Before They Fade Away

ShoeBox Packages are offered at quantities of 200, 500, 1000, & 3000 photos, in three different resolutions.

ShoeBox Standard Package - 300ppi scanning packages. Our most popular professional photo scanning service, from as low as 29c per photo!

300ppi scanning means you could re-print at the original photo size (at regular 300dpi photo print resolution), and also be assured of high enough resolution for most screen-use situations (eg: viewing on TV/computer screens/iPad etc) for photos within service size limits (min 75mm/3 inches each side up to A4 size). This is our most popular service, and the basic ShoeBox offering. Unless we are specifically instructed otherwise at time of order, ShoeBox Scan projects are performed at 300ppi.

• for lots of up to 200 images - $130. Professional 300ppi resolution photo scanning for as low as 65c per image.

• for lots of up to 500 images - $245. Professional 300ppi resolution photo scanning for as low as 49c per image.

• for lots of up to 1000 images - $369. Professional 300ppi resolution photo scanning for as low as 37c per image.

• for lots of 3000 or more photos - $869. Professional 300ppi resolution photo scanning for 29c per image

Do you have more photos than the package covers? No problem! We can continue scanning at the package rate, or we'll upgrade you to the next package if that works out cheaper for you.

Please note that we work on the assumption that photos are left with us to be digitised. We scan all photos submitted, by the method required, unless specifically instructed otherwise.

ShoeBox "Plus" Packages - 600ppi scanning packages. Professional, High Resolution photo scanning from as low as just 44c per photo!

ShoeBox "Ultra" Package - 1200ppi scanning packages. Professional, High Resolution photo scanning from less than .60c per photo!

Colour Adjustment optional extra - Kodak's "Perfect Touch" automatic colour adjustment. This is not professional colour correction performed image-by-image by a trained operator, but simply the application of Kodak's auto colour adjustment, applied on a job-wide basis. Additional 20c per photo.

Scan Both Sides optional extra - We can scan the reverse side of your photos as well as the front. Additional 20c per photo.

The ShoeBox Scan service is a high quality 300ppi feed scanning service designed for Bulk Loose Photos Only, that is, photos supplied loose in a box/bag (or more than one box/bag because of quantity). Photos in cardboard mounts, frames or albums need to be removed and supplied loose for this service. Or we are able to scan these for you with another service offering at a different rate.

We work on the assumption that all photos submitted are supplied be scanned. Unless we are given clear instructions to the contrary, all items supplied will be digitised at the appropriate rates required for us to be able to complete the project.

Photos supplied grouped into bags or bundles within the larger box/bag for organisational reasons will be scanned into separate matching folders on your USB & the physical photos returned to their groupings afterwards. The rate is $2.20 per folder/grouping. If you do not wish for this to happen, please supply your photos loose.

For our ShoeBox Scan service, we utilise highest quality feed-type photo scanners - Kodak PS80 & PS50 scanners. So the service is offered at such a low price, not because we use cheap scanners, but because we offer the service for qualifying photos only. Not all loose photos are suitable to safely feed into a scanner. To qualify for the ShoeBox Scan rate, your photos must meet the conditions below:

• minimum accepted size is at least 3 inches/75mm on at least one side. Some slightly larger than this may also not be acceptable if they will not feed safely through the scanner. Where photos fall below this size, you'll really need a higher resolution scan to get a sufficient sized finished image to enable zooming/cropping, or printing the photo. We scan undersized photos on our flat-bed scanners at 1200 ppi at the listed flat-bed scanning rate, or if you instruct us to set these aside, we can return them to you unscanned.

• maximum size accepted with this service is A4. Everything larger than A4 will be flatbed scanned @ 600 ppi at the listed flat-bed scanning rate, or if you instruct us to set these aside, we can return them to you unscanned.

• photos need to be in good, clean, flat & flexible condition, not curled, cracking, torn, crumbling, dirty or sticky. A good rule of thumb can be that most photos from the 60's or more recent will usually be suitable. Most photos from the 50's or older may be too small, too curled-yet-stiff, too tattered, torn, or have frilly edges that might make feed scanning unsafe for the photo. Anything we deem unsuitable will be flatbed scanned @ 600 ppi at the listed flat-bed scanning rate, or if you instruct us to set these aside, we can return them to you unscanned.

• photos should be clean and free of obstacles such as sticky tape, staples, paperclips, blu-tac, post-it notes, bits of backing paper extending past the photo's edge, etc.

Other unsuitable photo types include:

• newspaper print

• cut-to-a-shape photos

• some laminated photos

• some ink-jet printed photos (results may vary - we recommend flatbed scanning for ink-jet prints)

• some very high-gloss crinkle finish photos

• heavy card type paper (non flexible), or mounted photos of any type. You may wish to remove photos from mounts to avail of the low pricing of this service, otherwise these will be set aside as unsuitable.

If you have any photos that you determine are unsuitable, you can still include them. We’d love it if you could group these separately and label them “unsuitable”, and we’ll flat-bed scan them for you.

Even if you don't know what might be in your box there's still no need to worry. At the time of ordering you can let us know your preference, either to have us flat-bed scan, or leave unscanned, any unsuitables we might come across.

It is also important to note that with this service, due to software limitations with the very high quality Kodak system we utilise, we cannot scan photos strictly in order. Once again, if scanning in strict order is important to you, we do offer other services that allow this.

Photos that do not meet the above criteria (we call them unsuitables) will be individually flat-bed scanned at the listed flat-bed scanning rates. Or you can instruct us to set them aside and return them to you unscanned.

Once again, we work on the assumption that if photos have been submitted to us then they are to be scanned. Everything that comes in with no instructions to the contrary will be scanned by whatever means necessary to complete the project.

Not sure? If you have unsuitable, you can ask us to:

A) Leave unsuitable photos unscanned & return them to you, or

B) Flat-bed scan a pre-agreed number of images at the listed rates. With a ShoeBox Scan project these rates are:

• under A4 size, flatbed scanned at 600 ppi @ $1.49 ea, or

• undersized (ie smaller than 3 inches/75mm on any side) flatbed scanned at 1200 ppi @ $2.20 ea

• oversized (larger than A4, up to A3 size) flatbed scanned at 300 ppi @ $6.60 ea.

If there are more than the agreed number of unsuitable images we will stop at that point & set aside the rest, and return those to you unscanned.

• Rush Service (subject to workload):

Due to the massive demand, standard turnaround for the ShoeBox Scan service starts from around 3 weeks at the moment, but if you need it sooner than that please let us know. Depending on our workload at the time we may be able to accommodate you.

The ShoeBox Scan service is designed for Bulk Loose Photos Only, that is, photos supplied loose in a box or bag. We can only keep the price this low if photos are supplied loose. But for various reasons you may wish to supply photos in separate groupings.

Where you supply groupings of scanned images they will be supplied back to you in matching folders on the USB. The rate is $2.20 per grouping/folder.

Any groupings need to be supplied in separate bags (we prefer ziplock bags, big enough that they can be sealed so photos don't fall out). This is to prevent photos getting mixed up with other photos in your job. Envelopes, photo packets, and paper bags are also ok. We do not accept bulk loose photos with paper/card dividers separating the groupings, because this increases the chances of errors. If photos are brought in with dividers, or rubber banded, or separated in any other way than we have described as acceptable for this service, you'll be given the option to either sort them in bags we supply, or we'll charge hourly rates to carefully do this for you. If they are mailed in, we'll scan them without groupings.

Also the rates ($2.20 per grouping) would suggest that we don't really want a bag with one or two photos in it. 200 photos in 100 groupings is not what this service was designed for. 200 photos in say, 3 - 6 bags would be more in line with the way the service has been designed. So do yourself a favour & make your groupings larger to save money.

Due to the workflow that enables us to be able to scan your photos as high quality as we do, yet as inexpensively as possible, we do not undertake to scan photos in strict order with the Shoebox Scan service.

If this is a problem for you, it can be somewhat minimised if you group your photos into groupings. These groupings can be scanned in order. Please note: We can scan the groupings themselves in order, not the individual photos within the groupings, but that will help somewhat. Better to get 1981, 1982, 1983 etc scanned in order (or mostly in order) than to get back something completely random. We will place grouped photos together in a matching folder on your USB. Groupings/Folders are $2.20 per folder. All photos received separated into bags/envelopes will be charged as folders.

Scanning in strict order is of course available with our flatbed scanning services, so please let us know if this is important to you.

Our ShoeBox packages have set prices for lots of up to 200, 500, 1000 & 3000. You’re still welcome to send in lots of less than 200, but if you have much less maybe you could get together with some family, and get up near or over the 200 mark. If that doesn’t suit you, then of course we do offer other scanning services for smaller quantities.

You don’t have to have exactly the right number of photos either. If you have more photos than covered by a particular package, that's no problem. The machine will simply count what you have & we will issue an invoice for the exact quantity. If with your numbers it works out cheaper to upgrade you to the next bigger package we will do that. Whatever works out cheaper for you.

After years of being the lowest price bulk photo scanning service in Australia, we've begun to see a few copy-cat services spring up lately, and some may be offering a cheaper price than us.

We would ask clients to bear in mind:

A) We 100% guarantee to scan your images on-site here in our Brisbane facility. You can breathe easy that we'll never send your photos to India (or anywhere else) just to get cheap labour. With our service there's zero risk that your precious photos could end up at the bottom of the ocean.

B) We 100% guarantee to exclusively use quality Kodak PS series scanners for our ShoeBox Scanning service.

There are some cheap Chinese scanners coming onto the market these days (some as little as 1/10 the price of our Kodaks), but as with most things in life you really do get what you pay for with scanners. We know. We have bought and tested some of these, (even some from reputable brands), and we've found that they really can only produce a fraction of the picture quality that our Kodaks produce.

We just could not in good conscience use them because of the poor results they produce. So buyer beware!

Due to the immense popularity of our service, we are quoting a minimum of approx 3 weeks at this time, depending on your quantities.

If you need it sooner than that, for an event or a production deadline, talk to us & we will offer some solutions for you.

Terms:

• We will ask for a part payment (deposit) at commencement, of approx 25%

• To keep things fair, for regular timeframe projects your job will go into a queue of work and will be attended in turn. Please note that predicting timeframes is not an exact science. It's simply not possible to precisely allow for unforeseen issues that may occur with obsolete media, n your job, or in the jobs ahead of yours in the queue. So we aim at estimated turnaround targets. If you have a looming deadline or event, please let us know, and we can discuss options with you.

• Original media is available for collection upon full payment. Unless prior arrangements have been made, we ask for payment to be made within 7 days of invoicing. Storage fees may be levied on jobs not paid for &/or collected within 30 days of invoicing.

• We like to be as flexible as possible. We’re happy to work with you before commencement of the job to come to a mutually acceptable arrangement. But we do ask that if we have not made alternate arrangements with you before commencement, that you will honour our terms.