Customscanning.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What film and formats do you scan?
How do you store the images?
What is the difference between TIFF and JPEG?
How many images will fit on a CD? a DVD?
What is the difference between 8-bit and 16-bit files?
Should I have my images scanned at 2000 dpi or 4000 dpi?
How long will it take to get my order back?
Do I have to separate, arrange, and count my negatives/slides?
Can I send my slides in the carousels?
My slide/negative is dirty, do you clean them?
How do you ship orders/How should I ship my order?
Can I bring my order to you?
Do I get my slides/negatives back?
Do you keep or use my images in any way?
What is the difference between Cropped scans and Uncropped scans?
What do ICE⁴, ROC and GEM, and DEE do?
Don't see what you want?
Want something we didn't expressly say we can do?
Have any questions at all?

 

What film and formats do you scan?

We scan 35mm Color and Black and White negative and positive (slide) film.  We can also scan other slide formats (such as 110 and 126) if they are in the standard-sized slide mount (2 inch by 2 inch outer dimensions).

Film can be in strips of 1 to 40 negatives.

How do you store the images?

Images are scanned to TIFF or JPEG files and burned to CD or DVD depending on which you order.

What is the difference between TIFF and JPEG?

JPEG is the standard format used in most consumer digital cameras, and is supported by most software and online printing companies. The JPEG format compresses the image information by removing some of it, making the file smaller.

TIFF is a high quality storage format that does not compress the image. TIFF files are larger than JPEG files, but they retain full picture quality.

If you want archival-quality scans to preserve your images at the highest quality, you plan to manipulate the images, or you expect to print large prints from them, then TIFF is probably the right choice.  If you want to share your images with others, post them to the web, or order average-sized prints online, then JPEG is probably the right choice.

The data can be stored as 8-bit or 16-bit in the TIFF format, but only 8-bit in the JPEG format.

How many images will fit on a CD? a DVD?

It depends on the file type (TIFF or JPEG), the bit depth (8 or 16), and the resolution (2000 dpi or 4000 dpi).

File Type	Bit Depth	Resolution	Aprox. File Size	Aprox. # per CD (700 M)	Aprox. # per DVD (4700 M)
JPEG	8 bit	2000 dpi	1 M	699	4699
		4000 dpi	4.5 M	155	1044
	16 bit	2000 dpi	N/A	N/A	N/A
		4000 dpi	N/A	N/A	N/A
TIFF	8 bit	2000 dpi	17 M	41	276
		4000 dpi	62 M	11	75
	16 bit	2000 dpi	32 M	21	146
		4000 dpi	125 M	5	37
JPEG & TIFF	8 bit JPEG 8 bit TIFF	2000 dpi	18 M	38	261
		4000 dpi	66.5 M	10	70
	8 bit JPEG 16 bit TIFF	2000 dpi	33 M	21	142
		4000 dpi	129.5 M	5	36

 

What is the difference between 8-bit and 16-bit files?

A picture is made up of pixels.  Each pixel is made up of Red, Green, and Blue.
In an 8-bit file, each pixel can have one of 256 (2⁸) different intensity levels of each color, resulting in a file that can define 16.7 million unique colors.
In a 16-bit file, each pixel can have 65,536 (2¹⁶) different intensity levels of each color, resulting in a file that can define 281 trillion unique colors.

In Black and White, an 8-bit scan would give you 256 shades of gray between black and white, and a 16-bit scan would give you 65,536 shades of gray between black and white.

However, a 16-bit scan produces a file twice as large as an 8-bit scan, so fewer images fit on a single CD or DVD.  Also, as stated above, a 16-bit scan can only be saved as a TIFF file, while an 8-bit scan can be saved as either a JPEG or a TIFF file.

Should I have my images scanned at 2000 dpi or 4000 dpi?

This depends on what you are going to do with your images. Standard printing is done at 300 dpi (note: print dpi is different than scan dpi). Therefore, a 4X6 print has 1200X1800 dpi (4X300 and 6X300) and an 8X10 has 2400X3000 dpi (8X300 and 10X300). If you only plan to print 4X6, then 2000 dpi will be plenty. If you plan to print 8X10, then 2000 dpi is not quite enough. If you plan to manipulate your images (crop, use editing software such as PhotoShop, etc.), print large photos, or want archival-quality preservation, you probably want to choose 4000 dpi.

How long will it take to get my order back?

Turn-around time will depend on the size of the order and our work load. We will generally have orders completed in 2-5 business days in-house (not including shipping time from you to us and from us back to you). When we receive your order we will contact you with information including when we expect to have the order completed.

Do I have to separate, arrange, and count my negatives/slides?

no, you can send everything to us and we will let you know the total charge before we begin the work. An additional handling charge may be incurred depending on the amount of work involved.

Can I send my slides in the carousels?

We prefer you do not send slides in carousels or three-ring binder pages. It will be more expensive to ship them that way and removing them from the carousels gives you a chance to sort through them so that you do not have ones you don't want scanned. However, we will accept them however you send them, but there will be an additional $0.10 per slide handling fee. Slides will not be returned in the carousels or three-ring binder pages.

My slide/negative is dirty, do you clean them?

We use compressed air, anti-static cloths, and/or anti-static brushes to remove dust. We do not perform any other "cleaning" of the film/slide. The Digital ICE process will remove most dust and scratches (Color film/slides only, not available for Black and White film/slides). Unfortunately, not all dirt and scratches can be removed, the dirt may show up on the scan. If film/slides are too dirty or sticky, we may not be able to scan them.

How do you ship orders/How should I ship my order?

We will ship orders back via UPS Ground unless you request another method. We use this method because this allows us to track the shipments. Your film and slides are irreplaceable and we want to reduce the risk of them being lost or damaged. We suggest you also use this method.  Insuring your package may also be a good idea.

Can I bring my order to you?

Arrangements can be made for us to pick up your order from you if you live in or will be in the area of Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, or Middleton, Idaho. Contact us to make these arrangements.

<>Do I get my slides/negatives back?

Yes, you will get everything you send us back along with your new digital media (CD/DVD).

Do you keep or use my images in any way?

Custom Scanning will not keep, use, or show to anyone any of your images. The only exception to this policy is if you choose to have us keep remote backup disc sets for you. In which case, we will keep those discs confidential, and will not use or show them to anyone.

We will retain your digitized images until you have a chance to review your CD/DVD (or for 30 days from the day we ship your order back to you, which ever comes first). We will check all CDs/DVDs for proper quality before we ship them. By keeping your images until you review them, we will have the ability to make new copies if something happens to them after we ship them. Once you review them or 30 days pass, we will delete them from our system.

What is the difference between Cropped scans and Uncropped scans?

People wanting to control all aspects of their scans (cropping, color and density correction, etc.) may want their scans uncropped. People who want to be able to just share or print their images without further effort may want their scans cropped.

Uncropped slide.

Cropped slide.

What do ICE⁴, ROC and GEM, and DEE do?

Digital ICE⁴ automatically removes most scratches and dust from the scanned image.

Original without ICE processing.

After ICE processing.

Digital ROC restores faded colors.
Digital GEM reduces the effects of film grain.

Original without extra processing.

With ROC and GEM.

Digital DEE increases the detail in underexposed and overexposed areas of the image.

Original without extra processing.

With DEE.

*ROC, GEM, and DEE can make some images worse. We will not apply this extra processing to images that do not need it.

Don't see what you want?
Want something we didn't expressly say we can do?
Have any questions at all?

Please don't hesitate to send us an email, call, or write:

    help@customscanning.com
    (208) 466-2220
    Custom Scanning
    c/o: Bryan Pywell
    331 W. Lincoln Ave.
    Nampa, ID 83686