User guide

Molecular Imager FX
11-11
• 50 micrometer resolution should be reserved for images requiring the
highest level of detail, e.g., high density in situ samples, 1,536-well
microplates, high density arrays, samples with very closely spaced bands.
Files scanned at 50 micrometers can be very large.
• 100 micrometer resolution is useful for typical gels and arrays.
• 200 micrometer resolution is useful for gels with large bands and dot
blots.
• 800 micrometer resolution should be reserved for very large objects, such
as CAT assays.
File Size of Images
Image File Size (below Select Resolution) shows the size of the scan file you
are about to create. If you do not have enough computer memory for the
specified file size, an error message will appear when you attempt to scan. If
this happens, select a lower resolution or decrease the size of the area to be
scanned. (Macintosh users can also increase the application memory
partition. See your Macintosh computer documentation for guidance.)
11.5 Acquire the Image
Once you have selected your application, scan area, and resolution, you are
ready to acquire an image.
Click on the Acquire button. There may be a short delay while the image laser
warms up; then the scanned image will begin to appear in the scanning
window, line by line.
To interrupt a scan, click on the Stop button. A message will ask you to
confirm the interrupt, and then you will be asked if you want to keep the
partial scan. This feature is useful if you overestimated the size of the area
you selected.
Note: If the image you are scanning has more than 10 saturated pixels, you will
receive a warning message. If this happens, you can go back and select a
higher sample intensity in the application tree.