Boredom Leads To A Family Scanning Project
You know how sometimes you go back home for Christmas, but you stay a week too long?
Well, back in 2004, I had an extra week, and I was bored. I noticed that my Mom took out all our photos from their albums, and stuffed them in a box. All to save space! And I know my family, if those photos and negatives sat their like that, they'd all get ruined somehow.
So I decided to spend my last week scanning the photos into digital. I did some quick research, and found a $700 scanner. It came with Digital Ice, and promised fast scanning speeds. I was going to finish these scans in a week! So I thought.
I Tried And I Failed
It took me a week just to figure out how to use all the buttons. And once I thought I figured it out, I didn't get consistent photo scans. The settings for one scan didn't work for another. It was very frustrating because I read all the manuals, and surfed the net for answers. But nothing helped.
So, I flew back to my home, with photos, negatives, slides, and scanner in tow. I was determined to figure out how to finally use the scanner and Digital Ice to get quality scans.
The Breakthrough
You know how sometimes you do something over and over, and you never get the results you want? Then one day you do the total opposite, something counter-intuitive, and it totally works?
This was one of these times. I kept trying, learning, re-scanning, adjusting scanner settings, tweaking Digital Ice -- but I still ended up with bad scans.
Then it just hit me -- I decided I WONT use Digital Ice. I decided to get a "natural" scan and I wont rely on the scanner to edit the scans.
I've been using Photo Shop since 2001 -- but not really to edit photos. But I decided to open the natural scan in Photo Shop, and figure out how to edit the photos there. I figured Photo Shop was DESIGNED to edit digital photos, and scanners were made to scan. So why rely on the scanner to edit? After a few attempts, I was getting results far better than Digital Ice could. There was hope! I just need more experience.
My Scanning System Was Created
I told this story to a co-worker. He too had issues scanning his Dad's slides. I told him I can show him what I did -- how to edit a natural scan. He said, "no thanks, that's seems like a lot of work... but how about I give you my slides?"
I did them at no cost since I was still learning. When I finished, he was very pleased with the results. So much so, he told his friend. And his friend contacted me. The word-of-mouth spread, and I had a little side business going.
The Rest Is History
In 2005 I put up a website, http://DigitalCalgary.com. In 2008 I put up http://ScanCanada.ca, since I was getting orders all across Canada.
Since then, I've scanned over 500,000 slides, negatives, and photos. I have three locations: Calgary, Toronto, and London.
All this from one bored week at Christmas.
Do You Have 1000s Of Slides, Negatives, Photos?
If you're the DIY type, you're always welcome to visit:
I'll show you how to scan and edit your scan, exactly how I've been doing it with ScanCanada.ca.
Or, you can hire ScanCanada.ca to do the work for you. I have a small team of digital designers, dedicated to quality slide, negative, and photo scanning. We are looking for clients that care how their scans look.
But, before you hire a scanning company, make sure 100% comfortable with just anybody handling your slides, negatives, and photos.
So, you're invited to send a small batch of your originals for a complimentary test-run. This is a free service from ScanCanada.ca, and you're under no obligation.
To learn more, please visit: How To Start Your Free Scanning Test-Run.
2001 - 2004: I started DKM Trade. It was unsuccessful.
But I learend a lot about Photoshop and graphic design.
2004 - 2008: Started DigitalCalgary.com. First scanned my
parents'
photos. Then a co-workers. Then put up a website.
The rest is history.
2008 - Present: Orders started coming all across Canada.
Moved office to Toronto. Opened another office in London.
Before You Trust Any Scanning Company, Read This First
Here's Three Things We At ScanCanada.ca DO NOT Do
Hi, my name is Konrad. Thanks for reading a little more about ScanCanada.ca.
1. We Do Not Treat Your Slides, Negatives, And Photos Like A Commodity
At ScanCanada.ca, we understand that these are your ONLY copy of slides, negatives and photos.
They are not just slides, pictures, photos, negatives in a "box".
These are your family's history. From images of your Dad when he was a little kid, to images of your own kids growing up.
This is always in our minds. We aren't just handling photos and slides. We are dealing with peoples actual feelings and memories.
2. We Are Not A Bulk Scanning Company
Because we don't treat your originals like a commodity, our scanning process is a bit different.
Anybody can buy a scanner, press the Digital Ice button, and give you digital images.
But that's not what we do.
Our focus is on quality, not speed. When we scan your slides, negatives, and photos, we don't run them through the machine. We scan them one-by-one, using high-end scanners. Then in Photoshop, an actual person edits them by hand. Not a scanner, not a machine. An actual person takes time to make sure you get the quality and results you expect to get when paying for scanning.
3. We Do Not Offer Anything Less Than Quality Scans
Why should you care about quality scans?
Remember, these are your family's only originals. And this is probably the only time you will convert them to digital. You may as well have this done right, the first time.
Besides, what's the point of archiving your originals into digital if the quality turns out worse than the originals?
So, we do not offer less DPI, or skip the editing process in Photoshop. Again, we are not a bulk scanning company. We are looking for clients concerned with quality, and getting what they pay for.
Meet The Team At ScanCanada.ca
Your slides, negatives, and photos handled by a small team of graphic designers.
Meet Rebecca. She handles all the scanning in Central and Eastern Canada. She also handles a lot of my admin stuff.
In Calgary, there's Leigh. She does the same thing. But she handles all the scanning projects that come form Western Canada.
Then there's Johnathan. He handles all scanning in London and region. He usually gets all the over-flow if Toronto is busy.
When Rebecca, Leah, and Johnathan are finished scanning, they then upload the scans to my server.
Now meet Ev and I. We are in charge of all the editing. We have backgrounds in graphic design, digital photography, and our Photoshop experience goes back to 2001. When my team is finshed scanning, Ev and I download the digital images and edit them, one-by-one, in person using Photoshop. We DO NOT rely on the scanner to edit the scans.
That is basically how our operations work.
Quick Facts About ScanCanada.ca
1. Started in 2005 as DigitalCalgary.com
2. Scanned over 500,000 slides, negatives, photos since then
3. Biggest single order: 34,100 scans
4. Took us 4 months to finish that
5. Located in Toronto, London, and Calgary
6. Use Nikon film scanners
7. Use Photo shop to edit scans