Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the best way to ship my photos?
Use a reputable shipper of your choice.
Insure your package.
Do not put packing peanuts or anything else that will add additional dust to your photos.
Use existing photo envelopes and/or plastic Ziploc bags to protect photos from moisture during shipping. If you want, you can put a 3x5 index card or piece of paper in each Ziploc bag and we will name that group of photos starting with the name you specify. We recommend putting a minimum of 40 photos in each group.
Get a sturdy box (shippers like UPS have great boxes) and make sure you pack your pictures, slides, or negatives tight, so they don’t move around during shipping. Tape the box securely closed. Tape our shipping label (printed from the Order Form page) to the top of the box.
Q. Do I have to carefully count the number of photos I send?
No. When we scan the photos, our system will count the number of photos for an exact number. Then, when we email you the final invoice, you will know how many photos there were. Just put in an estimate on the order form.
Q. What format will my pictures be?
We use JPEG or jpg, currently the most popular format for digital images. We can also scan in TIFF format, if you prefer. Request it in the Special Instructions field on the Order Form. TIFF format is mainly for professionals who plan on editing their images.
Q. What size in pixels will my photos be?
We can either scan at 300 DPI or 600 DPI. DPI means Dots Per Inch. For every inch of photo there will be the DPI number of pixels.
For a standard 4 x 6 inch print: 300 DPI will be about 1200 x 1800 pixels with a file size of about 1 MB (megabyte). 600 DPI will be about 2400 x 3600 pixels with a file size of about 3.5 MB.
Q. What DPI size should I have my photos scanned in?
600 DPI - useful for slide shows on HDTV (1920 pixels x 1080 pixels), newer wide screen format computer monitors, and if you plan on printing your photos in sizes larger than the original size. Monitor sizes keep getting bigger, so if you will be showing your images on the media above, use 600 DPI.
300 DPI - would be adequate if you will just be storing them, using them for digital scrapbooking, printing them in the same size as the original size, or displaying on a 1024 pixel x 768 pixel size monitor or smaller TV.
Q. What DPI size should I have my negatives or slides scanned in?
4000 DPI - best for newer or high quality, professional film.
2000 DPI - good choice for normal consumer film or older film.
Q. I've read the image information above, can you help me understand the image size options?
The image below will hopefully help you visualize the size options we provide for scanning your photos, slides, and negatives.
The first two blue boxes represent the native sizes of a standard XGA monitor (1024 x 768) and HDTV (1920 x 1080).
The green boxes represent the size of standard 4 x 6 inch print scanned at 300 DPI (light green 1800 x 1200) and 600 DPI (dark green 3600 x 2400).
The brown boxes represent the size of standard 35mm negative or slide scanned at 2000 DPI (light brown 2600 x 1800) and 4000 DPI (dark brown 5200 x 3600).
Larger image sizes are better for printing larger than original image size.
It is important to remember that monitor sizes keep increasing, currently 30 inch LCD monitors are available that have a resolution of 2560 x 1600.
Q. Should I choose a CD or DVD for my images?
A DVD (4,700 MB or 4.7 GB) will hold a lot more images than a CD (700 MB). One DVD can hold about as many images as 6 CDs. If you go to our Order Form, it will calculate approximately how many CDs or DVDs your pictures will require. However, you need to have a DVD drive in your computer to view the images. If you have a computer with a DVD drive, we would recommend selecting the DVD option.
Q. Do you remove dust from my photos?
We use compressed air with a special filter to remove dust particles from your photos.
Our scanners can automatically remove dust electronically.
For really bad cases, we can manually remove dust using special software filters.
Q. Can you scan my studio portrait?
We can only scan copyrighted photos if you own the copyright.
Q. How long will it take to process my order?
See the "Turnaround Time" table in the left hand column for approximate times. Once payment is received, we ship immediately.
