Q. When do I pay ?
Payments are due once your order has been completed. This way we can be sure you are only paying for the exact number of images transferred.
Q. What payment methods do you accept ?
We accept payments by PayPal. No PayPal account is necessary as you can select to pay by credit / debit card. or direct bank transfers. You can also pay using a Google checkout account, direct bank transfer or enclose a cheque or cash with your order if you wish. You can also make payment over the telephone by calling us with your card details.
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. 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 will normally be stored in a separate folder on the disk and named accordingly.
Each container / box / 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 slides are transferred in a specific order you can either clearly number the frame of a slide in pencil, or you could wrap an elastic band around the slides to maintain the order during transit.
Asking us to sort a mixed set of images by people or an event is very difficult for us to achieve. Remember, we don't know who the people are on the images or what the occasion is.
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.
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:
Q. Can you supply a print of the images?
Yes. Prints of any size are available, from standard 6" x 4" up to massive 48" cotton canvases. We do not print in-house on domestic inkjet printers, each image is sent to various 3rd party professional printing labs.
Q. Can you transfer black and white film ?
Yes we can, though the automated dust and scratch removal software will not work with these types of film. Our Manual finishing service removes the dust and scratches by hand.
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 in order to achieve a higher quality scan. Dismantling charges are an additional 20p per slide to cover the time of striping the film from your frame.
Q. Why do you charge extra for metal framed slides?
The metal mounting frame on certain slides increases the size of the slide stopping it from entering the scanner. We therefore need to remove the metal mounting frame before 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. There are blue marks on the scans I have received, what are they ?
These are likely to be mould spots reacting with the chemicals on the film and the light source in the scanner. Most mould spots are removed during the scanning process, but larger spots are not always removed, so in cases of severe infestation some of the mould may remain on the final scan. If the damage is serious then we would recommend that the images are restored using our photo restoration process.
Q. My slide mount has broken and fallen apart can you still scan it ?
Yes, but we will either have to repair the mount or remount your slide into a new mount if it's beyond repair. Repairs are included in the service price, but if the mount is beyond repair, such as a cracked glass mount, then a replacement price of £1.10 per slide will be charged. Note: Any cracked glass mounts will need to be removed or replaced prior to scanning as the crack will be visible on the scan.
Q. My scans still show some dust and scratches. I thought you removed them all?
Our automated finishing service uses Digital ICE software to remove the majority of the dust and scratches. The software is very good, but it does have limitations when it comes to badly marked images and sometimes leaves a few marks and scratches on the scan. Results also vary depending on the film type being scanned.
To gain a clean scan our manaual service should be selected, this ensures your images are clear of the dust and scratches.
Q. Some of my slides or film have faded or become very dark can you still scan them ?
Our scanners can normally rescue some faded images, it all depends on the amount of fading that has occurred. If all of your slides have faded we suggest you send us a couple for test scanning as part of our free transfer trial offer. If we can successfully recover the image then you can send the rest to us for transfer.
Q. The image on my film / slide is blurred, will it be nice and sharp after transfer ?
Unfortunately no, blurred slides and film will still be blurred after transfer.
Q. Will I be able to put the CD or DVD in my DVD player and view the images on my TV?
Probably not, but it all depends on your DVD player. Our data discs are designed to be viewed on a PC / Mac that can handle JPG files. To view the images on your TV you will likely require a DVD slideshow which is a rolling movie displaying each of your images in turn and designed to play on any domestic DVD / Bluray player. DVD slideshows are made to order and can be requested when placing your order.
Q. What equipment do you use?
We have invested heavily and continue to do so in our scanning equipment. We use a range of Nikon Coolscan 5000ED and 8000ED dedicated slide and film scanners with aftermarket ANR glass film holders. Epson professional flatbed scanners are used to scan large format sheet film and photos. We do not use hugely expensive drum scanners 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 of most people.
Q. Who holds the copyright of the digital image?
You do, we will not lock the images onto the CD or DVD, they are your images and you can do whatever you want with them.
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 transfer cine film, video or APS films?
No, transfer of these types are not currently offered.
Q. Do you develop films?
No, we do not develop any films in house. If you send us a film that requires developing we will have it developed for you at an additional cost.
Q. Do you keep a copy of the images after scanning ?
Due to the thousands of images we scan weekly, we only keep a copy of the scanned images for a limited period of time, typically up to 3 months after despatch. They are then permanently deleted from our servers.
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.
If you can't find an answer in these Frequently Asked Questions then please e-mail your question to info@exposure22.com