• Why Organize? Where to start? No need to go through photos before digitizing. Let foto2digital take the stress out.
  Once scanned, we can organize by name, remove unwanted and duplicates and group them for different family members instantly. Read More

  Most scanning project never get started because people believe that they must organize, cull out unwanted photos, or touch the photos before scanning. Why?

  • Organize for family members? No need to touch photos. It is much easier and quicker with software to scan digital images to recognize and group faces for you to naming by hundreds.
  • Remove unwanted? Duplicates, blurry photos that you must remove? Easier to discard after scanned and saves time. No Charge for unwanted duplicates.
  • Time to PRESERVE is After photos are scanned: Add names, embed stories to make them accessible to generations!
• Arrange Photos For Preserving Information: foto2digital preserves family stories by scanning information with the photos.Index cards scanned with the photos (trips, weddings etc.) retains information among scanned images for keywording. Do not use bags, envelopes or sticky-notes which do NOT scan.You can help by arranging photos. Read More

  We recommend using index cards to group photos, like birthdays or weddings. These index cards are scanned with the photos, identifying the events for easy keywording. When we need to identify people, we can write on the back of the photo and scan double-sided producing a pair of images.

  Together, index cards and double-sided scanning, preserves information necessary to make scanned images searchable with names and keywords.

• Why No Sticky-Notes? Would you like to see a sticky note in a scanned image? Even if we put it back after scanning the photo, the scanned images would NOT retain the information. When we use index cards that are scanned with the photos, preserving the memory.Avoid using envelopes, baggies or folders. They are not scannable. Read More

  How to arrange photos to preserve information without stickies and baggies?

  Arrange photos by size only:

  We recommend that you group the photos by size so that each stack has flat edges and no edge sticking out that can be damaged during shipping. Make neat packets of 2-300 photos (2-3” thick) with straight edges of same size photos. Loose photos must be between 2x3” to 8x10”.

  Group photos using Index cards within stacks of same size photos:

  Events like weddings, birthdays and family trips generate many photographs that we group together and identify. We recommend inserting index cards to mark the beginning and end of each group. These cards allow continuous scanning and RETAIN keywords on the index card. One big stack can contain several occasions that are separated by their index card and scanned with the photos. The resulting scanned images are easy to identify and tag with searchable keywords. These index cards can be removed from scanned images and will NOT be billed.

  Use of Index cards retain naming information among scanned images.

  Double-sided scans at discount (grouped together 200 or more):

  When we need to preserve information about individual photos, or record dates necessary to provide context to the image, please write the information on the back of the photo and mark the photos for double-sided scanning (make sure ink is dry before stacking). Some old photos already have information written on their backs. Put all those together and clearly mark for double-sided scanning.

  foto2digital, preserves family stories and saves information with double-sided scans which helps us preserve your story. We recognize its importance and offer a 60% discount for the group of photos submitted for double-sided scanning. It is cost effective to have double-sided scans of photos with information on the back. With the image-pair providing contextual information we can record searchable keywords directly, rather than looking for physical photos.

  This double-sided discount is not valid for individual photos. This service is NOT offered for mixed stacks and is reserved for stacks of 200 or more photos, clearly marked for double sided scans.

Options to choose from:

• Your Shipping Box: You can ship photos in your shipping boxes and send us the content list and a tracking number.
• Our Shipping Box: We can send you shipping boxes and labels and arrange pickup after you have packed your photos (50% payment of the estimate due before we send you a shipping box and label).
• You Deliver: Or you can deliver your photos (by appointment ONLY)Scheduling is important, and we will accept shipment ONLY if we have the content list and a tracking number in advance. We will refuse and return any shipment without prior agreed scheduling.You will have your job completed within a week of its acceptance at foto2digital unless we have told you otherwise. This is why we need the advance scheduling.

SHIPPING PHOTOS SECURELY

Packing for safe transit:

We recommend placing photos stacked by size with flat edges and no photo sticking out that can be damaged during shipping. Make neat packets of 2-300 photos (2-3”) with straight edges of same size. The star ks can be placed in a container to avoid jostling with a cushion to prevent damage.

Place the stacks of photos in the shipping-box lined with bubble-wrap. Take pictures of the content and tape the bubble-wrap to make it water-tight. Make sure that the weight is evenly distributed and balanced, assuring that the contents do not jostle. Fill any void with paper or shipping beans to avoid crushing.

Talk to us, we can help you get your photos safely packed.

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Shipping box size:

Use sturdy small to medium size shipping box, not exceeding 18”x14”x12”. USPS priority mail box (12”x 12”x 6”) shipping box is ideal for 1,000 to 1,500 photos (Flat-rate with tracking). Medium size box holds 4,000 photos. Over-sized shipping boxes (exceeding 18” x 14 x 14”) tend to get too heavy and can be damaged during shipping. Use small or medium size box to keep the weight manageable and your package safe.