hey everyone, I recently purchased a scanner with the intention of showing off my PSA-graded and ungraded card collection. Upon scanning my PSA cards, I realized that anything that was off the scanner glass (PSA label, the card itself) was out of focus. At first I believed it was an issue with the scanner settings and it could be fixed by changing them. However @m786ali found the issue, and it was a hardware issue as opposed to a software issue.
Scanners usually come with one of two types of lenses, CIS or CCD. CIS (contact image sensor) scanners generally require less power (no need for an AC adapter, can be powered by your laptop or desktop USB port), and are more compact, which is why many newer-model scanners use these lenses. However, CIS lenses have a poor field of focus. This means that anything that doesn’t lie directly on the scanner glass will be out of focus. So ungraded/single cards will scan fine, but PSA graded cards will have a low scan quality. Increasing the resolution or changing the settings can minimize this, but the scan quality is still low.
CCD scanners are bulkier and require more power, but scan PSA cards perfectly, as well as ungraded singles. As such, if you are looking to buy a scanner to show off your collection, a scanner with a CCD lens is the best choice.
You should be able to find the type of lens in the specs of whatever scanner you’re looking to purchase. I originally purchased the Epson V39 (which turned out to have a CIS lens) and then returned it for the Epson V37 (CCD lens)
**CLOSE-UP OF CIS LENS SCAN
CLOSE-UP CCD LENS SCAN
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