Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Photo Scanning
How much does scanning cost?
It depends on which resolution and options you choose. Economy scanning starts at just $0.25 per photo.
Can you scan photos in albums?
Yes. We can. There is an additional charge for "album access" of $0.25 per image to remove and replace the photos. In some extreme cases, the charge may be doubled - for photos that are attached to the albums in a difficult manner.
What’s the difference between Economy and Regular scanning?
Both use the same equipment and produce the same high quality scans. However, Regular scanning includes a detailed finishing process (rotation to the correct orientation, de-skewing, cropping, color-correction, and quality checking). Economy scanning is a good option if you’re proficient with computer multimedia editing software and intend to manipulate and finish the images yourself. See the difference.
Do I really need CleanScan?
We recommend using our CleanScan service to remove scratches and dust particles on slides and negatives of any age. CleanScan applies a sophisticated optical technology that "sees through" dust and scratches to produce an almost flawless digital image.
If CleanScan is not applied, you will get some evidence of scratches and dust particles on negatives and slides. This is caused by the development process, and by the use of plastic sleeves, among other things.
Please note that CleanScan DOES NOT work for black & white negatives and slides!
This means that you can expect some scratches and dust particles (electrostatically clinging to the film that our cleaning process cannot remove) to be evident. These can all be removed easily by us through retouching them using Adobe Photoshop at an additional cost using our restoration service.
What's the difference between putting my images on CD versus DVD?
A DVD stores almost 7 times more data than a CD (4.7 GB versus 700 MB).
How will the image files be organized on my CD/DVD?
We organize your files and folders to reflect the way your physical media is organized, i.e. by roll of negatives, carousel of slides, etc. For example, if you have an album of photos called "Italy 1995", w e'll place all those images in a folder called "Italy 1995" and name the files "Italy1995-001", "Italy1995-002", and so on.
Will I be able to view my images and play them on a DVD player?
Yes, many of the new DVD players are JPEG-compatible, which means they can display image files directly from your CD-ROM. However, this option is not universally compatible and does not allow for addition of music or interactive features. For that you will need our playable DVD Slide Show.
Regular Vs. Economy Scan?
Both options use the same equipment and produce the same high-quality scans.
However, in Regular Scan we perform the following finishing procedures:
- Image rotation to the correct orientation
- De-skewing (leveling the image)
- Cropping any visible border effect
- Color correction
- Detailed quality check
Economy scanning is a good option if you’re proficient with computer multimedia editing software and intend to manipulate and finish the images yourself.
See the difference between Economy and Regular scanning.
| Original Media | Scanned Resolution (pixels per inch) |
digital image | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type and Size | Mega Pixels | Max Print Size (Phot0-Quality) |
JPEG File Size (MB) |
TIFF File Size (MB) |
||
| Photo Print | 3.5"x5" | Standard (300 ppi) | 1.6 | 3.5" x 5" | 0.5 | 5 |
| 4"x6" | 2.2 | 4"x6" | 0.7 | 6 | ||
| 5"x7" | 3.2 | 5"x7" | 1.1 | 1 | ||
| 3.5"x5" | High (600 ppi) | 6.3 | 7" x 10" | 2.1 | 19 | |
| 4"x6" | 8.6 | 8" x 12" | 2.9 | 26 | ||
| 5"x7" | 12.6 | 10" x 14" | 4.2 | 38 | ||
| 35mm Negative (1" x 1.5") |
Standard (1500 ppi) | 3.0 | 5"x7" | 1 | 9 | |
| High (2500 ppi) | 8.4 | 8" x 10" | 2.8 | 25 | ||
| Pro (4000 ppi) | 21.4 | 12" x 18" | 7.1 | 65 | ||
| APS Film (0.65"x 1.2") |
Standard (1700 ppi) | 2.3 | 4" x 6" | 0.8 | 7 | |
| High (2500 ppi) | 4.9 | 6" x 8" | 1.6 | 14 | ||
| Pro (4000 ppi) | 12.5 | 10" x 14" | 4.2 | 38 | ||
| 35mm Mounted Slide (1" x 1.5") |
Standard (1500 ppi) | 2.8 | 4" x 6" | 0.9 | 8 | |
| High (2500 ppi) | 7.7 | 8" x 10" | 2.6 | 23 | ||
| Pro (4000 ppi) | 19.6 | 12" x 18" | 6.5 | 59 | ||
| Medium Format Film (2.25" x 2.25") |
Standard (1000 ppi) | 5.1 | 6" x 8" | 1.7 | 15 | |
| High (2000 ppi) | 20.3 | 12" x 18" | 6.8 | 61 | ||
| Pro (4000 ppi) | 81.0 | 18" x 27" | 20 | 180 | ||
| Large Format Film (4" x 5") |
Standard (600 ppi) | 7.2 | 8" x 10" | 2.4 | 22 | |
| High (1000 ppi) | 20.0 | 12" x 18" | 6.7 | 60 | ||
| Pro (2000 ppi) | 80.0 | 24" x 36" | 26.7 | 240 | ||
Default Color Space: sRGB
Available Formats:
- 8-bit JPG (default) (file sizes are in the table above)
- 16-bit JPG (files sizes are 2X the 8bit size)
- 8-bit TIFF (file sizes are in the table above)
- 16-bit TIFF (files sizes are 2X the 8bit size)
- and low compression JPG (Photoshop quality level 12) with file sizes approximately half that of 8bit TIFF.
