Scanning
photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash
We all have stacks of old photos and photo albums from the years prior to digital cameras in our pockets all of the time. Those memories are priceless! We want to pass them down to our kids and our grandkids. But there may only be one copy of a precious photo; how do you split it between multiple kids? Physical photos are also vulnerable to theft and natural disasters, like fire and flooding, that can destroy these precious photographs. Scanning is the solution!
I can take your physical photos and scan them so that you also have a digital copy which can easily be shared and passed around (and backed up!)
The Process
There is no deposit to get started! Fill out this form and agreement and I will send you instructions on how to pack up and mail your items. If you are local to the Huntsville, AL area we can work out a place and time to pick up your items so there is no need to mail them!
Once the scanning is complete I will invoice you and put all of the images on a flash drive. If you would like the originals back I will return them to you along with the flash drive. Additional flash drives are available for an additional fee.
photo by Jon Tyson via unsplash
Organization
This is an advantage to going with a smaller company like Three Cedar Digital! I will match whatever organization you give me with your photos. A lot of the larger companies will not do this. If you have everything labeled or in a particular order, I will maintain that and match it in the digital items. But don’t let that slow you down! If you don’t have everything organized, I can still scan it and it can be organized later. The best time to start any preservation project is now!
Types of Media
I can scan photos of most sizes, up to 12.2” x 17.2”, including scrapbook pages. Pictures that need special handling are priced regardless of size. I can also scan slides and negatives. And if you have additional types of media, throw that in too and I will digitize or convert it for you.
Resolution
One question people often ask is about the resolution of scanned photos. Photo scanning is measured in dpi. Photos scanned at a higher dpi are larger files that take up more space, but also capture more quality so that the digital picture can be printed at a larger size. (For example, a 4x6 photo scanned at 600dpi can be enlarged to 5x7 or 8x10.) I scan most photos at 600 dpi for flexibility, but if you have a different preference please communicate it and I will do my best to accommodate!
photo by Joanna Kosinska via unsplash
Formatting
All of the photos scanned at Three Cedar Digital are usually scanned as jpg, which is a universally recognized format commonly used for photographs. It produces reasonably sized files. One of the beauties of using a smaller company for scanning, though, is that other formats are may be available upon request! I am happy to have that conversation with you if you’d prefer a different format.
Pricing:
Prints 8x10 or smaller: $.59 each
Slides or negatives: $.79 each
Oversized items, scrapbook pages, fragile items: $.99 each
DVDs/CDs: $5 each
VHS tapes: $25 each