Old Runners World magazines - getting rid of them

Like a million other people, I've had stacks of old magazines over the years and because of the space they took up, I used to toss them after a few years. Now, of course, I wish I would have kept them as a look back at the past. About two years ago, I bought a document scanner (Fujitsu) and the stacks of mags that I had kept, I put through the scanner. The scans come out very good, and, best of all, they are PDF searchable. The scanner is very fast. I wish there would have been something like this 20 years ago. It's something you might consider doing, or you might kick yourself in the future.

Thanks for the idea - what is the model of your Fujitsu scanner? I googled them and saw a few different models.

I'm interested in this too. There's a wide range of scanners out there and I'm not particularly interested in blowing a ton of cash.

If any of them have an article on how to run your best 5K, I'll take it.

Glad to know I am not the only one with issues "get it" between R.T and R.W. I probably have about 240 mags up in the attic.

How fast is it? I tried before and it takes forever. Even seconds per page, including setup, and you're talking an hour just to scan a few of them. For me, it is not worth the time.

I have the Fujitsu 7160. I bought in from B&H. It wasn't cheap, but I had (and have) about three or four hundred thousand pages to do. Paid about $800. It is VERY fast - my usual time is 1 second per page (and it does both sides of the page at once). I scan all my stuff as a searchable PDF. With my magazines, I use a utility knife to cut off the binding, then fan the pages (old magazine pages tend to stick together) and load them in the chute. The scanner pulls them through, uploads into the computer, and the software converts to PDF. The conversion part takes about 5 minutes or so for a Runner's World size magazine, faster computers probably less. The guy that said he has about 240 mags - that can be done in an afternoon, no problem. Note that the maximum width that it will scan is about 13", so if you have something like a large newspaper or map, it won't take that as one sheet. I clean the scanner every 5,000 scans, takes about 15 minutes. It gets all the paper stuff in it as you scan, and I like to keep it clean. No staples, take them out! Also, stuff like glue on the pages will stop the scan, so you have to watch out for that stuff. The good news is if you spend the $800 and finish your project, you can get probably half of it back by selling on the scanner.

There is a cheaper Fujitsu model (Scan Snap?) that has gotten good reviews, but I never tried it, so won't speak to it.

I have about 30 years of Track and Field News and am not sure what to do with them. My wife has started questioning the need to keep them.

I also recently purchased a NeatDesk scanner and liked what you said regarding cutting off the binding and scanning them. Might give that a shot.

It would be a huge project.

Do you have the issue with the cute girl on the cover which might have been airbrushed a little?

If you end up scanning them all, please put up a download link! I would be very interested in skimming through it all.

I coach a high school cross country team. Our team has a running library. We are looking to get donations or buy running books, magazines, and videos for our library. Please let me know if you would be willing to part with your magazines. Thanks Neal

www.mshsxc.com