Requirements for Photo Scanning

Pay just $49.95 to scan up to 1,000 photos

• Mail pictures in your own box or local customers can use our retail photo center (Irvine, CA). Instant turnaround
• Up to 1,000 photos scanned for $49.95
• Pictures scanned sizes 3x3 up to 11x14
• Super-fast: All direct mail orders are completed and prepared for return the same business day from our California headquarters
• ALL photos are returned with your DVD (We do not offer a photo disposal service)
• FEATURES SPECIFIC TO Pay-per-1,000:(additional cost)
• Front & back scanning available
• Same-day rush service available
• International service

To get your photos ready for camera-ready high-resolution digital scans, please follow these instructions:

• Remove all photos from albums, envelopes, etc.  Make sure no staples, paper clips, post-it notes, etc are attached.


• Group your photos in size order with the smallest photos up front and the largest ones at the back for the entire order. The entire order must be organized by size from smallest to largest. The largest size acceptable is 11x17 inches. The smallest size that can be scanned is 3 x 3 inches. All Polaroid photos must be separated from the rest. If the photos are not organized by size, we will charge the additional $19.95 per 1,000 photos scanned to scan in order, regardless of whether that option is choosen or not.


• If you have grouped your photographs into categories, make sure the groups are bundled together well. There is a lot more shifting in transit than most people think. This will let the technician know that you need to have these photographs scanned in the specific order and is an additional cost to scan them in order. We recommend that you include index cards with handwritten notes describing the category or year, as seen below. These will be scanned along with the pictures and will be the first image in each series of photos. DO NOT use Post-it notes (they will be either scanned on the image or thrown away) or scraps of paper (they will jam in our scanner and be thrown away). This also over rides the necessity to place your order in size order and will require more time to complete. This does not however override taking all of your photos out of envelopes. Only photos out of envelopes and albums will be accepted.
  

  

  
  The number in the top right corner tells us the order in which to scan. If the bundle order is not important, we do not need the number there. We do not offer reoganize your photos in chronological order. We either follow the number in the corner or scan in random group order when no number is present.


• Photographs cannot be thicker than a Polaroid picture. Polaroid pictures are acceptable, but represent the thickest photograph we can accept for scanning. Many older (1906's era) Polaroids were mounted on cardboard. These are too thick and cannot be scanned.


• Newspaper clippings, odd shaped photographs and laminated images cannot be scanned.


• Make sure every photo is right side up and face up. If upside down the scans also will be upside down or face down (so the back of the photo is scanned, not the front).



Photos should be submitted right side up.

Photos submitted upside down will be scanned and placed on the DVD upside down.

Photos submitted face down will be scanned and placed on the DVD face down.



• Additionally, all photos must be lying horizontally regardless of orientation (vertical or horizontal). If you wish to have your vertical images rotated to the correct orientation, we do offer that as an additional service for an additional $64.95 per 1,000 or this can be done on your home computer.



• Fan through all your photos and shuffle the pictures like a deck of playing cards (without sorting or getting it out of order). This helps confirm that the photos are loosely presented and without any impediment, such as glue or sticky materials. This also helps to identify if your pictures are dusty and to help remove any materials that might cause an imperfect scan, such as lines and dust on your digital files. Any substance (i.e. water marks, pen marks, etc.) that is on the photograph will be scanned along with the photograph.


• Curled photos may have a haze or be scanned out of focus due to their inability to lie flat on the scanning glass.


• Photos should be fairly evenly stacked in a box and packed so shifting will not occur during shipping. We recommend using rubber bands to group them in batches of about 100-150 photographs. Please do not put them in baggies as this method of storage does not ensure the photographs will not shift around and are limited in space. STUFF YOUR BOX: Use newspaper or other packing materials to make sure your box is completely full and solid; if your box has extra room, your photos might shift during delivery and there is a risk that the box might otherwise get creased or crushed.


• Due to swift technological changes, your returned prepaid box order for scanning must be received back to ScanMyPhotos.com within 364-days from the date the order was placed. Otherwise, the box expires and no consideration, obligation or monetary reimbursement of any kind will be provided; so, you have a year to gather your pictures and have us scan it. If multiple boxes are ordered, there is no need to send them all in at the same time. Fill one up, save the others for a later time, it is up to you.


• If these guidelines are not followed, the unprocessed order will be returned to you and a handling fee not to exceed $25.00, plus the return postage will be charged to your card.


• For other questions, please visit our Scanning FAQs

Acceptable Packaging	Unacceptable Packaging
All similar sized photos are packaged together and laying horizontally. Photos packaged tight so no shifting will occur in shipping.	Not organized by size. Photos are right-side up and others face down. Photos are not packaged to avoid shifting in mail.
Large groups of photos rubber banded together, grouped by size. Empty side space used for more photos.	Not all lying horizontally, not organized by size, not bound to avoid shifting in shipping.
Photos organized by size, rubber banded to keep from moving in shipping. See below for more with this example.	Photos in folders and envelopes, odd shaped photos, negatives enclosed.
There was empty space on top of the photos, small rubber banded groups used to fill up empty space.	Photos in Ziploc bag, photos not secured to prevent shifting. Photos facing different directions, not organized by size.

NOTICE: These high-speed photo scans are designed to digitally preserve your regular photos. This is not designed to archive professional images with museum-quality clarity. There is no refund for high-speed photo scans and you understand and agree that we cannot guarantee the image quality of the reproductions or individual quality control your files due to the extremely high volume scanning operation.High-speed photo scans are just 5-cents each when you provide up to 1,000 photos.