This questions is impossible to answer perfectly (“How long is a piece of rope?”) due to the huge number of variables involved. But for the nerd-curious, I am making a list of average times that certain common tasks might take.
Please note that your project may differ.
(This page is a work in progress, with me simply running the stopwatch on actual tasks to see how long they take)
CD and DVD Rescue
| 4.5 GB (in 6 big files) of data from a healthy DVD | 11 minutes |
| 500 MB of data (56 medium files) on a unhealthy CD, rescue services | 1.5 hours |
Image Scanning (Photos, slides, negatives)
| Colour Film Slides (1400X2200px ea) this is SCAN TIME ONLY Can scan up to FOUR at a time Scanner: Epson flatbed | 6 min 42sec |
| Colour Film Slides (1400X2200px ea) this is SCAN time plus SET-UP time Can scan up to FOUR at a time Scanner: Epson flatbed | 11 min |
| 8 X 10″ colour photo, print res (300ppi) Scanner: Epson flatbed | |
| Photographs –> High quality + SAFE Method 3 X 5″ greyscale, print res (300 ppi) Can scan up to FOUR at a time Scanner: Epson flatbed | |
| Photographs –> Good quality + FAST + “98% safe” method 4 X 6 regular colour print, duplex feed scanner (photos MUST be hand-fed one at a time into the machine) Scanner: Fujitsi Autofeed | |
| 8 X 10″ colour photo, highest res. (___ppi), Scanner: Epson flatbed | |
| Negatives, black & white, roll of film – 3 scan passes in holder frame / 6 strips / 26 final images COMPLETE PROCESS & handling | 32 min |
| Negatives, colour, single scan pass / 2 strips / 8 images, JUST THE actual SCAN TIME | 8 min |