What film sizes do you handle?   

Currently, we are only scanning the more common film formats (positive or negative), either black & white or color.  Those include 35mm, 120/220 medium format, and large format up to 4x5 inches.  We accept 35mm film strips of 2-6 frames.  We do not accept single 35mm frames; however, we do accept single 120 film frames.  At this time we do not accept 16mm film, but we may add this in the future.

What slide formats do you accept?   

We will accept slides (mounted positives) in sizes 35mm, Super 35mm, 126, 110, 127, 127 SuperSlide and 120/220.

What resolution do you scan at?   

We scan from 500ppi (pixels per inch) up to 4000ppi, depending on the film size and the resolution you require. Please see our scanning prices for the specific resolutions per film size. Check out our scan charts here to help you decide what resolution you need.

Are dpi and ppi the same thing?   

Although "dots per inch" (dpi) and "pixels per inch" (ppi) are sometimes used interchangeably, they are really not the same thing.  Dpi is an old carryover from traditional methods of printing photographic images on a page using a pattern of dots. These dots have a space between them to form white or no space to render as black.  Color photos are printed using four inks, cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) and four separate dot patterns, one per ink. On the other hand, ppi refers to the square pixels of a monitor which are in contact with their adjacent pixels.  It also refers to the pixels in a digital image, which are accurately sized in ppi, not dpi.

Why do I need 300ppi to make a photo quality image?   

When a digital image is prepared for reproduction on a printing press, the pixels are converted to "dots."  Pixels have no space between them, but “dots” do, so that roughly half of the information is lost.  The established printing standard is 150 dpi, so you need a digital image twice that size to print well, therefore 300ppi.

What kind of files will you provide?  

We will provide either industry standard JPEGs or TIFFs, or both, whichever you desire.  File size will be determined by the film format and the resolution scanned.  

What is Digital ICE (Image Correction and Enhancement)?   

Digital ICE technology, when applied, removes most dust, scratches and fingerprints on your negatives and slides when set at the normal setting.  For negatives that are in bad condition, the fine setting can be applied, but there will be some softening of the image.  We apply ICE free to all scans except 4x5 film and prints.  We highly recommend the application of ICE to all scans, where applicable. 

What is Digital ROC?  

Digital ROC technology is an amazing process that can actually restore the original color to faded color negatives and slides.  Almost any old, faded negative or slide can be improved, but results are not guaranteed, based on the condition of the original.  ROC is performed as an option, at an additional cost. 

What is Digital GEM?   

Digital GEM is a post-scan operation which can actually reduce noise and film grain.  Noise is the digital equivalent to film grain.  GEM is performed as an option, at an additional cost. 

What working color space do you use with regard to color management?   

We use the industry standard RGB Adobe (1998) setting on PowerMac and Mac Pro computers.

What is bit-rate or bit-depth?   

Bit-rate is the amount of color information associated with a digital image.  An image with a higher bit-rate can display more gradations of color.  The most common color bit-rate for digital photos (especially JPEG files) is 8 bits per color (a 24 bit RGB image).  Most professional digital cameras capture 16 bits per color when shooting RAW files.

What does Lossy mean?    

Many file formats use compression to reduce the file size of bitmap images (digital photos).  Lossless techniques compress the file without removing image detail or color information.  Lossy techniques, however, remove detail.  JPEG is the most common file format in digital photography, but this is a "lossy" file format.  TIFF with LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch) compression is the most popular lossless file format.  Lossless files retain most information, but are much larger in size.

What about tonal range and saturation?   

We will automatically produce the best scan we can based on (1) the limits of the condition of your materials and (2) the services you order such as resolution requested, size, etc.

Do you crop and sharpen?   

We crop and sharpen at no cost, but only upon request. 

Should I send you prints or negatives?   

You will generally always get better scans from negatives and slides than from prints, so send the original film if you have it.  Only if the film is damaged or heavly scratched will the print provide a better scan, assuming that it is in good condition.  Scanning from the negative produces a digital image at a higher ppi resolution. 

What's your policy on explicit materials?   

Please understand that we will not accept or scan any negatives, slides or photos that we deem obscene in nature.  Those materials will be returned to you at your expense, so please do not send them to White Glove Scanning.  Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

What payment methods do you accept?

Currently, we are accepting payment through PayPal.  PayPal is the safer way to pay online.  It is fast, easy and secure, because you do not have to expose your credit card number to online merchants.  However, if you do not have a Paypal account, you can use one of the major credit card companies via PayPal.  Just click the PayPal button on check-out.  We also accept personal checks, but understand that this will delay processing of your order while we wait for your check to clear.

Do you accept orders from outside the US?

Yes, we do, but there will be additional shipping charges for your returned scans and materials.  Please ask for a shipping quote from us before sending us your materials.

 

 

Other Terminology

 

Compression - An algorithm that is applied to a digital image to reduce its file size.

JPEG (JPG) -  A compressed file format widely used in today's digital cameras, computer applications, email and web pages. The JPEG format compresses images, but sacrifices image detail (lossy compression).

RAW - A file format used by professional cameras which captures total and uncompressed information.  Often referred to as the "digital negative," it allows the photographer full control over white balance, color tint, tonal range and sharpening.  RAW format is only possible at time of image capture and file size is dependant on the size of the camera's image sensor.

Scanning Resolution - The amount of information that is captured during the scan process expressed as pixels per inch (ppi), but often incorrectly referred to as dpi. 

TIFF- A widely used non-compressed "lossless" file format used today in high-end graphic applications and for archival purposes.