Scanning Services for Letters & Fragile Documents

Q: <strong>LEARN MORE ABOUT EVERPRESENTS AI PHILOSOPHY</strong>

Across all analog formats we use artificial intelligence as a support tool, not a substitute for human expertise. AI assists with stabilization, cleanup, and consistency, allowing our specialists to focus on judgment, quality control, and preservation decisions. We don’t apply the same approach to every format, and we don’t automate simply for speed. Slides demand different care than VHS tapes; audio requires different judgment than film. Each project is reviewed by people who understand the material , the era it came from, and the responsibility that comes with preserving it. Every order reflects the same philosophy: thoughtful technology, human oversight, and respect for the original.

Q: Why scan my old letters?

Letters capture a person’s voice in a way that can’t be done with photos and videos. They’re an intimate way to communicate that can teach you a lot about the people who wrote them. Handwritten notes are often penned on fragile paper that won’t last long. Scanning these items will help you protect your family’s past. Don’t know what to do with fragile cards and letters? Ask us about the best way to store and display your vintage mail!

Q: Do I scan the old mail envelopes and front of cards?

We will scan whatever you want to save . Some people don’t care about the addresses and postmarks on old stamped envelopes. Others like having that extra info handy in case the sender moved quite a bit, or if the letters don’t have any handwritten dates. The same goes for postcards and greeting cards – you get to choose whether your digital files include the pictures and text from the fronts. For genealogists, the envelope is often more valuable than the letter. We treat the envelope as a primary document, scanning both sides and keeping it digitally sequenced to the corresponding letter in your folder structure.

Don’t let your family’s history stay trapped in envelopes. Our archival expertise will help you preserve the context, and not just the page, of your old letters, diaries and manuscripts with our near touchless digitizing technology.

100,000+

FAMILIES & INSTITUTIONS SERVED

130+

CONVENIENT
locations

90,000+

video tapes
converted per year

115+

DEDICATED
employees

5 million

IMAGES
scanned per year

Home » Digitize Your Photos With Our Photo Scanning Experts! » Old Letters Scanning to Digital & DVD Services

At EverPresent we love scanning letters, holiday cards and all other varieties of written mementos. Families trust our old letter scanning service to preserve their collections, no matter how fragile. Our near touchless technology allows us to digitize even the most fragile letters and documents. We can provide simple scanning services at a reasonable budget, or create sophisticated archives where we take the content of letters and envelopes to create archives searchable by geography, people, dates and more. Our scanning sophistication allows us to avoid common pitfalls, such as ink bleed on double-sided documents compromising the legibility of the scan. If your letters are in envelopes, we’ll return each envelope to you as a folder, with the contents of the letter and a scan of the envelope inside. We look forward to hearing from you to scope a project that fits your needs and budget.

EverPresent's owners Eric and Jennifer Niloff on the production floor with Winston, the mascot dog

Our Mission

“By making the hard work of digitizing and sharing easy for our clients, we will preserve our world’s history before old formats fade and family stories are lost to time. Our ultimate goal is to make your best memories EverPresent in your life.”
– Eric, Jennifer & Winston

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A collection of editorial logos that have featured EverPresent: TopTenReviews, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple

Why Choose Our Old Letter Scanning service

TRUST

Over 100 million memories preserved, 30+ years experience, 115+ expert technicians. Alarmed, camera-monitored, US-based, high-tech labs. Human quality control process. Advanced barcode tracking to keep you updated by email and text.

VALUE

The size of our company allows us to provide more for less. We’ve invested in the best image scanning technology so you can benefit from high-resolution DPI, a hybrid of AI enhancements and human quality checks, organized folders and transcribed captions.

Cell phone displaying EverPresent App home screen

SECURE

You should NOT have to risk your family memories getting lost or damaged in the mail. We run a private logistics network between our clients homes, our 130+ local stores and our high tech labs nationwide. Your images will be binned and barcoded, and we’ll provide you with updates throughout.

RESPECT

No upfront payments and no rushed decisions. We never ask you to do work to make our job easier. Feel free to send your collections in their original envelopes, albums or boxes. We’ll count them for you, provide a no-obligation estimate, and keep everything in order.

Old Photo Restoration & Retouching with Optional AI Enhancements

Before and after slider showing how photo scanning enhancements work

Unique to EverPresent, our Image Enhancement (IE) and Advanced Image Retouching (AIR) services are designed to restore clarity, correct aging, and repair damage that traditional scanning alone cannot fix. Our photo team combines professional editing software, AI-assisted photo restoration tools, and human retouching to help preserve your memories.

Color correction and fading repair
Exposure and contrast balancing
Dust and blemish removal
Scratch and crease repair
Mold and water damage restoration
Repairing torn or partially missing sections
White balancing and red-eye correction

Across all analog formats we use artificial intelligence as a support tool, not a substitute for human expertise. AI assists with stabilization, cleanup, and consistency, allowing our specialists to focus on judgment, quality control, and preservation decisions.

We don’t apply the same approach to every format, and we don’t automate simply for speed. Slides demand different care than VHS tapes; audio requires different judgment than film. Each project is reviewed by people who understand the material, the era it came from, and the responsibility that comes with preserving it.

Every order reflects the same philosophy: thoughtful technology, human oversight, and respect for the original.

Pricing

Delicate Scans

Letters, documents, recipe cards, photo prints in poor condition, etc

$1.99 per scan

We also scan items larger than 8.5″ x 11″ and all frames

INCLUDED:

600 DPI scanning by hand on professional scanners
Image optimization, cropping, straightening and dust removal
Scans kept in order and labeled sequentially in folders
EverPresent mobile/web app with 60 days of private storage, unlimited sharing & downloading

Add USB (+$19.99)
Extend your free 60 days of storage for an entire year (Starting at $25)

Caption transcription
MOST POPULAR UPGRADE: AI Image Enhancement
Custom tagging and metadata organization
DPI Upgrades & .TIFF master files

The difference between a standard and a delicate photo print is based on its condition, not it’s age, and sometimes they require more handling that other services won’t provide. We provide the same quality scans for old, delicate photos; letters & documents, or oversized prints as our standard prints.

Many consumer services rely on high-speed bulk scanners that prioritize volume over quality, often resulting in inconsistent color, lower resolution, and little to no organization. When photos are too brittle for high-speed feeders or too curled for home flatbeds, they require a scanning environment like EverPresent. We provide manual, nearly touchless digitization for your most vulnerable family memories.

We also offer optional AI enhancements to improve exposure, color balance, and clarity for aging or faded images. Beyond scanning, we organize your photos into a structured, searchable digital library with foldering, file naming, and optional captions and metadata so your collection isn’t just digitized, but easy to navigate and share for years to come.

We know that finding the right service for your needs can be tricky. That’s why our team will walk you through the technical options in advance before you commit to anything. It’s free to get your materials to us for an estimate and there’s no upfront payment.

We don’t promote flashy discounts or expiring coupons. We offer volume discounts because it’s fair, and we apply them automatically.

We offer the widest range of options and capabilities to ensure your project gets what it needs, but out of respect for your budget, never more than it needs. In our business, one size rarely fits all (or fits in a box).

A $50 service fee applies to all orders. This service fee provides for safe handling procedures including: intake, item coding, physical & digital storage, quality checks by senior technicians and packaging.

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3 easy ways to Work with us

A senior EverPresent driver with a recently picked up project in front of a branded transport vehicle

HOME PICKUPS

Too many boxes to move on your own? Complimentary home and office pickups are offered along the East Coast from Maine to Florida.

Paperwork being exchanged at a local store drop off

LOCAL STORES

130+ locations available for convenient drop-off. See which store is closest to you. Our drivers personally transport projects to our local lab for digitizing.

A box with an EverPresent shipping label

FREE SHIPPING

We accept mail-in orders from across the U.S. We’ll email a pre-paid UPS label or apply a shipping credit if you ship on your own.

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Our App

All digitizing projects include 60 days of free access to the EverPresent app. Download your archive and save a copy to any device or keep storing with us.

Download our app on Android and iOS for access on your smartphone or tablet. Easily cast to any smart devices sharing wi-fi with the app.

Share your whole collection or just one file via email, text, social media and more. All directly from the app.

Keep your photos and videos securely backed up to the cloud for as long as you want with our low monthly backup subscriptions.

Folder and flag your favorite photos and videos. Rename, reorganize and caption. Whatever you want!

Stop Searching. Start Sharing.

Still have more questions about Scanning letters?

866-363-3351

Call us or click Inquire below to get a free estimate.

Click “Arrange Service” to select the most convenient option to get us your letters.

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Comparing The Five Largest Digitizing Services

An honest comparison to help you choose the best company for your project.

Digitizing Photos, Slides, Negatives and Albums

We scan more photo albums and scrapbooks than any company the USA, with special no-touch scanning methods to assure that your delicate layouts stay intact while we create crisp digital images of either full-page layouts or each individual image.

	EverPresent	LegacyBox	iMemories	ScanCafe	CVS, Walmart
Formats Handled	✅ Photo Prints: Up to 8″x10″, Oversized Prints: Up to 18″x24″ Polaroids; Letters; Documents; Recipe Cards; Newspapers; Newspaper clippings; Childrens Artwork; Framed Photos; Magazines; Scrapbooks; Photos in Albums	❌ Photo Prints Only: 4″x6″ to 8.5″x11	❌ Photo Prints Only: 4″x6″ to 8″x10″	✅ Photo Prints: Up to 8″x10″, Oversized Prints: Up to 11″x14″ Documents; Photos in Albums	❌ Photo Prints: 2″x2″ to 8″x12″
Submission Requirements	✅ May submit as is, including albums, scrapbooks, carousels, frames, binders a nd more.	❌ DIY group by size. Does not accept images in any type of sleeve, frame, box, or album	❌ DIY group by size. Does not accept images in any type of sleeve, frame, box, or album	❌ Accepts some albums with surcharges per album	❌ All photos must be loose. No albums.
Digitizing Upgrades	✅ Up to 4,000 DPI, two levels of AI and human driven enhancement and restoration upgrades, .tiff archival upgrade	❌ One size fits all	❌ AI enhancement upgrade	✅ Damaged photo restoration options; .TIFF archival upgrade	❌ One size fits all
Organizing Options	✅ Caption transcription, metadata tagging by date, topic, face, etc., PDF with OCR for documents	❌ Not available	❌ Not available	❌ Not available	❌ Not available

Shipping & Drop-off Experience

All transport between our stores, your homes and our high-tech labs is handled by our private in-house logistics network that’s 100% devoted to safely transporting your precious photos and videos.

	EverPresent	LegacyBox	iMemories	ScanCafe	CVS, Walmart
Home Pickup	✅ Yes. Northeast, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, DC, Florida	❌ Not available	❌ Not available	❌ Not available	❌ Not available
Local Stores	✅ Yes. Over 130 local stores.	❌ Not available	❌ Not available	❌ Not available	✅ Local stores receive projects that are then shipped to Atlanta
Inbound Shipping Included	✅ Included	✅ Included	❌ Surcharge	❌ Surcharge	✅ Included
Flexible Shipping Approach	✅ Free labels to be used on any sized box	❌ Fully prepaid box; size limits	❌ Prepaid ship kit; size limits	✅ Prepaid ship kit or mail yourself	✅ Boxed and shipped for you at retail counter

Shopping & Service Experience

We are the only major national company that makes it 100% free to get us your project, counts everything for you, build an inventory, and provides a free estimate and personal consultation before you pay a dime.

	EverPresent	LegacyBox	iMemories	ScanCafe	CVS, Walmart
Inventory & Quotes	✅ Formats identified and counted for you	❌ You do the work	❌ You do the work	❌ You do the work	❌ You do the work
Order Approval & Payment	✅ Free quote provided, pay after approval	❌ Fully pre-pay before sending in your project	❌ Pre-pay for ship kit	✅ Pre-pay for ship kit OR 75% deposit based on DIY counts	❌ Fully pre-pay before sending in your project
Personalized Ordering Experience	✅ Choice of phone consultation or online self-service	❌ Online shopping cart	❌ Online shopping cart	✅ Online shopping cart with option to call first	❌ Online shopping cart
Digital Delivery Options	✅ Download and private cloud app free for 60 days	❌ Downloads not included in listed pricing	✅ Download and private cloud app free for 30 days	❌ Download from a .zip file via email or sign up for third-party hosting	❌ Available for 60 days via Google download

*Information regarding competitors is based on public research and market knowledge available at the time of publication. Product features, and service offerings are subject to change. EverPresent does not guarantee the absolute accuracy of competitor data. Please verify all information directly with the respective service provider.

Frequently Asked Questions about Scanning Letters

Scanning is just the first step toward making your memories come to life! We’ve digitized hundreds of love letters from one client and her husband. And because our design experts know how to display old letters in a photobook, this client can cherish her love life again and again. These books are one of the most creative ways to display love letters!

Letters capture a person’s voice in a way that can’t be done with photos and videos. They’re an intimate way to communicate that can teach you a lot about the people who wrote them. Handwritten notes are often penned on fragile paper that won’t last long. Scanning these items will help you protect your family’s past. Don’t know what to do with fragile cards and letters? Ask us about the best way to store and display your vintage mail!

Believe it or not, we preserve vintage mail from the 1800s all the time! It’s common for people to put these dates at the top of the notes they write. The cities and dates inside of hand-stamped postmarks can also tell you when and where a piece of mail came from. Some wartime postmarks, though, leave out places and dates to guard classified info. Even if you can’t find a date, an address might give you a sense of time based on when someone lived there. EverPresent can copy these dates into the folders and filenames of your digital archive, letting you sort and store your letters by year. We can also save handwritten captions in each file’s metadata, so you can read the words without needing to view the images.

The short answer is yes. We’d prefer to give you digital files that match the originals, but we can tweak the writing to be more legible. The results are uncertain and if we darken the text too much, the blank space around the words can become muddy. Every old document is different, but our expert consultants can give you more insight on what we can and can’t fix.

We will scan whatever you want to save. Some people don’t care about the addresses and postmarks on old stamped envelopes. Others like having that extra info handy in case the sender moved quite a bit, or if the letters don’t have any handwritten dates. The same goes for postcards and greeting cards – you get to choose whether your digital files include the pictures and text from the fronts. For genealogists, the envelope is often more valuable than the letter. We treat the envelope as a primary document, scanning both sides and keeping it digitally sequenced to the corresponding letter in your folder structure.

Many airmail letters from the 1940s-60s were written on ultra-thin “Onion Skin” paper where the ink from the back bleeds through to the front. At EverPresent, we use Black-Backing Digitization. By placing a matte black archival layer behind the page during scanning, we neutralize the back-side reflection, delivering a crisp, high-contrast image that is significantly more legible than the original physical page.

Charming vintage arrangement with dry flowers, envelopes, and old photographs in a rustic setting.

These links will take you to short videos about our other services. You’re in good hands! Our team has decades of experience turning millions of photos and videos into beautiful digital memories that you can share with others.

Digitize Photos
Video Transfer Services
Slides to Digital
Album & Scrapbook Scanning
Film to Digital
Audio Conversion

Visit One of Our Locations Near You

100,000+

130+

90,000+

115+

5 million

Our Mission

Why Choose Our Old Letter Scanning service

TRUST

VALUE

SECURE

RESPECT

Old Photo Restoration & Retouching with Optional AI Enhancements

Pricing

Delicate Scans

INCLUDED:

A $50 service fee applies to all orders. This service fee provides for safe handling procedures including: intake, item coding, physical & digital storage, quality checks by senior technicians and packaging.

3 easy ways to Work with us

HOME PICKUPS

LOCAL STORES

FREE SHIPPING

Our App

First 60 Days FREE

Works On All Devices

Easy Sharing & Downloading

Secure Cloud Backup

Organize Photos & Videos

Stop Searching. Start Sharing.

Still have more questions about Scanning letters?

866-363-3351

Comparing The Five Largest Digitizing Services

Frequently Asked Questions about Scanning Letters

Why scan my old letters?

How old are my vintage cards and letters?

Can you scan faded letters and enhance the handwriting?

Do I scan the old mail envelopes and front of cards?

How do you handle ‘Onion Skin’ or bleed-through paper?