Mistake One: Not Getting Scan Samples First

So you have thousands of slides, negatives, and photos. Well, why not only scan 10 of them? And scan the worst ones you have. Put the scanning company to the test.

See how they handle your scanning order. See the quality of their scans. Learn how their process works. Do they just zip through your scans? Or do they actually care about their work?

And if you're not satisfied with your test-run, its far better to lose $10 than $1000.

Remember, these are YOUR family's slides, negatives, and photos. Put the scanning company to the test. Make sure they prove to YOU that they do what they promise.

Mistake Two: Confusing Resolution With Quality

Here's the thing -- all scanners can do 4000 DPI. It doesn't matter if it's a $200 flat-bed scanner or a $3000 film scanner. They all can produce a digital image at amazingly high resolutions. That's not the problem.

The problem is, that many people think resolution and DPI means quality. But resolution is just pixels, bits and bytes. It's what you do with the pixels that determines quality. DPI doesn't fix faded colour, or adjust exposure, or remove dust and scratches. DPI and resolution just determines how big your digital image is.

Mistake Three: Thinking Scan Enhancement Software Is The Answer To Quality Scans

DPI and resolution can't improve quality. What about built-in scan enhancement software that came with the scanner? Can that help?

You may of heard of "Digital Ice", "ROC", "Color Fix", etc. The claim is that you can get quality scans, at faster speeds.

I have nothing against Digital Ice. It's a great technology. But as a professional, I would NEVER rely on a scanner to edit digital images.

Scanner's were built to scan -- not edit. It's very tempting to press the Digital Ice button and let the scanner do all the work. But if you've ever tried scanning, you know the frustration of not getting consistent results with these features.

Make sure the scanning company uses a different way to edit your scans. Personally, I use Photo Shop. There's no substitute for the human eye. And I've been using it to edit and manipulate digital photos since 2001.

Mistake Four: Not Getting A 100% Scan Guarantee

You know, quality scanning companies have nothing to hide. They will take the time to properly clean, load, and scan your slides, negatives, and photos.

Then they'll have the experience to take a 60 year old slide, and make it look new using software designed to edit digital images. They don't use a scanner to do this.

The scanning companies who don't care about this stuff, focus on speed. They zip through your scans. They use Digital Ice -- not to improve your scans, but to improve their scanning time. Time is money. And the faster they can scan your originals, the bigger their bottom line.

I'm not saying to avoid scanning companies that use Digital Ice or offer "bulk" scanning services. But just know, what you save in price you'll pay in quality.

And if a scanning company doesn't have a scan guarantee, then they may have something to hide.

Recommendations That Will Help You Find A Professional Scanning Company That You Can Trust With Your Slides, Negative, And Photos

1. Decide What You Want: Speed Or Quality

If you don't mind editing your scans, then a bulk scanning company will do. Or you can buy a scanner and do the job yourself. If you like to learn how I edit my customer's slides, negatives, and photos, check out my free scanning guide: http://HowToScan.ca.

If you want quality scans that will last for future generations, find a professional scanning company.

Here's how to find professionals to scan your slides, negatives, and photos:

2. Get Sample Slide, Negative, Photo Scans First

Ask to see samples before you commit all your family's originals. And not the company's samples, your own samples. Send a batch of 10 photos. Get a feel of their quality and service.

Any decent scanning company will be glad to do this for you. And even if you have to pay for this, it is better to lose $10 than $1000.

3. Get A 100% Scan Guarantee In Writing

So you got a test-run, and they look amazing. But what about the rest the thousands of slides or photos you have?

A professional scanning company will be confident in their work. If they don't offer you a 100% guarantee, then this could be a red-flag. The test-run looked good, but they still may have just zipped through the rest of your slides.

Of course not all scans can be fixed, but the scanning company should be happy to give your money back for at least the ones you are not happy with.

4. Ask These Questions To Weed Out Unprofessional Scanning Companies

Do they offer sample scans? If not, just send 10. Put them to the test.

How do they edit your scans? Do they use Digital Ice? If so, they may do so to improve their scanning speeds, not improve your digital images.

What's their scanning guarantee? Remember, a professional scanning company will offer a 100% scan guarantee.

What training do they have? Is it just a guy who bought a scanner from Futureshop and put up a website? Or is a digital designer who knows something about optical scanning and photo editing.

Your Next Step

At ScanCanada.ca, you're invited to send a batch of your family slides, negatives, and photos for a test-run.

You're under no obligation. And this is a free service from ScanCanada.ca.

Fill out this form you see blow to start your test-run.

About The Author

Hi, my name is Konrad. I'm a digital designer, and I've been scanning and editing digital images since 2001. If you have any questions, please call contact me here:

Email: info@scancanada.ca
Phone: 647 726-2265

Or fill out the form below.

Best regards,

- Konrad Michniewicz