Frequently Asked Questions

Will I get my original materials back?

Yes. We return all your originals when your order is finished.

How long does the project take?

Turnaround times depend on the size of your project. We do have rush options with guaranteed completion dates available. Over 80% of our projects are completed within one month. Please ask your consultant for more information.

Can you handle large projects?

Yes! We routinely digitize projects containing over 10,000 items and handle millions of photos and videos annually. We can handle not just digitizing, but also custom, library-level organizing of your files.

What is better, a USB or DVD?

We recommend USBs for large projects as a secure, long lasting storage device. DVDs are best for watching in a DVD player, but it’s a technology that is quickly fading. That’s why we provide downloadable files for all projects!

Will my digitized files be better than the originals?

All client materials are cleaned before digitizing, designated to the specifically formatted machine, and optimized digitally. Some formats can be improved via software and advance techniques. In others imperfections are inevitable and signs of aging can be improved only so much. We strive to at minimum match the original given to us and your technician will always provide a detailed quality report of their findings. If you are interested in our more advanced options, please ask your consultant.

How secure are my photos and videos?

All of our projects go through an extensive barcoded inventory system. Your materials are sealed in weather-proof bins, labeled with your name and unique job number, and kept in our alarmed, monitored facility. Our technicians wear white gloves and only work on one job at at time. Your job is digitally tracked from start to finish and you can call for a status update at any time.

What formats do you digitize?

We can digitize almost any format that you have!

VHS tapes, VHS-c tapes, 8mm tapes, mini DV tapes, silent film reels or film reels with audio in 8mm and 16mm. We will even convert your BETA & PAL tapes, audio cassettes, reel-to-reel audio and vinyl.

We also do photos, 35mm slides, 110 & stereo slides, 35mm negatives, medium and large format negatives, glass plate negatives, over-sized and framed items. We specialize in album and scrapbook scanning including vintage scrapbooks, magnetic albums, sleeved albums and modern scrapbooks.

Ask us about any format you don’t see here!

How can I tell how many feet of film I have?

Film reel sizes are standardized by diameter and from there we easily determine the footage:

-3″ reels are the most common and are often stored in a mini-cardboard container: 50 ft.
-4″ reels: 100 ft.
-5″ reels: 200 ft.
-6″ reels: 300 ft.
-7″ reels: 400 ft.
-8″ reels: 600 ft.
-9″ reels: 800 ft.
-10″ reels: 1000 ft.

These measurements are true for 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm film. For example, if you have 3 full reels, each of which are 5 inches in diameter, that’s 600 ft. of film total.

How many photos can fit on a USB?

The average size of the JPEG files we return is 1.8MB and we always return whatever size USB you need for your order, up to 64GB! A 64GB USB could hold up to 35,000 images! We also offer hard drive storage for even larger projects.