Your family photos, scanned by hand. $0.40 a photo.
I pick up your prints and albums from your door, scan every photo on a flatbed at 600 dpi, and bring the originals back with your digital copies, usually within 5 days. Nothing is mailed and nothing leaves Peel.
- $0.40 a photoNo setup fee. $40 minimum.
- Free pickup and returnAnywhere in Peel, evenings and weekends too.
- About 5 daysFor most orders up to 1,000 photos.
- Pay when you get them backe-Transfer or cash, after you've seen the scans.
How it works
Tell me what you have
A rough count, the height of the stack, or a phone picture of the pile is enough. I reply with a price, usually the same day.
I pick it up
I come to your door in Mississauga, Brampton or Caledon at a time that suits you. You get a written list of what I've taken.
I scan each photo by hand
One at a time on a flatbed scanner. Nothing goes through a feeder, so nothing gets bent, jammed or scratched.
I bring everything back
Your originals come back in the order you gave them, along with your files. You pay once you've looked at the scans.
Prices
Three prices, one optional extra, and nothing else added on.
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Loose photosAny print up to 8.5 × 11.7 inches | $0.40 |
| Photos scanned in the albumFor photos that can't come off the page. Each one saved as its own file. | $0.60 |
| Whole album pageThe full page as one image, with captions and layout kept. | $2.00 |
| USB driveOptional. A private download link is free. | $15 |
| Pickup and return in Peel | Free |
| Minimum order | $40 |
Examples: 250 loose photos is $100. 500 is $200. 1,000 is $400. An album of 40 pages scanned as whole pages is $80.
Included in every order
- 600 dpi colour scans, saved as JPEG. That is enough detail to reprint a 4 × 6 at 8 × 12.
- Every photo cropped, straightened and turned the right way up.
- Files sorted into folders that match your albums, envelopes or boxes.
- Writing on the back scanned too, if you ask.
- Anything you're unhappy with rescanned at no charge.
What I can and can't scan
Yes
- Colour and black-and-white prints, any size up to 8.5 × 11.7 inches
- Photos stuck in sticky-page or glued albums, scanned on the page
- Polaroids, school photos, wallet prints, studio portraits
- Old, curled or fragile prints that shouldn't go through a machine
- Letters, certificates, newspaper clippings, recipe cards, children's drawings
No
- Slides, negatives and film
- VHS, camcorder tapes and home movies
- Anything larger than 8.5 × 11.7 inches
- Framed photos that can't be taken out of the frame
My scanner only handles prints and paper. For slides, negatives or tapes you need a lab with film equipment, and I'd rather tell you that now than after a pickup.
Why use someone local
Your photos are never shipped
Mail-in services ask you to box up the only copies you have and send them across the country. Yours travel a few kilometres in my car and come straight back.
One person handles them
I do the pickup, the scanning and the return myself, from my home in Peel. There is no warehouse and no one else touches your photos.
Days, not weeks
Mail-in services and large labs around Toronto commonly quote two to four weeks. Most of my orders are back within five days.
Questions people ask
How do I know how many photos I have?
You don't need an exact number. A one-inch stack of prints is about 100 photos. Send me the height of the stack or a picture of the box and I'll estimate it. You only pay for what I actually scan, and I'll tell you the final count before you pay.
Will you take photos out of my albums?
Only if they slide out easily, such as from plastic sleeves, and I put each one back where it was. If they're stuck to the page I leave them in place and scan them on the page, so nothing gets torn.
How will I get my digital copies?
By a private download link sent to your email, which you can forward to family. If you'd rather have something physical, I can put the files on a USB drive for $15, or onto a drive you give me for free.
How long does it take?
Most orders up to 1,000 photos are back within five days of pickup. Larger collections take longer, and I'll give you a return date before I take anything. If you need them for a specific date, such as a memorial, a birthday or Christmas, tell me and I'll say honestly whether I can make it.
Are my photos safe with you?
They stay in my home, in the boxes or albums they came in, and go nowhere else. I list what I've collected at pickup so we both know what I have. I scan on a clean flatbed and handle prints by the edges.
What happens to the files afterwards?
They're yours. I keep a backup for 30 days in case your download fails or a drive gets lost, then delete it. I'll delete it sooner if you ask. I never post, share or use anyone's photos.
Can you fix faded or damaged photos?
The scan will show the photo as it is today. I don't offer restoration or retouching, but a 600 dpi scan is what a restorer would need to start from.
How do I pay?
By Interac e-Transfer or cash when I bring your photos back, after you've had a look at the scans. There is no deposit.
I live outside Peel. Can you still help?
If you're close by, such as Etobicoke, Oakville, Milton or Vaughan, ask. I can usually arrange pickup for a small travel fee, or you can drop your photos off with me.