General Packaging Tips
Packaging is an important aspect customer should take care of when placing an order. We have received lots of queries on how to package the material. Here is a brief explanation of the steps to be taken for packaging and labeling.
Sorting hard copies can be a very cumbersome and time taking process especially with negatives which are hard to review without special equipment. After digitization, sorting and arranging images on the computer is much more convenient. Therefore the most simple / easiest solution is to simply pack all the pictures/albums/envelopes into one or several plastic bags (to protect the material from moisture), put this into a sturdy carton box and ship to us.
If you would like to get more detailed information on packaging of various formats, please click on the links present on the top right hand side under the heading 'More Packaging Tips'. For customers who would like to arrange the hard copies in a certain order and find more detailed recommendations, here are a few tips:
According to their media type the images will have an identifier in their folder names:
Arrange in seperate envelopes
We create a separate folder for each envelope/album of photos. Our premise is that each envelope contains photos of a particular event. So, if you want to have pictures of a particular event in one folder, place all those hard copies (printed photos or negatives or slides) in the same envelope/album. Go through the below pictorial representation.
One customer has kept all his parents wedding photos in one seperate polythene cover and sent us. So all the photos in that plastic cover go to one sub-folder in his digitized images folder
Label the envelopes
Many envelopes/albums we receive contain descriptions of events written on the front of the envelope. So, if a customer opts for it we scan the envelope cover and place it as "folder description" along with images from that envelope. If you provide the event description on the envelope cover it will help you to later conveniently relate the photos with the correct events or person. If you like to have your folder descriptions scanned, please tick the corresponding checkbox on the order form. For the folders scans we charge the standard scan fee.
Group the envelopes
We number the folders as [Media Type][X] where X is the occurrence. For example, if there are three envelopes containing negatives, they are named as N1, N2, N3. If you want the envelopes to be scanned in a certain sequence please number them (write on the envelope cover). e.g. negative sleeve no. 1, negative sleeve no. 2, etc.
Unique numbering of images
All your images will have unique file names within your order, e.g. IMG1001.jpg, IMG1002.jpg, etc. This means two images of different folders (even of different media types) will always have different file names. This will make things easier for you in case you later want to copy images into the same folder.
No need to count the total pictures
Once we receive the shipment from a customer, we count the total images present in the order (sorted by the media type) before we start scanning the order and we update the customer on quantities of each kind present in the order. So, customer needn't count the total pictures present. But if the customer wishes to, he can count and enter the details on a paper and send along with the shipment.Note: At times some minor difference between customer image count and our image count occurs mainly due to counting error at customer end. In that situation, our image count is considered final for the order.
Shipment
Wrap slides, negatives and printed photos in a plastic bag in order to protect them from moisture during shipment. Pack the entire order in a sturdy box. Pad the photographic material with crumbled newspaper or packaging material to prevent it from sliding around.Please click on the links present on the top right hand side under the heading 'More Packaging Tips' to get more detailed information on packaging of various formats
We hope this gives some idea on how to package your material. If you have any questions regarding packaging you can always send us an email at info(at)scancorner(dot)com
Why can't i scan photos myself?
