How to prepare your photos for scanning.

A little preparation makes a box of old photographs easier to digitize, organize and enjoy. Start with a manageable batch. You don’t need to organize a whole lifetime in one afternoon.

1. Separate loose prints from special items.

Start with ordinary loose photographs. For Past Forward’s proposed standard service, the intended range is 3 × 3 to 8 × 10 inches, subject to scanner compatibility and a condition review. Keep slides, negatives, instant photographs, mounted prints and oversized pieces in separate groups so they can be assessed rather than treated as standard loose prints.

Set aside anything sticky, brittle, torn, heavily curled or showing mold. A high-speed scanner is not the right handling method for every original. Fragile or irreplaceable items may need a different scanning method and a separate quote.

2. Remove photos from albums carefully.

Only remove a photograph if it comes out easily. Don’t pull it from an adhesive page or try solvents on it. Leave stuck prints in place and ask about safe handling. Standard loose-print pricing excludes album removal; knowing what is still in albums helps avoid surprises.

3. Group by a system you will recognize.

Choose a few useful groups: family, year, event or holiday. Label each group on a separate slip of paper. Avoid attaching tape, sticky notes or rubber bands directly to photographs. You can always refine your digital folders later; a simple starting system is better than an unfinished sorting project.

If exact scan order, individual filenames or the writing on the backs matters to you, raise that before work starts. Those details are not automatically included in a standard front-side scan.

4. Estimate the quantity and cost.

You don’t need an exact count for an initial estimate. Count a small stack and use it to approximate similar stacks, or count each group as you sort. Past Forward’s $250 minimum order includes up to 500 loose prints with basic enhancement. Photos 501–1,000 add 40¢ each, and each photo above 1,000 adds 35¢. Lower rates apply only to the additional photos in that tier. A collection of fewer than 500 photos still costs $250; 750 photos cost $350, 1,000 cost $450 and 2,000 cost $800. Extras and applicable tax are separate.

Use the photo scanning estimate calculator. A final quote should confirm the count, condition and any extras, including shipping, storage devices and applicable tax, before scanning begins.

5. Understand resolution and enhancement.

At 600 dpi, a 4 × 6 inch print produces approximately 2,400 × 3,600 pixels. That is useful for sharing, viewing and many printing projects. More pixels cannot restore detail that was already out of focus in the original photograph.

Basic enhancement balances color and brightness and adjusts cropping and orientation. It is different from detailed restoration, which repairs tears, stains or missing areas. Ask for a separate assessment when a photo needs more than basic correction.

6. Plan a second copy before you need it.

After receiving your JPEGs, open a selection of files and check that the folders make sense. Keep the originals and save a second digital copy in a separate location, such as another drive or a cloud backup. A folder on one computer is convenient, but a single device can fail or be lost.