Digitizing services
Nothing here enters the archive, nothing is licensed, nothing is sold. You send slides, we scan them properly, you get the files and the originals back.
| Service | Per slide | Resolution | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archive & Atlasthis page | $0.45 | 19 MP | 5–6 weeks |
| ScanCafe | $0.44 | 12.3 MP | Weeks |
| ScanCafe value kit | $0.34 | 12.3 MP | Weeks |
| Legacybox | ~$1.20 | Not published | 10–12 weeks |
| Budget mail-in | $0.10–0.30 | Often 300–1000 dpi | Varies |
Resolution stated as output pixels, not dpi. Scanner dpi figures are marketing numbers — 35mm film stops resolving detail around 4000 dpi, so anything above that is scanning grain.
| Stage | What it is | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 01 · You ordersame day | Pick your count and delivery above, add it to the cart, and check out. | |
| 02 · You postyour cost | Pack them as they are. We send packing notes if you tell us the material is fragile. | |
| 03 · Check-in1–2 days | Everything is counted and photographed on arrival, and you get that count before a single frame is scanned. | |
| 04 · Clean & scan3–4 weeks | Light brushing, then 50-slide magazines with an IR dust-and-scratch pass on every frame. | |
| 05 · Check2–3 days | Every scan is looked at. Misfeeds and jams get rescanned rather than shipped. | |
| 06 · Back to you2–3 days | Files by every method you chose. Originals go back insured and signature-required. |
Every slide is brushed before it goes in the magazine. Loose dust comes off; anything bonded to the emulsion stays.
The scanner reads dust and scratches on a separate infrared channel and removes them from the scan. It's good technology, but it's not magic.
Jams, double-feeds and blank frames are caught at check and run again rather than shipped.
No repainting, no rebuilding torn corners, no filling in what the emulsion lost. A damaged slide arrives back as a faithful scan of a damaged slide.
No skin smoothing, no sky replacement, no color "improvement" beyond a straight profile. What was on the film is what you get.
Mold and staining scan as they are. If a slide is far gone or not scannable we tell you, and credit is issued per item.
| Method | Price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Download | Free | A private link, live for 90 days. Fastest, and you can start looking the day they're ready. |
| Cloud folder | $10/mo | Stays put, shareable with family. Add as many addresses as you like. Runs monthly until you cancel; your files stay while it does. |
| USB drive | $25 | Ships back in the box with your originals. The one most people actually want. |
| DVD set | $9 | Only if you need it. Roughly one disc per 150 slides, and fewer machines read them every year. |
Use any carrier. Insure it for what it is worth to you.
A flat $18.00, insured and signature-required, packed in the same box and weighed against the arrival count.
Files are deleted 30 days after delivery unless you have paid for a Cloud folder. Nothing enters the archive. Nothing is licensed.
Do you keep my images?
No. Nothing scanned here enters the archive, gets licensed, or is trained on. That's the entire difference between this page and donating.
What if some are ruined?
We tell you at check-in, before anything is scanned, and credit the frames we cannot use.
Carousels or loose?
Either. Carousels are unloaded and reloaded by us — say so on the form and we'll allow for it.
Can I donate them instead?
If you'd rather they lived in the public archive, that's a different door — donate a collection.
How do I know the count is right?
We do an audit on arrival and send you confirmation as we start scanning.
Can I get a refund?
No. Everything we sell is digital, custom work or a service, and none of it is refundable. Where a slide cannot be scanned, that item is credited.