PHOTO & DOCUMENT RESTORATION ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS

SCANNING AND EVALUATION

The restoraton process begins after we receive your high resolution digital photo scanned from the original.

If you sent your photo or document by regular mail, please understand that all work is done to the digitally scanned copy of your photo or document ; your original is never altered and will be returned to you packaged securely and in the same condition in which it was received along with your digitally repaired photo or document with no shipping charge.

 

PHOTO REPAIR / RESTORATION

Once scanned and evaluated, obvious spots, cracks, stains and scratches are removed and the overall color tone and contrast adjusted. Now, with a clear clean digital image more involved restoration and rebuilding can proceed.

Upon restoration completion, a low resolution watermarked version will be e-mailed to you to proof your photo or document, prior to final output.

DIGITAL OUTPUT OPTIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPHS:

CD-ROM Portfolio High resolution copy of restored/ edited photographs can be provided on CD-ROM for $9.99 and FREE shipping via USPS.

CD-Photo Show with Animation & Music provided on CD-ROM for $59.99 & FREE shipping via USPS.

On-Line Electronic Delivery – No Shipping Charge
The high resolution digital file of the restoration is Zipped and delivered to you via email on-line.

SHIPPING AND HANDLING OF PAPER PHOTOS AND NEGATIVES:

All packages containing returned original photos will be shipped FedEx 2nd day Air for $15.00.

All packages sent FedEx will require a signature on delivery.

Packages containing only prints may be shipped via USPS Priority Mail for $5.00

 
Scanning For Restoration High Resolution Scanning Of Your Photos and/or Documents

If you provide your own high resolution scan please follow the instructions below.

1. Always clean the glass bed of your scanner with a non-streaking cleaner such as Windex® before you scan.

2. With a can of compressed air (or by gently blowing on it) try to remove as much dust and dirt from the surface of your photo or document . Do not rub or scrub the photo, just use air.

3. Make sure the glass cleaner on your scanner had dried and center the photograph or document in the center of your scanning bed.

4. Scan your image at the actual size you would like your final image. For example if your original photo or document is 8 x 10 and you would like a final restored size of 4 x 5, scan your image at 50%.

5. Set your scanning resolution to a MINIMUM of 600 dpi/ppi, preferably 800 dpi/ppi or higher. (The higher the resolution the larger the file size.) A resolution of 300 dpi/ppi will also be acceptable if you experience any trouble at the higher levels.

6. If available on your scanner, set the bit-depth of your scan to 48bit if scanning in color, and 16bit if b&w. If your scanner does not support 48 or 16 bit use 24 or 8-bit respectively. (High bit depth scans will be much larger in file size)

7. Next is VERY, VERY important... turn off all the auto sharpening, de-screening, filters and color correction functions in your scanning software. Do not try to enhance your photo or document beforehand thinking it might help in the final result. It won't... it will work against the restoration process and will make it more difficult and time consuming to make the proper corrections to your photo or document.

8. Save it as a .tif with NO compression. If you are on a Mac, please add the .TIF extension.


SENDING THE FILE VIA EMAIL:

Depending on the size of the file, the speed of your internet connection and your experience with file transfer there are several options for sending your file.

For files under 5MB, you can attach them to an email, however your should check with your e-mail provider to make sure they do not have a file size limit on outgoing email attachments.

Files Over 15MB. We can receive most large files. For files over 30MB we recommend that you put the file on a CD and send it to us in the mail. Please provide ALL your contact information including your email address and include it with your CD.

If available you may try using a utility like WinZip (PC) to compress your file in to a .zip format before attaching it to an e-mail.

 

Mailing or Shipping Your Photos:

If you would like to send your original photo or document by regular postal mail or shipping service, please follow these alternate instructions below.

Your photos and documents can be shipped safely, if you package them carefully, by following the suggestions below. Use a reputable delivery service which will provide you with a tracking number and insurance.

Photo Restoration can be done from an original but if you have the photo in multiple formats (i.e. a print and negative), it is best to send them all. We will scan the various formats and work from whichever provides the best quality scan.