The toothpicks go down, against the film. If it's 35mm film, and you can't get it to lay flat, you may need to lay the cardboard-and-toothpick jig on top of the film (but below the frame) to make sure the film is as flat as possible.

I also use a flashlight to shine through the film, so I can see where the edges of the frames are. I use the corner of a microfiber cloth to avoid touching the film with my finger. Using the frame to help hold things in place, very carefully move the film around under the frame until it's positioned such that nothing's going to get cut off.

The only way to get those curly pieces of film flat is to pin them between the frame and the glass. The manufacterer wants you to place the film inside the frame, but don't do that. Place the film frame down on top of the negative, placing the tab in the correct slot in the scanner bed. There is one frame for medium format, and another frame for 35mm mounted slides and loose 35mm film strips. However, if you smush the glossy side of the film against the glass, you get newton rings.Ĭhoose the correct film frame for your film size. To get it as flat as possible, you want it smushed against the glass. Why? Because you want the film to be as flat as possible.

The emulsion is the matte side of the film. Lay the negative emulsion side down on the glass. You can use puffed air, or soft antistatic brushes as well. I use a clean microfiber cloth to remove large dust particles and hair. Make sure the negatives are as clean as possible, but be extremely careful not to scratch them or get figerprints on them. If there are smudges or marks on the glass, use regular window cleaner, and be sure to dry it 100% Load the Negatives into the Scanner Now you should see glass on the lid as well as the scanner base.Ĭarefully remove all visible dust from the glass with a microfiber cloth. Make sure the reflective mat is removed from the top lid (slide out toward front of scanner). Download and install the driver and software from here: Preparing the Scanner

Epson perfection v500 driver