Scanning Information

We can scan almost any size original photograph (including slides and negatives), artwork or document. Scan pricing is determined by the size of the original and the size of the requested output or the finished size. The chart shows the breakdown of scanning original reflectives (photos, art and documents) and transparencies (slides and negatives) not exceeding 8×10 inches.  For larger size reflectives (photos, art, and documents) that will be printed size as (the size they are) or slightly larger, use the calculator.

Original 8x10" or lessEnlarged up to 11x14"Enlarged up to 16x20"Enlarged up to 20x24"Slideshow - 1st 50Slideshow - 51 to 100Slideshow 101+
Reflectives (photo prints, newspaper and other things you can't see through)$5.00 each$10.00 each$15.00 each$3.00 each$2.50 each$2.00 each
Transparencies (negatives and slides)$10.00 each$20.00 each$25.00 each$3.00 each$2.50 each$2.00 each

Scanning High Resolution all sizes Barrie Ontario Canada

When preparing images for scanning and uploading to us, here are a few important tips:

  • Try to end up with images that are close to 8×10 at 300 dpi
  • That means keep the scanner resolution at 300 dpi and only change the scale factor or enlargement.
  • An 8×10 original would be scanned at 100%
  • A 5×7 original would be scanned at 150%
  • A 4×6 original would be scanned at 200%
  • Smaller originals would need greater enlargement
  • Save your images as high resolution jpegs
  • Use our convenient file uploader (don’t forget to fill out the form)

photo of scannerWhen considering a scanner, the most important factor is not the resolution – in fact all scanners on the market today are capable of scanning at quite high resolutions – but the quality of the optics and internal electronics. In general, almost any scanner that costs more than $100.00 will scan reflective originals (prints or photos) quite well. For transparencies (slides and negatives) only higher end scanners -$600.00 and up will deliver acceptable results.

When scanning, we recommend working with a resolution of 300 dpi (or ppi – the terms are interchangeable) and adjusting the size to the largest size you will ever want the image printed. For instance, if you have a 4×6 inch original reflective (print) and you only want to reproduce it at that size but think that maybe in the future you might like it to be 8×10, scan it to 8×10 at 300 dpi and you will end up with an image that is approximately 20 mb.  If you were to take that same original and instead of enlarging it and keeping the resolution at 300 dpi, scan it size as (100 percent) and increase the resolution to 600 dpi, the file size would still be 20 mb – but the drawback of this approach becomes apparent when arranging more than one image to print side by side on the same sheet. Because a document cannot be 2 different resolutions, when trying to arrange images of various resolutions on one sheet, the size of each image will scale up or down accordingly. We use and recommend Epson scanners.