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Scan day

Getting ready for scan day

A little preparation makes the most of your session. Here’s what to set aside, what we can scan, and what happens when we arrive.

Printable checklist (PDF) Book a visit
In short
  • Gather everything in one place, most important on top
  • Leave photos in their albums
  • Invite whoever knows the faces
  • Clear a table near a power outlet
  • Set video tapes aside for pickup

Before we come

  • Gather everything in one place: boxes, albums, envelopes, frames, slides, negatives and papers.
  • Put the most important on top. If time runs short, the ones that matter most are already done.
  • Leave photos in their albums. Please don’t peel prints out of sticky “magnetic” albums: we scan each page whole, and every photo on it is also saved as its own photo.
  • Invite the person who knows the faces. Naming people as we scan is the best part, and it’s quickest while someone who remembers is in the room.
  • Clear a table near a power outlet, with good light, room for a scanner and a laptop, and a chair for you beside us.
  • Have your Wi-Fi password handy. It’s helpful for framed and oversized items, but not required.
  • Decide how many copies you need. Every session includes one USB drive. Extra copies for family are $25 each, and an M-DISC archival copy is $100.
  • Point out anything fragile or special, like torn prints or an album to do first.
  • Set video tapes aside. We digitize them at our studio: we take them with us and bring them back.

What we can scan

Loose prints and Polaroids

Each one cropped, straightened and saved as its own photo. Writing on the back is kept with its photo.

Albums

We scan each page whole, and every photo on it is also saved on its own. Nothing is peeled out.

Slides and negatives

Every frame becomes its own photo; negatives are turned into true-color positives.

Documents and letters

Certificates, letters, recipe cards and records become clean, searchable PDFs.

Oversized and framed

Photographed rather than scanned, so they can stay in their frames.

Video tapes

VHS and camcorder tapes are digitized at our studio: we pick them up and bring them back. $25 a tape up to 2 hours; collected during your session, there’s no minimum. Ask us about home-movie film reels.

Not sure how long to book? See what fits in an hour.

On the day

  1. 1We set upA scanner and a laptop at your table: it takes a few minutes.
  2. 2We ask before using face recognitionIt only runs with your OK, on our laptop. Your photos are never uploaded.
  3. 3We scan, you name facesiScanPhotoApp groups the faces as we go and asks “Who is this?”. Name someone once and it finds them in the rest.
  4. 4Most important firstYou’ll see the time and the photo count as we go, and we’ll let you know before the booked time is up.
  5. 5We check your copy togetherEverything on your USB drive, organized by date with the names you gave, opened and checked with you before we leave.
  6. 6Pay the rest by cardYour deposit comes off the bill. Finished early? You pay only for the time used (2-hour minimum). Want to keep naming at home? Add iScanPhotoApp Family for $99.

Afterward

  • Your originals never left the house. They’re exactly as they were.
  • We delete our working copies once you’ve confirmed you have everything, unless you ask us to keep one.
  • Keep copies in two places, for example one USB drive at home and one with a family member. For photos you can’t replace, consider an M-DISC.

Need to reschedule? Free to cancel or reschedule with 48 hours' notice. With less notice, your deposit can be used once toward a new date within 90 days. A family emergency is always free to reschedule. Email support@iscanphoto.com, and see our full policy.