Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)

Q. Do you transfer cine film, video, APS films or Microfiche?
No, transfer of these types to digital is not currently offered.

Q. How long does it take ?
Timescales are dependant on the quantity of items in your order :

Slides and film
Normally 5 - 10 working days.
1000+ slides and frames may exceed this time.

Loose photos
Under 200 : 48 hours
200 - 1000 : 72 hours
Over 1000 : 5 working days or more

Photo albums
Under 200 : 5 days
200 - 1000 : 5 - 10 working days
Over 1000 : 10 working days or more

An express service is available for a small additional cost, which prioritises your order.
Manual / Full processing will extend the above timescales.
The above timescales are our average turnaround times, these estimates times may be exceed during peak periods such as pre and post Christmas.

Q. When do I pay ?
Once your order is complete we will despatch everything back to you. Payments can be made immediately or within 14 days of despatch. Late payments fees apply for overdue accounts. See our terms and conditions for details.

Q. What is the "Scan only" option?
The "Scan only" option, is as the name suggests just a scan of your items but with no colour or brightness processing or rotation checking being applied and as such the unit cost per item scanned is reduced.

Slides and film negatives are always scanned in "Landscape" orientation due to the alignment of the optics within the scanners. As the "Scan only" option includes no checking of the images after scanning, any "Portrait" images will be returned to you in "Landscape mode" and will require rotating clockwise or anti-clockwise.

The "Scan only" option is therefore solely aimed at users who plan on processing the images themselves and have access to a suitable software package to perform the processing.

Q. What payment methods do you accept ?
We use PayPal as our 3rd party payment provider. Credit / Debit cards are accepted by PayPal, or if you are an existing PayPal account holder you can use your PayPal account. You can also pay using a Google Wallet account, direct bank transfer, cheque or cash.

Q. Can I just send my images to you without registering online?
Yes you can. Simply send your items to us, not forgetting to include your contact details in the package and we will transfer them for you.

Q. Will I be able to put the CD or DVD in my DVD player and view the images on my TV?
Possibly, it depends on your DVD player. Our data discs are designed to be viewed on equipment that can handle standard JPG files. If your DVD player can handle JPG files then it will probably work fine. If your player does not accept JPG files then you will likely require a DVD slideshow which is a rolling movie displaying each of your images in turn. DVD slideshows are made to order and can be requested when placing your order or at a later date if required.

Q. Can you transfer my images in a given order or put them into groups ?
Yes we can. Each container, box or folder you send us can be stored in a separate folder on the disk and named accordingly. Simply let us know you require this and the folder name required.

Each container, box or folder will be processed in the order held within the container. Any loose photos, slides or film will be processed in the order we find them. To ensure the images are transferred in a specific order you must clearly number the items before sending them to us.

All images are given a sequential number during digitisation, so if you wish to change the order of the images at a later date, you can simply change the number in the filename or move the image into a different group folder.

Unfortunately, due to the way we scan photos we cannot always guarantee the ordering of the scanned images, but each batch of photos or album will be placed in named folders if required.

Q. How should I send my items to you?
We will accept your images in whatever you currently store them in. You can ship them in boxes, padded bags, slide carousels, slide holders or whatever you have to hand. When you package your items, please remember the following:

• Consider removing any slides from bulky containers and wrap them in elastic bands to maintain the correct order
• Use a sturdy box or padded bag that will be able to withstand shipping and won't be easily crushed or damaged
• Small shipments of photo's should be placed in a card or protected envelope to prevent them from being folded
• Wrap any loose photos or films in paper or a plastic bag, such as a food bag, to stop them from being scratched
• Make sure they are secured and won't move around in the container during shipment
• If you are using a box, fill the empty voids with newspaper or other suitable packing material
• Avoid using packing materials that generate dust or fine debris that could contaminate your items, such as shredded paper
• Due to their extra weight, photo albums should be shipped in double walled boxes as single walled boxes generally fail and more often than not arrive damaged

Q. Can you transfer black and white film or slides ?
Yes we can, though the automated dust and scratch removal software will not work with these types of film. Our Full Inspection service removes the majority of dust and scratches by using filters in Adobe Photoshop.

Q. Can you transfer glass mounted slides?
Yes we can, but any dust and debris trapped inside the glass mounts will likely be visible on the scanned image. We generally advise that the slide should be dismantled and cleaned, or removed from the glass mount in order to achieve a higher quality scan. If the slide can be easily dismantled, then an additional 50p per slide charge may be made if you require us to remove the film prior to scanning.

Q. My slides are very mouldy can you still scan them?
Yes, but we will have to clean them prior to scanning using specialised cleaning fluid and wipes. A charge of 20p per slide or frame will be levied to cover the time and material cost of the cleaning items. We recommend that all mould infested slides and film are cleaned as the mould will eventually destroy the chemicals on the film damaging it irreparably. In some cases the cleaning fluid can damage the paper frames by unbonding the glued surfaces. In these cases it is generally recommended that infected paper mounted slides are remounted.

Q. What equipment do you use?
We have invested heavily and continue to do so in our scanning equipment. Plustek Opticfilm 120, Nikon Coolscan 5000ED and 9000ED dedicated slide and film scanners with aftermarket ANR glass film holders. Epson V750 professional flatbed scanners are used to scan large format sheet film. Kodak Perfect Touch photo scanners are used to bulk scan photos and Epson DS-50000N flatbed scanners are used for our premium photo scanning service.

We do not use hugely expensive drum scanners for film scanning which can produce slightly better results than our scanners, however the typical cost of drum scanning a 35mm slide is generally around £16 - £17 which we consider out of reach for most people.

Q. Who holds the copyright of the digital image?
You do. They are your images and you can do whatever you want with them. We may occasionally display an image as an example of our service for use on this website.

Q. Can I copy the disk you send to me?
Yes, you are free to copy any of the disks we send.

Q. Do you develop films?
No, we do not develop any films in house. If you send us a film that requires developing we can have it developed for you at an additional cost.

Q. Do you keep a copy of the images after scanning ?
Yes. All the images we scan and repair are held on our secure storage system for around 3 - 6 months after despatch. We are currently holding over 300,00 of our most recent scans on our 4TB RAID system, but due to the thousands of images we scan each week we cannot keep them forever. If you require modifications or repair to an image after this time you will likely need to supply us with the original image so that we can re-scan it for you. We also offer a secure backup vault service, which retains a permanent copy of your images. See here for details.

If you can't find an answer in these Frequently Asked Questions then please e-mail your question to info@exposure22.com