​​Reproduction of books

​​archium® specializes in producing book reproductions that are as true to the original as possible. Older literary works in particular, which are owned by libraries, museums or private individuals, can be protected from further deterioration through wear and tear by making a copy. Likewise, making a copy of a book for the heirs of a valuable individual piece can represent a special tribute to the estate of the deceased. In contrast to the often used scanning of a book, we digitize each copy exclusively photographically. This enables particularly precise color management and avoids the negative aspects of using a glass plate. Each page of the book is always photographed in the same position relative to the camera. The pages are turned and fixed as gently as possible. We manually adjust the lens of our EOS before each shot - at archium® we leave nothing to chance. The highest precision is our goal! If requested, we can also read the photographs using OCR software and transfer the content into a PDF document so that the work can be accessed in the form of an ebook on any computer or tablet.

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  ​​​We determine your intended ideas and wishes in a detailed consultation
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  We organize the personal receipt and handover of your valuable art treasures
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  We treat your works carefully and gently like archival material
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  We photograph in high resolution with objectively unadulterated colors
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  The reproductions of the book pages are based on the paper of the original
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  The proportions of the reproductions correspond to those of the original
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  The cover in linen, leather or imitation leather can be reproduced
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  The book cover can be embossed with gold or silver print
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  Depending on the condition of a book, a cover can also be professionally repaired

​​​The camera

​​We take our pictures with the masterclass camera (CANON EOS 5Dsr). This is attached to a special tripod. The angle of the camera can be adjusted as desired. The lens is aligned parallel to the subject and brought as close to the object as possible. This produces the best possible pictures without the photography being altered by avoidable effects. We do not leave the adjustment of the focus to technology. Only the photographer's eye decides, using a focus table, when the maximum detail reproduction has been achieved. All other settings such as focal length, aperture or exposure are also set manually. That is what ultimately matters. Repro photography specializes in the best possible reproduction of analogue originals. At archium, this justifies almost every effort.

​The vacuum table

​​The positioning of the sometimes very large format originals is done extremely carefully. We do not photograph under glass and without pressure. We pay meticulous attention to the correct alignment of the original and camera. This is the only way to guarantee consistent image sharpness right into the corners of the image. The adjustable negative pressure of the table makes the photographer's work much easier, as it allows wavy or torn works of art to be photographed without tension. In the case of archives with storage damage, we increase the flatness of the original through controlled, even suction and at the same time reduce the shadows. This process is therefore particularly suitable for producing reproduction photographs of oversized technical drawings.

​​The lighting

​​The illumination is provided by 4 LED spotlights with a color temperature of 5,500 Kelvin, arranged exactly diagonally on the suction table. This corresponds to the color spectrum of natural sunlight. As a standard, we correct the measurable difference in brightness in the intersections of the light cones using a white image that we photograph before each series of images. To determine the exact contrast, the image is also white balanced using the recording software.