How to Prepare Originals for a Photo Scanning Service
By ImgHeal · Updated
Ask the scanning provider how it handles your specific originals before preparing a shipment. Agree on identifiers, order, capture scope, and return packaging, then make an intake inventory and condition references. Do not remove mounts, fasteners, or album attachments just to meet a standard workflow; fragile or unusual objects may need a specialist service.
Explore this topic: Scan special originals
Confirm the actual capture method
Explain whether the set contains loose stable prints, mounted photos, albums, transparent film, or damaged surfaces. Ask how each type will be supported and whether any equipment feeds items mechanically. A service suited to ordinary loose prints may not suit brittle, curled, or valuable material. Record what the provider will exclude and what requires further assessment, rather than assuming all objects in a mixed family box can safely enter one bulk process.
Make the source mapping unambiguous
Give each object or stable group a reference and preserve original sequence where it matters. Record fronts, backs, envelopes, and captions that must remain linked. Prepare a list of requested files and complete-object views. Include condition photographs without placing adhesive markers on originals. The provider should be able to explain how its output filenames connect to your identifiers before the material leaves your custody.
Agree on the return and review window
Follow the provider's suitable packing instructions while checking that housings support the actual objects. Keep copies of the inventory and correspondence. Ask how exceptions or damage concerns will be reported and how originals and unused materials will return. On delivery, inspect both files and objects before discarding transfer packaging. Do restoration on working duplicates of the verified scans, retaining the complete source delivery as the record of what the service supplied.
Before you finish
- Handling is agreed for every material type.
- Object identifiers map to requested outputs.
- Return and exception reporting are documented.
Sources and further reading
- National Archives: Digitizing Family Papers and PhotographsSupporting originals during copying and retaining the physical materials after digitization.
- National Archives: Tips for Handling Family Papers and PhotographsPlanning careful handling of family originals rather than changing or repairing their physical surfaces.
Questions about this restoration task
Should I detach every print before sending an album?
No. Ask how the service handles bound or attached material. If safe in-place copying is unavailable, choose another approach rather than removing photographs merely to fit a bulk workflow.
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