Image scanning
A4 scanners are ridiculously cheap things. Frequently found on the top of an "all-in-one" (meaning "two-in-one") printer.
A3 scanners are rather pricier and harder to find, as well as being larger and more unwieldy. But they're just the thing for scanning 12" record covers or large newspaper or zine pages.
Scan at 600dpi minimum, 1200dpi if you're feeling particularly perfectionist. Scan colour things in colour. 3-colour TIFF files will be on the order of tens to hundreds of megabytes. Good thing USB disks are cheap.
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Copyright
All of this stuff is, obviously, copyrighted by someone who isn't you. Don't do things that would make you seem to be an extremely rude person, let alone things that would attract legal opprobrium. If it's something indie and obscure and owned by the artist, it's worth asking nicely if you can distribute, they'll often say yes.
Photos
Scan at the maximum resolution you can. 2400dpi if available.
Much better than scanning the prints is negative scanning. But if you only have prints, then a 2400dpi archive copy gives lots for later photo-restorers to work with.
Photos you took are likely your copyright, of course!
Flyers, tickets, other printed paraphernalia
Dead easy. Just whack the flyer, which will typically be A4 or A5, on the scanner. Tickets and stuff the same.
Recordings
7" records, CDs, cassettes
These fit on an A4 scanner just fine. With cassettes, try to scan the physical label on the tape as well as the insert card.
10" and 12" records
These do not fit on an A4 scanner just fine. You can scan both halves and use photo-stitching software, which is a pain in the backside and has indifferent results. Or you can get an A3 scanner and use that. A photo-stitched scan is better than nothing, though.
For record labels, a photo will avoid damaging the surface of the record itself on the scanner.
Zines
Laborious but easy. When doing Party Fears, David Gerard just did the scans in black-and-white.
Most zines were A4 or A5. A few were A3. The photo-stitching is a bit easier than with LP sleeves.
Music papers
Ideally, you want an A3 scanner for music papers and street press. Though pairs of A4 scans are much better than nothing (I predict the photo-stitching will be enough of a pain you won't bother).
