Frequently Asked Questions

This is the general frequently asked questions [faq's] section of this website otherwise known as the miscellaneous section. More detailed frequently asked question sections can be found by using the links section just to the right of this notice

  • SCSI Scanner dropping off-line?
    While it is understood that you have power up a SCSI based peripheral in the correct sequence for it recognized by the Operating System. In which manner the scanners Application software will talk to the scanner correctly, what is not clear is that the connected SCSI based scanner may drop off-line. The dropping off-line can happen for a number of reasons but would normally require the operator to reboot the Personal Computer and reactive the correct sequence to get the scanner back on-line.

    This can be a lengthy process but please find below two utilities that may help depending on why the the scanner is dropping off-line. Please note that both of these utilities are copyrighted to there respective owners.

    • Microsoft Windows Version:
      SCSI Rescan
      MD5 check sum [ 7e460aeb92fd0fb15f5830cc6318440f ]
      Requirements: Microsoft Windows.

    • Microsoft Windows Version:
      Microsoft SCSI Rescan
      MD5 check sum [ f0e074e82ab06542fd474fd1a032a09d ]
      Requirements: Microsoft Windows.

    • Please note that this is "AS IS" software and documentation with no warranties expressed or implied, and you use entirely at your own risk. All trademarks, logo's and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

  • Recycle Scanning Lamps?
    Quote from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency's [EPA] web site "Fluorescent light bulbs thrown into the trash are usually sent to a landfill or incinerated. These disposal methods will lead to releases of elemental mercury into the environment through breakage and leakage. There is also the potential for exposure to mercury from broken fluorescent light bulbs thrown in a dumpster, trash compactor, or trash can. Approximately 670 million fluorescent light bulbs are discarded each year in the United States. These discarded bulbs can release approximately 2 to 4 tons of mercury per year into the environment. Once in the environment, mercury can be converted to an organic form that accumulates in living organisms and contaminates the food chain. To prevent the release of mercury, the fluorescent light bulbs should be taken to a recycler before they break. Recyclers can recover the mercury and other components for reuse."

    Due to the new Federal Environmental Protection Agency's [EPA] regulations on lamps, which went into effect on January 6, 2000, most non-residential facilities are now required by law to properly dispose of their lamps. Landfills are increasingly intolerant of lamps from non-residential sources due to the amount of mercury found in each lamp. Lamps later found in landfills are subject to retroactive clean-up costs under The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act [CERCLA]. Recycling of the lamp components is the recommended method of disposal by the Environmental Protection Agency and helps to minimize facility liability.

    Packaging of the lamps coupled with the recycling of the lamps will greatly reduce the mercury dilemma and create a much safer environment.

    Thus The Raster Shop, LLC suggests recycling with EasyPak [http://www.lamprecycling.com] its easy and ensures that you are in compliance with all state and federal regulations. Also certificates of recycling are provided via Email and stored in your account history for each container returned to http://www.lamprecycling.com

  • What's a Raster?
    Well Wikipedia defines it and I quote from their raster graphics page "In computer graphics, a raster graphics image or bitmap is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium. Raster images are stored in image files with varying formats."

    And the Encyclopedia Britannica defines it and I quote from their raster graphics page "a type of digital image that uses tiny rectangular pixels, or picture elements, arranged in a grid formation to represent an image. Because the format can support a wide range of colors and depict subtle graduated tones, it is well-suited for displaying continuous-tone images such as photographs or shaded drawings, along with other detailed images."

    But, I believe that most of the questioning about this comes from the use of it in the name of our company. Personal in The Raster Shop, LLC have had decades of experience in the production and use of Raster Images from many and varied types of input devices, thus we considered ourselves as a "shop" that severed groups of Pixels or more commonly known as "Raster" because of the lack of geometry. So, we could have called ourselves The Pixel Shop, LLC or The Scanning Shop, LLC but after quite a few cocktails we reached a compromise solution The Raster Shop, LLC.

  • ACTion Imaging Solutions [AIS]?
    ACTion Imaging Solutions was the trading name for Colortrac, Inc from 1999 to 2004 in the U.S.A. So how did it come about? Simple, when Colortrac, Inc purchased ANA Tech Imaging Products from Intergraph Corporation in 1999, Tangent Imaging and Scangraphics form Sedona Corporation also in 1999 there was a dilemma what to call the new "group." Well, after much head scratching it was decided that the group should try and incorporate as much of the old names as they could thus, ANA Tech became the "A" in action, Colortrac became the "C" and you you guessed it the Tangent became the "T" in action. This gave way to the capitalization of the word "action" to ACTion to represent the three companies identities. Sadly, Scangraphics did not make the cut as the ANA Tech and Colortrac brands had competing products already and thus the Scangraphics scanner range was mothballed in 1999.

    The only problem with this methodology was with the customer base, they where confused and kept thinking ACTion Imaging Solutions was just another reseller of equipment and not in-fact the developer, manufacture and support for some of the worlds leading scanning technologies. So after about four years of trying to educate it was decided to drop the whole ACTion Imaging Solutions effort and revert back to Colortrac, Inc but please note the legal name was always Colortrac, Inc dba ACTion Imaging Solutions.