Common questions

• What types of thing do you digitise?

  We scan loose photos, photos in albums, 35mm slides, negatives/transparencies, and paper documents. We convert 8mm and Super 8mm cinefilm of any length (not 16mm cinefilm though, nor cinefilm with sound), APS film, camcorder tapes, VHS tapes, DVDs, CD-Roms, and audio cassettes.

• Do I have to list everything I'm sending you in my order?

  You don't have to but it's good if you can! When you fill in the online order form with all the things you 're sending us, the page will show you a price quotation and when you submit the form to us, we'll look at it and come back with any comments. We'll also confirm the price and send you an invoice. After you've paid, we'll start the scanning and conversion. If the work we do turns out to be greater or less than what was on the form, we'll let you know and either request another payment or give your your money back. It has to be flexible because sometimes people don't know quite what they have and if they mis-describe an item, the task changes.
  
  For people who just have a jumble of photos, videos, tapes, and film, and who don't have the time or inclination go through it all and itemise on our form, we have our 'BoxofStuff' option (see next Q&A!).

• What order do you scan photos in?

  If you send us loose photos and they are in groups, we will try to scan each batch of photos in its group, and we will also try to scan groups in the order they come to us (i.e. if they are in a box, we'll do one group in the box then the next) but as we use multiple machines we can't guarantee that we will always get the groups in exactly the order you want. Once the photos are in the online archive we create for you, they can of course be easily moved into folder sorted by year or event or subject.

• Do you remove scratches and dust from photos?

  Our scanning process includes DIGITAL ICE Technology which removes most surface defects like dust and scratches, but photo prints are very static so we can't promise that the scanned image will be 100% dust free, especially with older and darker photos. If additional work is required on your images we can offer you our photo restoration service to remove all marks using Photoshop.

• Do you colour-correct photos when scanning them?

  Yes, we use DIGITAL ROC Technology which restores and corrects colour.

• What is the BoxofStuff option?

  If you have a box of photos, videos, film and slides that you want us to digitise, but you don't have the time to list everything in it, you can tick the 'BoxofStuff' option on the order form and submit it without an inventory. When we get your order – more like a provisional order, really – we'll email you a label so you can post the 'stuff' to us, and when the box comes in, we'll go through it and compile a list of what's inside. Then we'll email you a link to a webpage which shows that list, and the price for scanning/converting. You tell us which bits you want us to do and pay for just that. The cost of going down the BoxofStuff route is £20. If you go on to place an order with us, we give that back (by knocking £20 off the bill). If you decide not to place an order with us, we keep the £20 to pay for the return of your box and to cover the time we spent going through your box.

• How much does it cost?

  That depends on what you want us to digitise and how much of it there is. Digitising a cinefilm for instance, is different from digitising photos, which in turn is different from digitising negatives. You can see the prices for each type of item in our online form, and also see how the price reduces the more you do. Or you can download the price list and order form here

• How long does it take you to digitise my items?

  It depends on what you want us to digitise (some thing take longer than others), the volume, and whether there are other jobs ahead of yours, but generally we try to finish each job and get everything back to the client within 3 weeks. If you have a deadline, please get in touch with us and we will do our best to meet it.