old document in need of rescue

[jane l]

i have an old Royal Navy certificate of service  in a poor state i was wondering if there was anything that could be done with it. it's very hard to read. double sided size about 10.25 in's x 14.25 in's so too big to scan into my printer in 1 hit. this was William Walter Sayers born 1853 east grinstead -my g.g.grandfather who was in the Royal Navy+the Merchant Marines. it would be really nice if it could be improved so that 1. i could read it. 2. frame it. any advice would be gratefully received.

[diddymiller]

do you have a local Staples store? if so they may be able to scan/photocopy larger docs in one go. my local store are very helpful. this would make sure that you have a copy in case of further deterioration.

I wonder whether the photo restoration team can help here on RC? worth linking to this post.

good luck,
Diddy

[jane l]

hi yes i do have a staples down the rd so will check it out thanks

[cati]

Haven't tried this myself, but I'm assured it works....

Scan the document then 'flip' it into negative, so that it becomes, for example, white writing on a black background:  I'm informed that this makes it easier to read. 

You say that your document is too big to scan - but could you scan it in sections?

Cati

[Emjaybee]

Beg or borrow a digital camera.

Place the documents on a flat surface, go outside on a cloudy bright day  (I use a bay window indoors)  and photograph it. Then transfer from the camera card or by USB to your pc.

I have a scanner and dont use it, I take hi res pictures and adjust them to A4 on the PC.

If you break in into sections and post on photo restore I'm sure some of the experts on there will be glad to have a go at making it clearer.

Mike

[jane l]

yes i could scan in sections. will also  try some of the others  thanks so much for info

[jane l]

Thought i would have a go with my old document not to sure what to send it in pdf=file size 1.23mb-tiff = 5.92  at least i think that's what it is    other half is at work and im not so good when it comes to this sort of stuff