Photo Scanning
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Most people think they can invest in a quality scanner and do the photo scanning themselves. They believe that if they gather all their photos from across shoeboxes and other places and start feeding them into a scanner, they can finish the project over a weekend.

Reality may prove to be a little different. There are significant hidden costs involved in trying to do this yourself. As this article indicates, the DIYer can expect to spend 7.5 minutes per image when scanning photos at home. That includes the time required for scanning as well as editing the digital image for color shifts, scratches, fading etc. And this is after they are past the learning curve involved with the process. According to reliable research, the average American adult has 3000 analog images in their possession. If you do the math and multiply that by 7.5, that's 22,500 minutes in total that are needed to complete the task! Put another way, that's 10 weeks or 47 Saturdays at 8 hours a day.

So, the DIY route may not really be the most cost-effective way to scan photos, especially when you are looking at a large collection. A better strategy might be to cull your photos to the extent that you can (remove duplicates, blurry prints, those that are not focused on anything in particular) and send it off to a reliable professional photo scanning service like ScanCafe who can get the job done - quickly and effectively

DPI is a common, often misunderstood technical term that stands for "dots per inch." DPI designates the number of pixels per linear inch that a scanner produces in a scan file. The higher the dpi, the larger the scan is in pixels and megabytes, which means larger files.

At ScanCafe, we think high resolution is important because you never know what scans might be used for in the future (e.g. making prints). In general, a scan needs to have high enough resolution to enlarge, print, and crop from the scan file. On the other hand, it's possible to scan with too high a resolution – in some cases, highly detailed scans can actually pick up and magnify the grain of the paper (if a print) or the film itself (if a negative or slide). We think our standard resolution of 3000 dpi for 35mm slides and negatives and 600 dpi for paper photos strikes the right balance.

Please only use secure and sturdy boxes to ship your precious images. DON'T use flimsy department store boxes (e.g. Macy's or Nordstrom), Kleenex boxes, thin paper/cardboard boxes, moving boxes, or shoeboxes. In addition, you should never use bubble mailers because the contents will likely be damaged. Always be careful to fully tape up the box on the top and bottom. The UPS store or your local post office has appropriate shipping materials. Here are UPS guidelines for proper packaging:

• Use a rigid box with flaps intact
• Remove any labels, specific material indicators, and other previous shipment markings on the box that aren't applicable
• Wrap all items separately
• Use adequate cushioning material
• Use strong tape designed for shipping
• Don't use string or brown paper overwrap
• Use a single address label that has clear, complete delivery and return information
• Place a return address label inside the package

Soon after you update your cloud credentials, it will take 24-48 hours for your high-resolution images to get uploaded to your cloud account. You will receive an automated email as soon as the upload completes.

We use top-rated Epson 4490 flatbed scanners.