Scan from Photoshop CC: Importing a Printed Logo for Redrawing

The short answer

You can bring a scan into Photoshop in two ways. You can start the scanner from inside Photoshop through the File > Import menu if your version and operating system expose a scanner option there. You can also scan with the scanner's own software or your operating system's scanning utility, save the image, and open it in Photoshop with File > Open. The second route works in every version, so use it whenever the Import menu shows no scanner.

For logo work, the scan is only the starting point. Photoshop produces raster images, which are grids of pixels. A usable logo is normally delivered as vector artwork, which is built from mathematically defined paths that scale to any size without losing sharpness. The scan serves as a reference you clean up in Photoshop and then trace or redraw as vector paths, usually in a vector editor such as Illustrator.

Ways to get the scan into Photoshop

Route | Where to find it | Notes

Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) | File > Import > WIA Support (Windows versions of Photoshop) | Uses the Windows scanning interface. Availability depends on your Photoshop version and scanner driver.

macOS device import | File > Import > Images from Device (where present) | Relies on the system's image-capture support for your scanner.

TWAIN scanner plug-in | File > Import > [scanner name] | Common in older releases such as CS6. Newer CC releases have limited or no TWAIN support, especially on macOS.

Scan separately, then open | Scanner software or OS utility, then File > Open in Photoshop | Works regardless of version. This is the most dependable option.

Menu names and options change between Photoshop releases and depend on which drivers are installed. If a route in the table doesn't appear in your copy, use the scan-then-open method. The supplied material doesn't confirm which scanner models or driver versions work with each Photoshop release.

Step by step: scanning a printed logo

• 1. Clean the scanner glass and the print. Dust and fibers show up as specks that you would otherwise have to remove by hand.
• 2. Lay the print flat and as square to the glass edge as you can. This reduces how much rotation correction you need later.
• 3. In the scanning interface, pick a color or grayscale mode. Grayscale keeps edge shading that a pure black-and-white mode throws away, which makes edges easier to judge during redrawing. Use color if you need to identify the logo's colors.
• 4. Pick a resolution well above what you would use for on-screen viewing. Fine details such as thin strokes, small type and tight curves need enough pixels to be readable when you zoom in. The supplied material gives no specific resolution value, so treat this as a general recommendation and choose a setting based on the size of the print and its finest detail.
• 5. Turn off automatic sharpening, descreening and similar enhancement options if you can. They can change edge shapes in ways that mislead you when you trace.
• 6. Scan the image. Then either let Photoshop receive it through the Import route or save it as a lossless format such as TIFF or PNG and open it with File > Open.
• 7. Save a copy right away as a PSD or TIFF so that you keep an untouched original.

Preparing the scan as a redrawing reference

• Straighten: Use the Crop tool's straighten option or the Ruler tool along a known straight edge in the logo, such as a baseline or border, and then rotate the image to match.
• Increase contrast: Use a Levels or Curves adjustment layer to darken the artwork and whiten the background without destroying edge detail.
• Remove specks: Erase stray marks on a separate layer, or use dust-removal filters with care so that small intentional details survive.
• Check for distortion: Compare circles, right angles and parallel lines against the printed original. Paper curl or an uneven scanner lid can stretch the image slightly.
• Save a cleaned version: Keep the original scan and the cleaned reference as separate files.

Don't depend on a black-and-white threshold as your final step. Thresholding forces every pixel to pure black or white, and that can thicken or erode fine strokes. Use it to preview shapes, and keep the grayscale version as your main tracing reference.

From scan to usable logo artwork

Once the scan is clean, place it in a vector application as a locked template layer. There you can redraw the logo with the Pen tool, using geometric shapes for circles and straight segments, or use automatic tracing as a rough first pass. Printed logos often contain ink spread, paper texture and printing artifacts. Manual redrawing lets you rebuild the intended geometry instead of copying those flaws. If the logo contains text, try to identify the typeface. Setting the type and then converting it to outlines usually gives cleaner letterforms than tracing them from the scan.

Keep two points in mind. First, a file saved as PSD, PDF or another format that can contain vectors is not proof that the artwork is vector or editable. A scanned image placed in such a file is still pixels. Second, redrawing a logo doesn't give you the right to use it. Confirm that you have permission from the logo's owner before you reproduce or deliver it.

Verifying the result

• View the cleaned scan at 100% and higher zoom to confirm that edges are clear and that small details are readable.
• Compare it side by side with the printed original to check that nothing was lost or distorted during cleanup.
• After redrawing, zoom far into the vector version to confirm smooth curves and clean path joins.
• Print the vector version or view it at very small and very large sizes to confirm that it holds up across uses.
• Check in your vector editor's outline or wireframe view that the logo is made of paths and not an embedded image.

Gaps in the available information

The supplied material confirms no specific scan resolutions, scanner compatibility lists, or details of which Photoshop releases support each import method. The menu paths above reflect common Photoshop behavior and may differ in your version. Check your own Import menu and your scanner's documentation to confirm what's available.