DPI refers to the number of dots (or pixels) on each side of the photograph. The higher the DPI setting, the more detail and clarity will be captured in your image. Resolution is especially important for finely detailed areas like the skin, facial features, eyes, and so forth. It is also important for any future work you may wish to do on the photo, such as editing or restoration.

It never hurts to have too much resolution. We believe in extracting as much detail as possible from your images, so the momentous task of digitizing your family’s story is not something you have to repeat - ever. This means having enough resolution for both today, and any eventualities tomorrow may bring.

If you wish to translate a DPI figure to more familiar megapixel count, we can use the following example:

• A 4x6 inch photo scanned at 1200 DPI
• The width of the scanned image will be 6 inches x 1200dpi = 7200 pixels
• The height will be 4 inches x 1200 = 4800 pixels
• As a result, the image overall will be 7200 x 4800 pixels = 34.6 megapixels.

Meanwhile, a 4x6 inch photo scanned at 600 DPI will have: width 6 inches * 600 DPI = 3600 pixels; height 4 inches x 600 DPI = 2400 pixels; overall 3600 * 2400 pixels = 8.64 megapixels. So a 2x increase in DPI (going from 600 DPI to 1200 DPI) actually results in a 4x resolution increase (from 8.64 to 34.6 megapixels) because both the width and height are each increased by 2x.

So the common standard to scan at 300 DPI actually results in 16x less resolution than scanning at 1200 DPI for our Premium Photo Scanning Service.

Our default format is JPG files. This file format has relatively small sizes for easy sharing with friends & family, and also for long term storage.

However, upon request, we also offer more professional file formats for photos - namely, TIFF and DNG raw files. These file formats preserve the most complete possible information from your photos, which can can especially important for restoration work.

TIFF / DNG files are included by default for all Scan + Restore packages, and are an optional add-on for our scan-only packages. Please note TIFF and DNG files can only be delivered by USB thumb drives, and will not be available to download from the cloud due to their size.

Yes, absolutely! We are happy to manual editing, restoration, and enhancement services for all your photos. Again, each photo is individually edited by professional photographers to deliver the best quality and most realistic rendition. In contrast to many others, we do not use automated software to batch process your photos, which can make some photos look unreal and machine-generated.

You can purchase our Scan + Restore Package, which offers human restoration for just S1/photo. To purchase this option, simply add the photo package you want to your cart, and then at the checkout screen, select Scan + Restore.

There are our other restoration services available, by visiting our Restoration page.

We scan printed photos at 1200 DPI, which means that they can be printed or enlarged to 4x the size of the original photo without losing quality. For example, if you have a 4 x 6 inch photo, it can be re-printed at 16 x 24 inches.

For photo negatives and slides (both 35mm and 120), they are digitized to approximately 50 megapixels. This means they can be printed up to 20 x 30 inches without losing details.

In the majority of the cases, scanning negatives or slides will deliver superior image quality compared to scanning printed photos. However, because negatives can be delicate, in cases where they have degraded to do environmental factors (such as humidity or mold), printed photos may yield results. In those case, we suggest sending both negatives and photos just to be on the safe side.

While we can digitize nearly all media, there are some types of content that we cannot digitize. These include copyrighted content (for example, any kind of recorded TV show or movie); profane, obscene or graphically explicit sexual content (everyday casual nudity is fine); content that calls for violence against particular individuals or groups, is extremist, or is otherwise politically, religiously, or socially controversial or objectionable; or is defamatory.

Needless to say, we cannot digitize any content which violates the laws under which we operate. See our terms and conditions for more comprehensive information. Please note if we come across any illegal content, we may be obligated to report them, and may or may not be legally able to return the originals to you.

We designed our service to cater to families who which to digitize their old memories, and in this respect, and we have never had any issues with the photos and videos our customers have sent in.

We use top of the line professional photographic and cinematic equipment to digitize your memories, including those from Canon, Epson, Fujifilm, Fujitrsu, Hasselblad, Heidelberg, HP, JVC, Nikon, Panasonic, Pentax, Sony, and others.

In particular, our Pro Scanning service uses Hasselblad and Heidelberg Drum Scanners to push the limits of what is physically possible for film scanning currently.

We scan printed 35mm film (both negatives and slides) at 5900 DPI. Half-frame film is also digitized at 5900 DPI, while medium format 120 film is digitized at approximately 3600 DPI depending on the specific format (e.g. 645, 6x6, etc). They are all captured with 16-bit (48-bit RGB) color depth. By default they are delivered as JPG files.

This means that a 35mm negative will give roughly 50 megapixels of resolution - more than most pro DSLR or mirrorless camera today - and allows ample room for enlargement, printing, cropping, editing, and posting to social media. Your photos are converted to JPEGs for delivery in order to ensure maximum compatibility and convenience.

For those photo pros out there who want to retain the full 16-bit (48-bit RGB) color depth, we can also deliver your photos in TIFF or DNG formats upon request.

All printed photos are scanned at 1200 dpi with 16-bit (48-bit RBG) color in raw DNG files. For a typical print of 5 x 7 inches, this yields a resolution of 50 megapixels. Even more a small 3.5 x 5in print, it will result in a 25 megapixel file. This kind of resolution allows you to reprint your photos at 4x enlargement of the original size (e.g. 5 x 7in becomes 20 x 28 inches) while still retaining fine details. Your photos are converted to JPEGs for delivery in order to ensure maximum compatibility. For those photo pros out there, we are happy to deliver the original raw DNG or TIFF files as well upon request..

For photos, we support the following formats:

1. Printed Photos: no minimum size up to a maximum of 8.5 x 11 inches
2. Polaroids & Instax: any format
3. Negatives: half frame, 35mm, and 120 medium format
4. Slides: half frame, 35mm, and 120 medium format

For other formats, you can check our our Pro Scanning services [LINK]. Service uses the best possible equipment on the available on the market - German-made Heidelberg Drum Scanners - to extract the ultimate image quality from slides (several film) and negatives. Here, we are able to support film up to 11x14 inches in size.