How long does it take?
What type of film do you scan?
What is DIGITAL ICE and what does it do?
What size prints can I get from 4000ppi scans?
I don't need such large file sizes, can I have lower resolution scans?
Do you correct colour casts and retouch the image?
Do you keep a copy of my scans?
Do you use grain reduction when scanning?
What colour space do you use?
What file format do you use?
What bit depth do you use?
Do you accept work from outside the UK?
How do I prepare my film and slides to send for scanning?
Do I have to own the copyright of the images I send for scanning?

How long does it take?
Please allow 10-14 days. All the scanning and correction is done manually without any auto-feeders or auto-correction. It is therefore very time-consuming. If you need your scans urgently, please contact us before you send your slides. - return to FAQ

What type of film do you scan?
35mm transparencies or mounted slides, 35mm colour negatives and 35mm black and white negatives or positives. - return to FAQ

What is DIGITAL ICE and what does it do?
Digital Image Correction & Enhancement helps to reduce or even eliminate very small scratch marks and dust. It will not remove major scratches or other major marks. It is not a magic wand and is not an excuse for you not to clean your film properly before you send it for scanning! Digital Ice does NOT work on most black and white film or Kodachrome. - return to FAQ

What size prints can I get from 4000ppi scans?
A 4000ppi scan will produce an 8-bit tiff file of approx 60mb. This will produce a 12 x18 inch print at 300ppi. - return to FAQ

I don't need such large file sizes, can I have lower resolution scans?
Yes, you can have lower resolution scans. If you are not certain what resolution you require please contact me - return to FAQ

Do you correct colour casts?
No, each image is individually assessed and adjusted using levels or curves to give you a top-quality scan. Colour casts are sometimes the result of a photographer using a filter to achieve a particular effect, so we do not correct them. Except when Digital Ice can be used, we do not remove scratches, marks, blemishes, damage or make other alterations to the image. If your images have colour casts or require any other retouching please see our Retouching and Restoration services. Just contact me for a quote. - return to FAQ

Do you keep a copy of my scans?
Yes, a copy is kept for ten days to give you the chance to inspect your images. If you require any further post-scanning work on your scans within the 10 days, such as grain reduction, colour cast removal or other retouching work, we can use our copy scans so that you do not need to return your films to us. - return to FAQ

Do you use grain reduction when scanning?
No. We can apply grain reduction after scanning if requested at a small charge of £0.50 per image. If you are unsure before you send your slides or negatives if grain reduction will be appropriate, you can always let us know within 10 days of receiving your scans if any of the images require grain reduction. We can then work from our file copies at a cost of £0.50 per image, plus CD/DVD burning and postage. Just contact me for a quote. - return to FAQ

What colour space do you use?
Adobe RGB (1998) is used by default, but you may have your scans in SRGB or any other standard colour space you require.- return to FAQ

What file format do you use?
Scans are saved as uncompressed RGB TIFF files. JPEG files are available as an alternative at an additional cost of £0.10 per image.- return to FAQ

What bit depth do you use?
Your images are scanned at 16-bit depth, and then converted to 8-bit files. You can have 16-bit depth scans if you wish, but as they take up twice as much CD/DVD space we make a 25% surcharge for 16 bit scans. - return to FAQ

Do you accept work from outside the UK?
Yes, but please contact us first for full details.- return to FAQ

How do I prepare my film and slides to send for scanning?
1. Clean your slides and films very carefully using a very soft brush and compressed air from a large blower bulb which you can obtain from any photographic store. The edge of film on mounted slides is a great place for dirt and dust to hide. When your films arrive we will clean them again using the same methods before we scan them.

2. Mounted slides should be in mounts between 1 and 3.2mm thick. Please do not send slides in projector magazines! If you wish to send slides that are mounted in mounts with glass, please contact me first. Pack your slides in plastic slide boxes if possible and pack these in a cardboard box with plenty of packing.

3. Unmounted film should be sent in strips of no more than 6 frames per strip. If you only require specific frames in a strip scanning, please remember to indicate the frame numbers. Unmounted film should be sent in individual negative storage bags or in the pages from storage binders. These should be packed between very thick card or 3mm MDF, bubble wrapped and placed in a box or large padded bag.

4. Complete and sign the order form. You can download an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the order form here. If you don't have Adobe Reader you can get it here. If you prefer to have an order form sent to you through the post please contact us - return to FAQ

Do I have to own the copyright of the images I send for scanning?
Yes. If you don't own the copyright of the images or have written permission from the copyright holder (enclosed with your order), we will not scan the images. - return to FAQ