Scan a pinball playfield at home

An example of how I scanned and edited the image for a pinball playfield at home using a home size flatbed scanner. Are the results any good?
Scanner: HP4600
Stitching program: Photoshop Elements menu choice "Photomerge"
Image editing program: Photoshop Elements at 300 dpi resolution

[@hmueck13]

Would you be willling to share your playfield scan(s) to recreate the pinball in virtual form (VisualPinball)?

[@sub-arts128]

hi. i also got this incredible scanner. but my 4600 sometimes produces some errors in the scan: the scannes image containes stripes or the image containes some nasty linbes from top to bottom with shifted colors. do you also have this problems?

[@johnstrzykalski3462]

Great info. I recently had a playfield scanned with large format Cruse scanner After i get done working on it in Photoshop, I have a local printer that can to print right on the wood. No overlay . I have done the same thing with back glasses over the year and had them printed right on the glass. Great results!! Can't wait to see how it works out with the playfield

[@justinfiorini3142]

Whats the printing cost? And what is the process called?

[@colinwood9717]

I don't understand how the overlay is backlit. Are their led strips under it or something? How thick is the translite? This seems like a great way to restore old beat up playfields.

[@FIREPOWER6]

The entire playfield is not lit, just the lighted inserts are lit like a normal playfield. A Translite was used only to make sure the backlit number inserts looked real and natural. You could also print the playfield on vinyl or poster photo paper, but I don't know how good the backlit inserts would look. The problem I found with a Translite is that they print the colors much darker than you think they are going to be in order to look correct for when backlit. A photo print or vinyl print wouldn't have that problem.

[@VaxxedStories]

Once you made the scan of the playfield, who restored the artwork and made the overlay for you? I have a Firepower II that needs an overlay!

[@FIREPOWER6]

I do my own artwork editing on Photoshop Elements. I used a typical online printing company that does backlit transparencies, but printing a good poster print would work just as well. Plenty of printing places online for printing large items.

[@allthingsdiymike1106]

Thanks for the video. Very interesting.

[@jens-3949]

Great work! I'm just doing the same, but so far I'm using a Canon Scanner (with some "cosmetical" changes to have the scanner glass lying flat on the surface). For easier stitching I used some crosshair stickers, which allow very easy adjusting of the the different panels. No I just need to find out, where to print such an overlay.

[@louiecicci999]

Hi, Do you have a Gottlieb Buck Rogers pinball backglass?

[@firstnationsindian8062]

I would like to see more in depth on using the program you use. I have this same scanner but don't know how to use it. Thanks

[@VaxxedStories]

I loved that little HP scanner, but they didn't make drivers for Windows 10. Solution?

[@FIREPOWER6]

I keep my old computers (Vista and XP). You should find some cheap ones at yard sales or second hand stores.

[@JoeMama1142]

Great info! Did you make all the cuts in the PET-G protector yourself or were you able to find one pre-made?

[@FIREPOWER6]

For one-off projects like this you do your own layout and cutting for the plastic overlay. The layout is done by stripping the top of the playfield, laying the plastic onto the playfield, marking and center punching all holes and slots that are to be drilled or cut. Lane slots are cut while the plastic is on the playfield by using a pilot router bit (or Zip bit) in the wood slots. Holes are drilled or punched with the plastic off of the playfield.