FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

• Is it safe to use Scanapix to scan my photos?
• Why scan my photos in the first place?
• Why can't I scan all these pictures myself?
• How long does your service take?
• How should I send photos to you?
• What file formats do you offer?
• What do I need to know about quality?
• What can I expect from the scans I get back on the disc?
• What do I do with my photos that are in albums?
• Do I need to know how to crop or rotate images?
• Will I get my originals back?
• What to look for when shopping around?
• What happens to my photos once they get to the facility?
• What is the quality of the scans?
• Are there any extra charges?
• How should I ship my photos?

 

A. Is it safe to use Scanapix to scan my photos?

Your photos are safe with us. We have taken every measure to ensure that your photos are safe throughout our entire process. We ask that you send your package to us with a trackable shipping method. Once your package arrives, we have a order processing system that keeps your pictures safe. Once we are finished, we send your photos back to you. No shipment leaves our facility without a tracking number. You will always know where your original photos are at all times.

B. Why scan my photos in the first place?

Your photos are all one of a kind and irreplaceable. Unfortunately, they can get damaged or lost. With the Scanapix service, you can preserve your memories forever. Once the photos are digitized, you can share your photos with all of the new technology available to digital media (online photo sharing services, digital photo frames, emails, etc). Scanning photos also saves tons of space. However, the biggest reason to scan your photos is for that insurance, to know that your irreplaceable memories are safe from any possible harm.

C. Why can't I scan all these pictures myself?

You can, but you probably don't want to. Scanapix offers photo scanning for a quarter each. So if we really broke it down, the average person will scan about 15 photos per hour. For 300 photos, you would invest 20 hours of work (assuming you own a scanner). Just spend $75 with Scanapix to do all your laborious work so that you can spend those saved hours to make some more photo memories with your loved ones.

D. How long does your service take?

We have noticed that the longest time of the entire Scanapix process is shipping. Currently, our turnaround time from receiving your photos to shipping them out is 4 business days. So you can figure out the time by calculating how long the shipping will take to get the package to us, add 4 days for the Scanapix process, then add the shipping method you chose to return the package to you.

E. How should I send photos to you?

We ask that you ship your package to us either using UPS or FedEx because these services offer a tracking number. Depending on the number of photographs, you can send us your package in an envelope or box. To keep photos from damage (especially from water and movement while shipping), we highly recommend shipping your photos enclosed in a zip loc bag.

F. What file formats do you offer?

Unless specified differently, we save files in High Quality JPEG format; there are no visible artifacts at that compression level and disk file sizes for a 4" x 6" photo tend to be about 1.3MBytes, which expand up to about 11MBytes when opened. Another popular format is TIFF, but that is uncompressed and takes up huge amounts of space. We offer many other formats; call us for specifics.

G. What do I need to know about quality?

It takes more than resolution to make a quality scan. It also takes a chain of high quality sensors, optics, lighting, automation and software, all controlled by a qualified technician. The weakest link in this chain determines the ultimate quality of the scan. We've spent over two years developing an extremely fast, high quality scanning system for your photos that leaves them in their original condition while giving you a very high quality scan to share with others, in the form of prints, slide shows, booklets and other photo gifts. In many cases, after our cropping/straightening/color correction services, your scans actually look better than the originals.

H. What can I expect from the scans I get back on the disc?

On each disc, there will be two folders. One folder containing the high resolution file that will say "photos for you to print" and the other folder with the web based resolution that will say "photos for you to share online". We provide you with both formats to make it easy for you to print or share these photos right from the disc. Your photos will be returned to you in a file number system in the order of which they were scanned.

I. What do I do with my photos that are in albums?

We recommend that you take these photos out before you ship them to us. Not all photo albums are the same and they are typically heavy, meaning higher shipping costs. If you do not want to remove these photos, we can still scan your prints but there will be some additional charges. Depending on the work involved, we will charge you an hourly rate to remove all photos from your photo album. There will also be an adjusted shipping rate to send the album back to you. You can contact us at so we can provide you with a more detailed quote. Please note, once these photos are removed, we will be unable to put the photos back into the albums.

J. Do I need to know how to crop or rotate images?

All the photos you receive will be cropped and rotated correctly by our production team. We want to make sure that your photos are presentation ready for you to share.

K. Will I get my originals back?

All your original photos will be sent back to you along with the digitized discs.

L. What to look for when shopping around?

We have a lot of competition out there and we encourage you to do your research. I definitely would not send my one of a kind photos to any company without knowing they are going to be taken care of. Here are some things to keep an eye out for.

M. What happens to my photos once they get to the facility?

Make sure your photos do not get shipped to another country. All of our scans are done here in the USA.

N. What is the quality of the scans?

We scan every picture that comes out of our facility at 400dpi.

O. Are there any extra charges?

No, at Scanapix we charge 25 cents per scan. Some companies like to advertise a cheap price, then add extra charges for things like sorting, cropping, color correction, and charging for DVD''s or CD's.

P. How should I ship my photos?

Please refer to the information on our shipping page.