A box of photographs after grandparents rarely holds only perfect prints. There are small pictures from the 1960s, wedding portraits with faded faces, photographs bent at the corners and prints glued to album pages. When the question appears — how much does photo scanning cost — it is worth looking not only at the price per piece. Resolution, number of prints, their condition, how they are prepared and whether you want only a digital copy or to save a family archive in a quality that lets you reprint and share it later all make a difference.
How much does photo scanning cost, and what does the price depend on?
Most often the scanning price of prints falls as the number of photographs handed over rises. That is why digitising a whole album or a box of several hundred photographs is usually more advantageous in a package than ordering single pieces. In practice cost should be judged against the whole service: preparing photographs, scanning, basic quality control, saving files and safe return of originals.
The final amount is affected mainly by format and number of prints. Standard 9 × 13 cm or 10 × 15 cm photographs are simpler to handle than large family pictures, panoramas, unusual formats or materials that need individual placement. It also matters whether photographs are loose or in an album. With old albums particular care is often needed so as not to damage delicate paper, photo corners and glue.
The price also rises when photographs need extra work. Scanning creates a faithful copy of what is on the original. It will not by itself remove stains, scratches, colour casts or crease marks. If you want the look of a photograph improved, retouching or restoration done individually for selected frames is added to the digitisation price.
It is also worth checking what the offer includes. The lowest price does not always cover files at a suitable resolution, ordered naming, quality control or insured logistics. With the only copies of family keepsakes those elements have real value.
Resolution 600 or 1200 DPI?
DPI describes how much detail is recorded during scanning. It is not a parameter to choose “just in case”. A well-matched resolution keeps the quality needed for a specific use, without creating unnecessarily heavy files.
Scanning at 600 DPI is a good choice for most standard prints. Such a file lets you view photographs comfortably on a computer and phone, send them to the family, prepare a digital frame, and often also make a reprint at a similar or slightly larger size. It is a reasonable option when you digitise a whole family archive and want a good relation of quality to cost.
1200 DPI makes particular sense for small prints, ID photographs, fragments that may need cropping, or keepsakes meant for later restoration and a larger print. It records more fine detail, but it means larger files and usually a higher service price.
Not every photograph gains equally from very high resolution. If the original is badly unsharp, grainy or damaged, the scanner will record more information but will not create details that are no longer on the print. In that situation skilful, natural restoration may matter more than DPI itself.
JPG or TIFF — which file to choose?
JPG works for everyday viewing, sending and storing a large collection. Files are lighter, easy to open on almost every device and convenient for sharing family memories.
TIFF is larger, but keeps more data and is a good solution when you plan further professional processing, printing or a long-term high-quality archive. Some people choose JPG for all photographs and TIFF only for the most valuable portraits and pictures meant for restoration. That practical approach helps control the budget better.
What usually raises the cost of digitisation?
Many family archives need more than simple scanning. The point is not to improve every photograph by force. Gentle traces of time are part of its history. There are, however, damages that get in the way of looking at familiar faces or threaten further loss of the image.
Extra pricing may be needed especially for:
- retouching of scratches, stains, dust, creases and colour casts;
- repair of cracks, losses and torn fragments of a photograph;
- reconstruction of missing parts of background or clothing;
- historically credible colourisation of a black-and-white portrait;
- scanning of unusual formats, slides, negatives or photographs in albums.
The greatest price difference comes from the level of restoration. A light correction may cover single small blemishes, while reconstructing a large loss needs manual work on every fragment of the image. A good service does not promise the same result for every photograph. First the original’s condition should be assessed and it should be agreed whether the aim is discreet freshening or the widest possible reconstruction.
How to plan a budget without unnecessary spending
Start by looking through the collection and separate photographs that are especially important. They may be the only portraits of great-grandparents, pictures from a parent’s childhood, wedding prints or photographs of a house that no longer exists. For those it is worth considering 1200 DPI, TIFF or individual restoration.
The rest of the collection can be scanned at the 600 DPI standard and saved as JPG. That way you receive a digital copy of the whole archive without paying for advanced processing of photographs that do not need it. If after viewing the files you decide a few frames deserve more work, you can put the budget exactly there.
Before ordering, count prints approximately, not piece by piece. Group them by format and condition: loose photographs, pictures in albums, damaged prints and unusual materials. Then the quote will be closer to reality. Also make sure whether shipping, insurance of originals, a physical medium and how finished files are delivered are included in the price.
The safety of originals is part of the price
Photographs can be scanned again, but the only print after a grandmother cannot be replaced. When choosing a service, ask not only about the rate, but also about the path materials will take from dispatch to return.
A safe process should include careful protection of the parcel, clear labelling of the order, careful handling of originals and insured courier return. Digital files should be delivered in a way that lets you download them easily and save them in at least two places. You can keep one copy on a computer or drive, another in a safe online space or on an extra medium.
At StareZdjęcia the digitisation process is thought of as a path from original to finished memory: from courier shipping, through scanning and optional restoration, to protected files and the return of family keepsakes.
Is it worth scanning photographs yourself?
A home scanner can be a good solution if you have a dozen contemporary prints, time, the right equipment and patience for processing files. With a larger archive, however, repetitive work appears: cleaning the glass, placing photographs, correcting the frame, checking colours, naming files and making backups. Several hundred prints mean many hours at the device.
Professional scanning is especially worth considering when photographs are old, fragile or have exceptional value for the family. You then receive not only files, but also an ordered process, suitable quality and the chance to decide which frames need more care.
The price of digitisation should not be only an answer to “how much per photograph?”. It is a decision about how to protect an album whose paper becomes more delicate every year. Start with a few of the most important prints — when you see their digital version, it will be easier to decide how widely to save the rest of the family history.