--- title: "Heritage preservation scanner for museums: CBMM case" description: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum digitizes 10,000+ fragile ship’s plans with the contact-free HD Apeiron/42, so originals are handled one last time. image: https://contex.com/hubfs/insights/cbmm/HD-Apeiron-42_CBMM-scanning-drawing-1.webp --- [Skip to content](https://contex.com/insights/cbmm-heritage-preservation-case-study#main-content) [Partner area](https://contex.com/partner-area) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/contex-as/) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/ContexScanners) [![Contex — When imaging matters](https://contex.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Contex_Logo_R_RGB.png?width=225&height=48&name=Contex_Logo_R_RGB.png)](https://contex.com/) [Products](https://contex.com/large-format-scanner) [Applications](https://contex.com/) [Insights](https://contex.com/insights/all) [Support](https://contex.com/support-faq/) [About us](https://contex.com/about-us/) [CONTACT US](https://contex.com/contact-us/) [Products](https://contex.com/large-format-scanner) [Applications](https://contex.com/) [Insights](https://contex.com/insights/all) [Support](https://contex.com/support-faq/) [About us](https://contex.com/about-us/) [Contact us](https://contex.com/contact-us/) 1. [Insights](https://contex.com/insights/all) 2. [Museums & heritage](https://contex.com/insights/tag/museums-heritage) 3. A museum’s dream: Preservation past physical life at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Case study # A museum’s dream: Preservation past physical life at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum [Part of: **Museums & heritage: Guides and cases**](https://contex.com/insights/tag/museums-heritage) In short Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum uses the contact-free HD Apeiron/42 to digitize more than 10,000 fragile ship’s plans with minimal handling, so originals go back to the archive for good. Each plan is saved as a faithful preservation file and an enhanced line drawing, helping the museum clear a backlog of requests and meet best practices for museum digitization. ![](https://contex.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Sigrid%20Raahauge.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=Sigrid%20Raahauge.jpg) [Sigrid Raahauge](https://contex.com/insights/author/sigrid-raahauge) Published September 26, 2024 · Updated October 21, 2026 · 4 min read Share [mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EA+museum%E2%80%99s+dream%3A+Preservation+past+physical+life+at+Chesapeake+Bay+Maritime+Museum%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https%3A%2F%2Fcontex.com%2Finsights%2Fcbmm-heritage-preservation-case-study](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EA+museum%E2%80%99s+dream%3A+Preservation+past+physical+life+at+Chesapeake+Bay+Maritime+Museum%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https%3A%2F%2Fcontex.com%2Finsights%2Fcbmm-heritage-preservation-case-study) ![Ship’s plan being scanned on the Contex HD Apeiron/42 at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum](https://contex.com/hs-fs/hubfs/insights/cbmm/HD-Apeiron-42_CBMM-scanning-drawing-1.webp?width=1400&height=600&name=HD-Apeiron-42_CBMM-scanning-drawing-1.webp) In this article **Curators at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum can be sure their originals are safe. They use the [HD Apeiron/42 contact-free scanner](https://contex.com/product/large-format-art-scanner-hd-apeiron-42/) to digitize their fragile archive. This means their originals are handled for the last time.** “There is no risk of potential damage to the originals, so that has been one of the biggest key features of this scanner,” says Gabriella Cantelmo, Assistant Curator at [Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum](https://cbmm.org/) (CBMM). We talked to her a month after the museum invested in their HD Apeiron/42 contact-free scanner. CBMM covers the largest bay in the USA, located on the East Coast. CBMM has a very large collection of ship’s plans, more than 10,000. They hope to scan and digitize a third of the 10,000 original plans within a year. > “We are now able to meet best practices for museum preservation and digitization.” > > **Gabriella Cantelmo**, Assistant Curator, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum ## Video interview Gabriella Cantelmo explains how Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is now able to meet best practices for cultural heritage preservation and digitization. ## Not handling, but preserving the cultural heritage CBMM’s primary motivation for needing a contact-free scanner is to minimize handling of their originals. “Our best practices are the least amount of handling. We don’t want to keep pulling them out every time somebody wants to see them,” says Gabriella Cantelmo. ## Improved workflow and results Their specific scanning workflow is to: 1. Retrieve the ship’s plan from the archive 2. Place it on the scanner table using an acid-free board 3. Then place a sheet of plexiglass very gently on top to keep the ship’s plan flat The scan is saved in two different versions: one which closely resembles the original, and a second file which shows how you would want a line drawing to appear. The line drawing is brought out using the software features in [Nextimage Apeiron](https://contex.com/product/nextimage-apeiron-art-scanner-software/), specifically black and white, enhanced black and despeckling. [See the full CBMM workflow step by step](https://contex.com/insights/cbmm-scanning-workflow). Gabriella Cantelmo explains: “The Nextimage Apeiron software itself and how usable it is, is huge and we were able to change our ship’s plans into kind of what they’re meant to be: Their original format which is just the line drawings.” ## Boosting access and clearing backlog Another key reason for CBMM to undertake the massive task of digitizing their archives is to improve accessibility. The ability to make high-quality printed copies or share digital versions of ship’s plans is a big improvement. “The black and white and the line fill features have been amazing,” says Gabriella Cantelmo. She is finally able to fulfil a huge backlog of requests. ![View of the working shipyard at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum](https://contex.com/hubfs/insights/cbmm/HD-Apeiron-42_Chesapeake-Bay-Maritime-Museum_View.webp) The working shipyard at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum periodically utilizes plans from the archive while building and restoring vessels. ## An impressed curatorial committee Previously, images had to be taken with a digital camera or smartphone, creating lots of issues. The HD Apeiron/42 scanner now produces images that impress the CBMM curatorial committee. They now get levels of detail and quality that weren’t possible before. “We are now able to meet best practices for museum preservation and digitization, and to me that has been our biggest benefit and our biggest profit gained from HD Apeiron/42,” says Gabriella Cantelmo. In total, CBMM has around 80,000 physical originals archived and registered. A majority of these will be going through the HD Apeiron/42 scanner. They will then be available in good quality for the public and organizations. > “Preventative preservation is the name of the game.” > > ![Gabriella Cantelmo, Assistant Curator at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum](https://contex.com/hubfs/insights/cbmm/HD-Apeiron-42_Chesapeake-Bay-Maritime-Museum_Gabriella-Cantelmo-1-1.webp) > > **Gabriella Cantelmo**, Assistant Curator, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum ## Helping a historical society with local heritage preservation From day one with their HD Apeiron/42 contact-free scanner, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum planned to provide scanning services to the local community. Talbot Historical Society were happy to take them up on their offer. [Read the Talbot Historical Society story](https://contex.com/insights/talbot-historical-society). ## Try HD Apeiron/42 If you are ready, arrange a live demonstration without obligations, from your local distributor through our [contact form](https://contex.com/contact-us/). Or check out our resources for HD Apeiron/42: - [Download the full case study (PDF)](https://contex.com/hubfs/insights/pdf/Contex_Case-study_Chesapeake-Bay-Maritime-Museum_EN.pdf) - [Free software demo](https://contex.com/nextimage-apeiron-scanning-software-trial/) - [Online live demonstration](https://contex.com/contact-us/) - [Product overview](https://contex.com/product/large-format-art-scanner-hd-apeiron-42/) - [Demo room](https://contex.com/hd-apeiron-42-demo-room/) - [Videos on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@ContexScanners) ## Frequently asked questions Why does a museum need a contact-free scanner? To minimize handling of fragile originals. As CBMM’s Assistant Curator puts it, best practice is the least amount of handling, so originals are not pulled out every time someone wants to see them. How many documents is CBMM digitizing? The museum has more than 10,000 ship’s plans and around 80,000 registered originals in total. It aimed to digitize a third of the ship’s plans within a year. What did CBMM use before the scanner? Images were taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which created lots of issues. The scanner gives the curatorial committee a level of detail and quality that was not possible before. Topics [Case studies](https://contex.com/insights/tag/case-studies)[Museums & heritage](https://contex.com/insights/tag/museums-heritage) ![](https://contex.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Sigrid%20Raahauge.jpg?width=64&height=64&name=Sigrid%20Raahauge.jpg) About the author Sigrid Raahauge Sigrid Raahauge is a marketing professional with 6 years of experience in the large format scanning industry. She is widely recognised internally for her expert knowledge of the HD Apeiron/42 and her ability to turn complex technical settings into clear recommendations that improve customer results. She writes about large format scanners, contact-free scanning, scanning workflows, image quality, and scanning efficiency. She also interviews users to share practical insights and real-world scanning experiences. [More from Sigrid Raahauge](https://contex.com/insights/author/sigrid-raahauge) ## Keep reading [All museums & heritage insights](https://contex.com/insights/tag/museums-heritage) ### [![](https://contex.com/hs-fs/hubfs/insights/cbmm/HD-Apeiron-42_CBMM-scanning-drawing.webp?width=700&height=438&name=HD-Apeiron-42_CBMM-scanning-drawing.webp) Case study Workflow: How Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum preserves history while enhancing access November 25, 2024](https://contex.com/insights/cbmm-scanning-workflow) ### [![](https://contex.com/hs-fs/hubfs/insights/talbot-historical-society/Talbot-Historical-Society_topimg.webp?width=700&height=438&name=Talbot-Historical-Society_topimg.webp) Case study Can a scanner support a whole community? How a museum helps Talbot Historical Society October 21, 2024](https://contex.com/insights/talbot-historical-society) ### [![](https://contex.com/hs-fs/hubfs/insights/hd-apeiron-42-launch/HD-Apeiron-42_In-room_marketing-image-on-wall_cropped-2-1.webp?width=700&height=438&name=HD-Apeiron-42_In-room_marketing-image-on-wall_cropped-2-1.webp) News New contact-free large format art scanner delivers the market’s most lifelike results June 28, 2023](https://contex.com/insights/hd-apeiron-42-launch) ## Do you want to know more? We share useful guidance on scanner technology, workflow improvements, image quality, digitization trends and real-world applications — straight to your inbox. 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