Where Factum Foundation has found commercial recording technologies lacking, it has developed its own prototype systems specifically for cultural heritage applications. This has been particularly true for projects involving the recording of works of art on paper. In this field, Factum has designed a number of prototype scanning system, each of which responds to the specific requirements of the object or collection in question.

The Replica 360 Recto/Verso system, for example, is intended for the rapid digitisation of vast archives of unbound pages – from photos to double-sided written sheets. The portable book scanner was designed with easy transport and assembly in mind; it can be used to photograph delicate manuscripts found in remote locations without the reduction in quality that would normally be associated with such recordings. The purpose of the ‘miniature book scanner’ was to enable the high-resolution recording of a very small, very fragile manuscript that could not be opened to more than 50°…

Much of the hardware and software designed for these systems is currently being prepared for open-source sharing and dissemination.