For our work to be of a high standard it’s important that we make sure every step of the process is the best it can be. This starts with you… or us… if you are concerned about the quality of your scanner, have issues with the technical bits or simply don’t have access to a scanner then we are more than happy to receive your photos by post. (Please Please Please get in touch before sending them!)
For those that can scan, here are a few guidelines.
Firstly make sure your scanner and photograph are clean! A quick wipe with a dry, lint free cloth won’t hurt!
Resolution – the “dots per inch” or dpi is what counts here. 300dpi is recommended as a minimum, this gives us a great starting point to reveal all those little details and apply some good sharpening! 600dpi if you are looking to enlarge the image.
File types – by far the most common and the one we receive the most is a .jpg which is fine – just make sure it is saving at the highest possible quality. (no compression) We’ll also accept .tiff .png .dng
Turn off any automatic adjustments – Automatic contrast, colour correction and even photo repair are available on modern printers but most of the time they actually hinder the restoration process. Make sure these are turned off and your photo will be much easier to restore.
You’ve got nothing to lose by trying – send your scan in and let us decide the best course of action. As previously mentioned we’d be more than happy to do the scanning for you!