Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Which dpi should I choose for photo scanning?
The short answer is that higher dpi leads to higher quality, and our belief is to do it right the first time and you'll never have to worry about it again. You can scan photos at a lower dpi and pay less, but the photo scan quality will not be as good and there usually are zero post scan services such as color correction and cropping - so be wary. At SophterLight, we want you to have the highest quality, so we scan at 600 dpi. You can see some specific examples on our quality comparison page. Is 300 dpi just as good? Unfortunately, it is not. You can take a look at our side to side quality comparisons of 150dpi, 300dpi, and 600dpi. 600dpi simply picks up more information from the print. Furthermore, you can scan and print a 4x6 photo at 300 dpi, but you will never be able to enlarge the print at a later time to a 5x7, for example. As technology gets better, you'll find more value in the 600 dpi. Again, when it comes to photo scanning, do it right the first time, and you'll never have to do it again. Furthermore, if you want to get the most out of post-scan services like photo restoration, you will definitely want to scan your photo at 600dpi.
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The short answer is that higher dpi leads to higher quality, and our belief is to do it right the first time and you'll never have to worry about it again. You can scan photos at a lower dpi and pay less, but the photo scan quality will not be as good and there usually are zero post scan services such as color correction and cropping - so be wary. At SophterLight, we want you to have the highest quality, so we scan at 600 dpi. You can see some specific examples on our quality comparison page. Is 300 dpi just as good? Unfortunately, it is not. You can take a look at our side to side quality comparisons of 150dpi, 300dpi, and 600dpi. 600dpi simply picks up more information from the print. Furthermore, you can scan and print a 4x6 photo at 300 dpi, but you will never be able to enlarge the print at a later time to a 5x7, for example. As technology gets better, you'll find more value in the 600 dpi. Again, when it comes to photo scanning, do it right the first time, and you'll never have to do it again. Furthermore, if you want to get the most out of post-scan services like photo restoration, you will definitely want to scan your photo at 600dpi.
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Q2: Should I scan photos or scan negatives?
We recommend scanning negatives first because negatives provide the best resolution and quality. Negatives contain the maximum information about your image since they are fundamentally analog - and we scan negatives at 3000 dpi. When we speak of "information" we mean: clarity, sharpness, color depth, etc. Similarly, we suggest scanning slides over photos if the image is the same. Again, like negative scanning, you scan at a higher resolution with slides than with photos.
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We recommend scanning negatives first because negatives provide the best resolution and quality. Negatives contain the maximum information about your image since they are fundamentally analog - and we scan negatives at 3000 dpi. When we speak of "information" we mean: clarity, sharpness, color depth, etc. Similarly, we suggest scanning slides over photos if the image is the same. Again, like negative scanning, you scan at a higher resolution with slides than with photos.
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Q3: What kind of photo scanners do you use?
We use top-rated Epson 4490 flatbed scanners.
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Q4: Why are my scanned photo files so large after scanning? Is TIFF bad?
The more information that you capture in a scan, the larger the file size will be. Information is defined as clarity, sharpness, color depth etc. A high resolution scan at 600dpi would give you a file of 5-7MB in jpeg and 30MB in TIFF format. Therefore, we do not recommend TIFF for the average customer. At the lower jpeg file size, you will be able to share images online and take up less space on your computer hard drive.
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We use top-rated Epson 4490 flatbed scanners.
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Q4: Why are my scanned photo files so large after scanning? Is TIFF bad?
The more information that you capture in a scan, the larger the file size will be. Information is defined as clarity, sharpness, color depth etc. A high resolution scan at 600dpi would give you a file of 5-7MB in jpeg and 30MB in TIFF format. Therefore, we do not recommend TIFF for the average customer. At the lower jpeg file size, you will be able to share images online and take up less space on your computer hard drive.
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Q5: Why choose SophterLight Photo Restoration? How do you provide the highest quality at the lowest price?
We only offer high quality scans (600dpi for paper photos, 3000dpi for negatives and slides) and offer one low price for each of these. Our service is designed to provide you with only high quality scans because you want to spend your money on scanning only once. Our pricing is all inclusive; there are no hidden costs for the DVD, higher resolution, or image restoration. Compare our prices against comparable providers.
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Q6: Is SophterLight safe? I am worried about parting with my priceless memories.
Your order is safe with us. That's backed by our experience safely handling over 10-thousand images, as well as our unique Safe Handling Guarantee (described in detail in our terms of service).
We've pioneered a number of industry safety practices--all the way from door to door tracking for your order, to how we assign, handle, and scan your order. Be sure to read the extensive discussion "Ten Reasons Your Memories Are Safe With Us" on our Safety and Quality page.
One last safety point: since we scan your photos by hand, there's no risk that your photos will get stuck and damaged inside an auto-fed machine. (Those types of machines can jam, just like a copier, fax machine, or printer). So not only does our hand-scanning approach give you better quality, it makes your order safer, too.
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Q7: What format of originals do you scan?
We scan the following formats:
• 35mm negatives
• 35mm slides
• paper pictures up to 8x10
• 110, 120, 126, 127 & 200 (medium) format film
We also scan children’s art work, post cards, newspaper stories, etc.
Click here to view our detailed price for the various formats.
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Q8: Why not scan my pictures myself?
Let’s say you want to scan 500 pictures, it will cost you:
• 40 monotonous hours of scanning (5 months if you dedicated 2 hrs/weekend)
• about $200 for a high quality scanner like the EPSON 4490
• about $1500 for a high quality negative scanner like the NIKON CoolScan 5000ED
If you let SophterLight do it for you, it will cost you
• Zero hours of your time
• $175 for 500 negatives
• $175 for 500 slides
• $250 for 500 paper photos
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Q9: Why scan/digitize my old photos, negatives and slides?
Memories are priceless! Most people have thousands of pictures in different formats (paper prints, slides, negatives). Scanning them enables you to:
• Preserve them on digital media like DVDs and CDs forever
• Get rid of your clutter and easily organize all your pictures
• Sort them, date them and label them
• Distribute multiple copies to friends and family
• Create photo books for special occasions
• Compile picture biographies of loved ones
• Upload all pictures to online photo sharing websites
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Q10: What is DPI? What’s the fuss over high resolution? 3000 DPI, 600 DPI?
DPI stands for "dots per inch", and is a common, if misleading, technical term in scanning.
DPI tells you the number of pixels per linear inch that a scanner will produce in your scan file. The higher the dpi, the larger your scan will be in terms of both pixels and megabytes.
We feel scanning at high resolution is important, since you can't be sure what uses you will have for the scan in the future. So generally, what's needed is a scan that has resolution that is high enough to allow you to do enlargements, printing, and cropping from the scan file. On the other hand, it's possible to scan with too much resolution too--some very detailed scans can actually pick up and magnify the grain of the paper (if a print) or the film itself (if a negative or slide). So we feel that our standard resolution of 10MP for 35mm slides and negatives, and 600 dpi for paper photos, strikes the right balance.
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Q11: I want simplicity, I don’t have the time to sort through hundreds of pictures.
SophterLight Photo Restoration is the only professional scanning service that is designed for simplicity and ease of use.
We understand that it is painful and sometimes impossible to sort through thousands of pictures (you can’t even see what’s on a negative!). At SophterLight, you get to send us ALL your pictures:
- we scan them and manually process them
- we load them onto your on-line account for your review
- you review them at your leisure
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Q12: If I have paper photo prints AND 35mm negatives, which ones should I scan? Are negative scans cheaper and better quality than scans from paper photos?
If you have negatives for most of your photo collection, scanning negatives is a better option because:
• Scans from negatives are of much higher quality than paper photos
• Negatives are cheaper to ship (negatives weigh 1/10th of paper photos) and are priced more affordably
• For negatives, you will need a smaller package to ship
• Negatives are in a sequence and easier to organize while scanning
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Q13: My pictures are in albums, can SophterLight scan the album pages without removing the individual pictures?
We currently have a $29.95 surcharge for the handling of albums. You should strive to remove the individual photos, place in folders or Ziplocs, and ship them to us for scanning. This way, we aren't put in a tough position of making a judgment call on whether or not to cut an image from an album. If we do run into situations such as this, we will do our best to contact you prior to any physical alteration of your albums. Never send your order in bubble mailers – always use a certified shipping box.
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Q14: My slides are housed in carousels, magazines or protective slide display pages, what should I send?
We recommend that you remove slides from carousels (which have significant cost in shipping). If you do decide to ship your slides in carousels, then we will charge you a surcharge of $14.95. If you have slides in magazines or slide display pages, you may ship them in that manner with no surcharge. Alternately you can package your slides in aluminum foil boxes. This will be much cheaper for shipping. Regardless of how you ship them, please insure to secure them tightly with rubber bands or wrap them in saran wrap to prevent the images from shifting around during shipping. Slides, negatives and prints are very durable and don't require excess protection while shipping - but you should put them in Ziploc bags to protect from any inadvertent spills on the delivery truck. A single layer of bubble wrap or newspaper will generally suffice for protection in the box. Never send your order in bubble mailers – always use a certified shipping box.
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Q15: What is the process? What do I have to do? How should I package and ship my pictures?
See our “how it works” page
Step 1: Collect pictures: Collect all your pictures in multiple formats (negatives will work out the cheapest: both shipping and scanning costs) Count: ? Box them: Package them in a standard FedEx or UPS box
Step 2: Place order: Log onto SophterLight and place an order. Print 3 copies of the shipping label: attach one to the outside of the box; place one inside (it will always travel with your images); and keep the third for your records. Then, simply ship it!
Step 3: Tracking: We will send you a confirmation email on receipt and also when your pictures are scanned and ready for review online.
Step 4: Tracking: You can review the status of your order at anytime by logging in to your account and clicking on order status. You get to review ALL your scanned pictures online. You select the pictures that you like (minimum 80% selection required) You’re done! We will ship you: • All the originals that you sent us • All your selected scans on your choice of a DVD or CD or a Hard Drive
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Q16: How much does it cost? When will you bill me?
Check our prices on our price page. When you place your order, we charge you for the shipping cost of sending us your originals plus a 50% upfront payment for your estimated order size. We will then bill you for the remainder of the processing cost and the return shipping after you have completed the online review of your scans.
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Q17: How much time does this scanning process take?
For those in a rush, use our "Express Service": your order will be ready for online review in 8-10 days from the time we receive your originals (you will be able to download your scans 24 hours after that). 31% of our customers choose Express Service. For those who can wait and want to save some money, our "Standard service" processing takes 4-6 weeks from the time we receive your originals. 69% of our customers choose Standard Service. Express service pricing is higher than the standard service (e.g., 35mm color slides and negatives cost 29 cents/scan for Standard service and 39 cents/scan for USA Express service). With our standard service, your DVDs and originals will be returned to you within 10-14 days after you have reviewed and checked out.
*These turn around time numbers are for typical orders that are less than 2000 photos. For larger quantities, please add approximately 4 days for every additional 1000 photos. Once we receive your order, you will be able to track progress online from day to day. For turn around time information on special photo film media like medium format, 110 format, large format etc, please contact us.
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Q18: Should I choose DVD or CD for storing my digital images?
We highly recommend DVDs if your computer has a DVD drive because DVDs hold 7 times as many images as a CD. The quality of the image is the same on both.
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Q19: How will the image files be organized on my CD/DVD?
Will I be able to view my images and play them on a DVD player?
Your scanned pictures will be stored on DVD or CD in jpeg format. If you took the time to organize and label groups of images, this organization will be reflected in your scanned images. For example, if you have an envelope of photos labeled: “Sam’s 2nd Birthday”, we will store your scanned photos in a folder named “Sam’s 2nd Birthday”. You will see this folder during your online review process and this folder will be burned onto your DVD. These DVDs or CDs can usually be viewed on your DVD/View CD player or computer. However, we cannot test every model of player, and have found that some DVDs will not play in certain players. The DVDs are intended to be used with a computer, so they should work with all computers.
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Q20: How many photos fit on a DVD?
Approximately 1200 paper print scans at 600dpi and 300 negative or slide scans at 3000 dpi. The exact number is difficult to determine because of the digital size of the scanned image - for instance, a picture of a sunset over the mountains will have much more detail than a picture of a green leaf against a white wall and will, therefore, be larger in size.
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Q21: How does SophterLight ensure my images are kept private?
The privacy and protection of your images is of paramount importance to us. Please refer to our privacy policy.
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Q22: What is a TV-ready slideshow?
With a jpeg compatible DVD player, you can enjoy viewing the pictures from the DVD in the comfort of your living room. The "slideshow" feature of your DVD player will allow you to browse through your images just as you would on your computer. The recent generation of DVD players have the "slide show" feature. In order to determine whether or not your DVD player supports this feature, visit http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers. We cannot test every model of player, and have found that some DVDs will not play in certain players. The DVDs are intended to be used with a computer, so they should work with all computers.
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Q23: Can I view my pictures on my TV?
With a jpeg compatible DVD player, you can enjoy viewing the pictures from the DVD in the comfort of your living room. The "slide show" feature of your DVD player will allow you to browse through your images just as you would on your computer. The recent generation of DVD players have the "slide show" feature. In order to determine whether or not your DVD player supports this feature, please visit http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers. You should look for "JPG" or "jpeg" under "video formats supported." We cannot test every model of player, and have found that some DVDs will not play in certain players. The DVDs are intended to be used with a computer, so they should work with all computers.
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Q24: Can I create photobooks using SophterLight?
Many of our customers choose to have us create photobooks for them. If you are interested in this service please inquire about the details with an associate.
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Q25: Can I email my scans to friends and family?
Yes. SophterLight Photography now allows you to easily share your scanned images with friends and family. After you review your scanned images and checkout, you will have an option to share your images for free. You can also buy extra sets of DVDs when you initially place your order and at the time of the final checkout process.
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Q26: What is Digital ICE?
Kodak’s award winning Digital ICE (TM) processing is included free on all scans (since negatives can have dust and scratches). The award-winning Digital ICE technology automatically removes surface defects, such as dust and scratches, from a scanned image.
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Q27: What is image cropping?
Cropping consists of digitally editing the scan to ensure that the image has a clean border.
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Q28: To what address should I ship my pictures?
Please call us: (929) 335-4353.
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Q29: What type of scanning equipment do you use?
In general, we use the machine that in our experience is best for each type of image you send. For prints, we tend to use high-quality Espon flatbed scanners. (We have found that any machine that requires a paper photo to move through a curved path, as with many document-fed type scanners, is likely to damage photos.)
For slides and negatives, we tend to use our Noritsu industral scanners or our Nikon 9000s, as the job requires.
While we do think the equipment used is important, we very much believe that you cannot get a great scan without significant manual attention, and that's something we give to every image we scan.
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Q30: Where do you process the pictures / originals?
SophterLight is a US company with scanning facilities in Fairfield County, CT (CT, USA). Depending upon whether you chose Express Scanning (1 week in the USA) or Standard Scanning (typically 4 weeks), your order is sent to the corresponding scanning facility. If you chose Express, your order gets scanned in Fairfield County, CT.
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Q31: How big can I enlarge/reprint my pictures?
Printing and enlarging photos can be as much art as science, as acceptable quality can sometimes depend on the use, or even the image itself.
But a good rule of thumb is to think about photo quality printing, which most in the printing industry define as around 300 pixels per inch. (Books and magazines typically print photos to this standard).
At that standard, you should be able to enlarge any paper photo we scan at 600dpi by 2X on each of its dimensions (i.e., a 4"x6" could increase to 8" x 12") without any decrease in sharpness.
Slides and negatives, however, can be printed much larger, thanks to their naturally higher resolution. At our standard scanning resolution of 3000dpi, a 35mm negative could be printed, photo quality, at 9" x 13", roughly.
You do not always need to print at photo quality, however. If, for example, your print is going to be seen from a distance, you can print much larger. In testing, for example, we've printed 35mm negatives to 20" x 30" and been very pleased with the results.
If you are interested in making a poster or other large print that is going to viewed up close, we'd suggest that you use our Pro Resolution feature, which scans paper photos at 1200dpi and 35mm negatives and slides at 4000dpi. That would enable, in the case of negatives, an approximately 12" x 18" print at photo quality. We'd also suggest you have us deliver the scans to you in TIFF format, since with our jpgs there is a slight amount of compression. Both of these features cost just a few cents extra, so they will be well worth it when you make a very large print.
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Q32: What are your customer service hours?
Our office hours are 9am to 5pm EST Monday thru Friday. We will make every effort to respond to email queries within 6 hours during office hours and will make every effort to return voice mails within 4 hours during office hours. We are not open weekends or holidays.
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Q33: How do I contact you?
You may call us at: (929) 335-4353. Alternatively, you can send us an email here: [email protected]
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Q34: Can you scan a single negative that has been cut from a strip of negatives?
Unfortunately we can't scan a single negative that has been cut from a larger strip.
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Q35: Why am I required to pay 50% up front?
We require a 50% upfront down payment to begin your order. Hopefully, this isn't an issue - our competitors charge you the entire amount prior to working on your order. The 50% is taken from your order size estimate - it will be adjusted as necessary upon final checkout after you have reviewed your scans.
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Q36: What sort of box should I put my images into?
Please insure that you securely box up your precious images. The UPS store or your local post office can provide you with excellent shipping materials. And always be careful to fully tape up the box. Never use bubble mailers and DO NOT use the flimsy department store boxes you get from places like Macy's or Nordstrom.
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Q37: Please tell me more about the hard drive option.
Currently we use the 2.5" 500GB drive from Western Digital (WDXMS1200TN) which has "in-line" power so no external power supply is required - they are extremely convenient. They connect via a USB port and fit in a shirt pocket. Scans in JPEG at 3000 dpi are between 5-7MB. The usable space on the drive is about 310 GB. Consequently, we can store about 16,000 images on a drive. We don't offer larger or smaller drives. For now this is the only option we offer.
Please note that if you purchase hard drive, you will receive this in place of the default CD/DVD set.
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Q38: Do you offer photo restoration / reconstruction services?
Yes, we now offer these services. You can upload images directly to us via our upload tool. You can write to our customer service team with any inquiries and they will be able to answer any question you have. Prices range from $5 to $40.
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Q39: Tell me about the Pro Library.
With our Pro Library option you get two complete sets of images. One is in compressed JPG file format with full image processing applied (crop, dust / scratch removal, color correction). The second is a “raw” scan with no image processing applied in a “lossless” TIFF file format. Both are scanned at the default setting of 3,000 dpi for slides/negatives and 600 dpi for prints. The JPG fully processed images are useful in 90% of professional applications for reprint or use on-line. The TIFF file become essential when full resolution is needed for poster size images, color space is critical, or a non-processed image is required by professional printers. Many of our museum, art gallery, photography and other professional clients find our Pro Library Option a great solution. Every so often one of our clients comes across a hidden “gem” they didn’t know they had. When they do, it’s important for them to have the absolute highest possible resolution image that has not yet been processed for them to work with. Sort of a “blank canvas” from which to apply professional processing as they see fit. Price is an additional 24 cents per image. You can also go to 4,000 dpi for slides/negatives and 1200 dpi for prints - cost is an incremental 9 cents per image. We only recommend such high resolution to pros and hobbyists who have a definite need and understand the nuances of 4000 dpi scans.
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Q40: What hardware and software does my recipient need?
The scans are burned onto a data DVD when they are returned with the originals. If they want to view them, they will need a computer running at least Windows XP or later, or Mac OS 9 or later and a CD/DVD player, though that computer doesn’t need to be connected to the Internet at all. However, if they don’t have a computer, you can still order and provide a Gift Box to your recipient—just indicate that the completed scans and originals should be sent to you, which can be done on the order form.
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Q41: Can I send it to my Mom, have her fill it up, and then have the completed scans sent to me?
Yes, you can. When you order, you can specify an a recipient for the empty box, and a Return recipient (for when the box is full of the originals and the completed scans). The empty box recipient and the Return recipient may be different people.
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Q42: How long will it take to receive the completed order, with scans and originals?
About 2 to 4 weeks from when we receive it depending on order size. Smaller orders may take as little as 3 days, ask your SophterLight Pro for an estimate.
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Q43: Do you scan medium format slides?
Yes. We scan 120/220 medium format slides. We also scan 35mm, 110, 126, 127 slides.
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Q44: What is resolution or dpi and which dpi should I choose?
For purposes of comparing technical aspects of scans, we often use the measure "dpi", which stands "dots per inch". While not precisely accurate, it does enable you to begin to understand two important things about your scanned image: 1) how sharp it will look when printed, and 2) how large it can be printed before it begins to look a bit fuzzy. It is not true, however, that a higher resolution is always the best solution--sometimes a more finely detailed scan can pick up the grain of the underlying material and give results that are inferior to a scan at a lower dpi. So in general we recommend scanning 35mm slides and negatives at approximately 10 megapixels ("MP"), which should give you a very nice print up to about 13" x 9". If you plan to print larger than that, then you may want to think about our Pro Resolution feature, which will enable you to print even larger, up to 16" x 20" and beyond.
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Q45: Do you scan glass slides or glass mounted slides?
At this time, we do not scan glass sides.
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Q46: Is it better to scan the print photo or the negative?
It is always better to scan the negative because it is usually in better condition, and the scanner can produce a digital image at a higher dpi resolution. Furthermore you get to keep the photo displayed in your home during the scanning process. That said, we do offer great photo scanning and slide scanning solutions.
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Q47: How do I know which side of the negative to scan?
Theoretically, it is very easy, but practically, it is very difficult. You need to scan the side that has the photographic emulsion. This emulsion side is usually less glossy. However, it takes a long time to figure this out. The best option for telling which side is which is to look at the numbering scheme on the negative. When using a negative film scanner, align the negative such that you can read the numbering scheme. You are now looking at the opposite side of the emulsion.
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Q48: Can I use Kodak Digital ICE while scanning black and white negatives?
Actually, no. The infrared light that detects dust and scratches is not compatible with the silver halide emulsion on black and white negatives. If you scan with ICE, the digital image will look "silvery" and out of focus. The only solution is to disable ICE and manually restore the B&W scan at a later time using a clone stamping tool such as in Adobe Photoshop. However, using clone stamping requires a lot of practice. If you have more questions, feel free to contact our customer support team, and we would be happy to answer your questions.
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Q49: Which dpi should I choose for photo scanning?
The short answer is that higher dpi leads to higher quality, and our belief is do it right the first time and you'll never have to worry about it again. You can scan photos at a lower dpi and pay less, but the photo scan quality will not be as good and there usually are zero post scan services such as color correction and cropping - so be wary. At SophterLight, we want you to have the highest quality so we scan at 600 dpi. You can see some specific examples on our quality comparison page. Is 300 dpi just as good? Unfortunately, it is not. You can take a look at our side to side quality comparisons of 150dpi, 300dpi, and 600dpi. 600dpi simply picks up more information from the print. Furthermore, you can scan and print a 4x6 photo at 300 dpi, but you will never be able to enlarge the print at a later time to a 5x7, for example. As technology gets better, you'll find more value in the 600 dpi. Again, when it comes to photo scanning, do it right the first time, and you'll never have to do it again. Furthermore, if you want to get the most out of post-scan services like photo restoration, you will definitely want to scan your photo at 600dpi.
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Q50: Should I scan photos or scan negatives?
We recommend scanning negatives first because negatives provide the best resolution and quality. Negatives contain the maximum information about your image since they are fundamentally analog - and we scan negatives at 3000 dpi. When we speak of "information" we mean: clarity, sharpness, color depth, etc. Similarly, we suggest scanning slides over photos if the image is the same. Again, like negative scanning, you scan at a higher resolution with slides than with photos.
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Q51: What kind of photo scanners do you use?
We use top-rated Epson 4490 flatbed scanners.
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Q52: Why are my scanned photo files so large after scanning? Is TIFF bad?
The more information that you capture in a scan, the larger the file size will be. Information is defined as clarity, sharpness, color depth etc. A high resolution scan at 600dpi would give you a file of 5-7MB in jpeg and 30MB in TIFF format. Therefore, we do not recommend TIFF for the average customer. At the lower jpeg file size, you will be able to share images online and take up less space on your computer hard drive.
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Q53: What instructions do I need to provide for photo restoration?
Providing us with guidance on what to restore in your image is optional. Our restoration artists are very experienced and know how to repair damaged/poor images. However, if you have special requests, you can include instructions like: "remove blemishes", "remove frame border", "make the hair blonde", etc.
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Q54: What types of digital files can I upload for restoration?
You can upload images in jpeg format. Any image must be less than 20MB in size. Please ensure that your images have enough clarity (we cannot restore a complete blurred image into a sharp image). If for any reason your file cannot be restored, we will let you know during the quote process and you won't have to pay for any images that aren't restorable.
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Q55: How long does it take for a Photo Restoration Quote?
SophterLight will typically send you a quote in 1-2 business days from the time you upload your images.
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Q56: How long will take to get my image restored?
We are usually able to complete the restoration of your images within a couple days to a week from the day you approve the quote.
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Q57: How will I get my restorations back?
You will be able to download them instantaneously after checkout from your online account. We send you an email notification when the restoration has been completed and is available for your review.
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Q58: How much will a Photo restoration cost?
There is no risk. You will get a quote from us and you get to review and accept the quotes prior to making any payment. Our quotes are final and there are no hidden charges. You can review our restoration pricing page to get an overview on pricing. Pricing is based simply on the time spent by the artist and the skill required to restore the image.
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Q59: Can I get my Photo restorations on a CD or DVD?
We are not offering CDs/DVDs right now. We also offer thumb drives for an additional fee. We provide instantaneous download as soon as you check out.
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Q60: Will SophterLight keep my restorations forever?
Once you have downloaded the completed restoration work, we will erase the images from our servers after 30 days.
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Q61: Can you restore black and white images?
Yes, we can restore black and white images as well as sepia images.
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Q62: Can you restore images that have been torn?
Absolutely. It is critical that we get as much of the original photograph as possible. You can refer to our restoration gallery for examples of torn photos that have been restored.
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Q63: What training do your photo restoration technicians have?
Our artists have been through formal training in color concepts, restoration tools, image enhancement techniques, highlight/clipping management, grain reduction and calibration routines. They are proficient and expert in Adobe Photoshop. All artists must pass SophterLight's proprietary restoration skills test prior to working on customer images.
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Q64: What photo restoration tools do you use to restore my images?
Our restoration team is expert in the use of Adobe Photoshop.
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Q65: What color profile do you use?
We use Nikon sRGB as our default.
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Q66: Can you scan my curled black and white negatives?
We use a "wet mount" process for the scanning of black and white negatives. We encase each of your negative frames in a special solution between two transparent surfaces, and then scan them using our Nikon 9000 scanners. The resulting scans have extraordinary image detail.
However, this process does not support significantly curled negatives. If you are not sure if your negatives are curled, go ahead and send us a snapshot of your negatives to [email protected] and our customer support team will be able to assist you.
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Q67: Would the scanning process distort my original films?
No, we scan APS film using the latest high end Noritsu scanners. Noritsu is the industry leader in photographic film processing equipment for minilabs and print studios. Your original films are returned exactly the way they were sent to us.
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Q68: Why scan at a higher dpi?
We feel that scanning at high resolution is important, since you can't be sure what uses you will have for the scan in the future, whether it's printing a photo book, making enlargements, or even viewing on a large HDTV.
So generally, what's needed is a scan that has resolution that is high enough to allow you to do enlargements etc, but on the other hand, doesn't pick up and magnify the grain of the film itself.
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Q69: What type of scanners is used to scan APS films?
We scan APS film using the latest high end Noritsu scanners. Noritsu is the industry leader in photographic film processing equipment for minilabs and print studios. Scans are at 4000 dpi for APS rolls
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Q70: What is dpi?
DPI stands for "dots per inch", and is a common, if misleading, technical term in scanning.
DPI tells you the number of pixels per linear inch that a scanner will produce in your scan file. The higher the dpi, the larger your scan will be in terms of both pixels and megabytes.
We feel scanning at high resolution is important, since you can't be sure what uses you will have for the scan in the future. So generally, what's needed is a scan that has resolution that is high enough to allow you to do enlargements, printing, and cropping from the scan file. On the other hand, it's possible to scan with too much resolution too--some very detailed scans can actually pick up and magnify the grain of the paper (if a print) or the film itself (if a negative or slide). So we feel that our standard resolution of 10MP for APS strikes the right balance.
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Q71: Do you offer an Express Service?
Yes. We offer an express scanning service (the “Express Service”) where you will be able to see your scans online for review and digital download no more than eight (8) business days after we receive your photos (the “Express Guarantee”). That’s approximately 10 days faster than our normal turnaround time.
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Q72: Is there a premium charged for the Express Service?
Yes. There is a per image premium for the Express Service and the current pricing can be found at our pricing page located at http://www. (the “Express Fee”).
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Q73: Is the Express Service available for all media types?
No. The Express Service is currently only available for standard media types, that is: (i) 35mm color negatives, (ii) 35mm slides (paper or plastic) and (iii) paper photos (up to 8” x 10”) (the “Standard Media”).
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Q74: What if my Express Service order contains non-Standard Media images?
If your order contains images which are not among the Standard Media type, we will process the Standard Media images and will contact you regarding the processing of the non-Standard Media, provided, however, the Express Guarantee will not apply to the non-Standard Media.
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Q75: Is there a maximum order size for the Express Service?
Yes. The Express Service is only available for orders of 500 images or less.
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Q76: Does the Express Fee apply to every image in my Express Service order?
Yes. The Express Fee applies to every image scanned regardless of the size of your order.
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Q77: What if my scans are not available after eight (8) business days?
If your order is not available for your online review and digital download within the eight (8) business days, we will refund you the price that we charged you for the Express Service.
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Q78: Do you scan Medium Format negatives?
Yes, we do. Most commonly, this format comes from 120 or 220 film. But for us, really, it's any format that is larger than traditional 35mm and smaller than 4" x 5", which is where our Large Format category begins.
Common Medium Format frame sizes that we scan are 6x6cm, 6x4.5cm (sometimes called "645"), 6x7cm, and 6x9cm.
We scan these on our Nikon 9000 EDs. Also, for black & white medium format negatives, we apply our patent-pending wet mount process that virtually eliminates the scratches that affect so many old black & white negatives.
We scan, by default, at 3000 dpi. The file sizes created for each medium format scan depend on the exact size of the frame submitted, but are in general at least 7MB and as much as 25MB.
That translates to a recommended printing size range of up to 33 x 22 inches. At that size, the print would be rendered at effectively 300 pixels per inch, a common printing standard for up-close viewing. (If the print is intended to be viewed from many, many feet away, you might be able to print larger with no noticeable defects).
We can scan Medium Format slides if they are color, but we currently cannot scan medium format slides if they black & white, as they are incompatible with our wet mount process.
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Q79: Do you scan Large Format negatives (or positives)?
Yes, we scan both positives and negatives in Large Format.
We are very proud to offer Large Format scanning at an outstanding price for our professional photographer customers. There is a very rich tradition of Large Format photography that we're excited to help preserve.
For frame sizes of 4"x5" or even 4"x6", we charge one price, and for frame sizes of 8"x10" we charge a bit more, due to the sharp increase in scanning time.
We perform these scans on dedicated Epson 10000 XL's at 3000 dpi, which creates some very large files suitable for a wide range of uses. A 4" x 5" Large Format scan from us will be about 50 MB in size, and suitable for 36" x 46" prints. Similarly, an 8" x 10" Large Format scan from us will be about 200MB in file size and suitable for prints intended for up-close viewing all the way up to 75" x 96".
We do not currently scan Black & White Large Format because our patent-pending wet mount process, designed to virtually eliminate scratches, is not available for Large Format yet. However, if you believe scratches will not be an issue for your Black & White Large Format negatives or positives, contact us and we'll make arrangements.
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Q80: On a given strip of negatives, can I mark just the images I want scanned?
Unfortunately, no. We have found that our scanning process is operationally tighter and safer if we, as a matter of policy, scan all the images you submit. But this is one big reason we allow you to delete scans when you review your order: to help account for the fact that on a strip of negatives there may be images that you simply don't want--whether that's because of double exposures, duplicate or near-duplicate images, or frankly for any reason at all.
We only offer high quality scans (600dpi for paper photos, 3000dpi for negatives and slides) and offer one low price for each of these. Our service is designed to provide you with only high quality scans because you want to spend your money on scanning only once. Our pricing is all inclusive; there are no hidden costs for the DVD, higher resolution, or image restoration. Compare our prices against comparable providers.
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Q6: Is SophterLight safe? I am worried about parting with my priceless memories.
Your order is safe with us. That's backed by our experience safely handling over 10-thousand images, as well as our unique Safe Handling Guarantee (described in detail in our terms of service).
We've pioneered a number of industry safety practices--all the way from door to door tracking for your order, to how we assign, handle, and scan your order. Be sure to read the extensive discussion "Ten Reasons Your Memories Are Safe With Us" on our Safety and Quality page.
One last safety point: since we scan your photos by hand, there's no risk that your photos will get stuck and damaged inside an auto-fed machine. (Those types of machines can jam, just like a copier, fax machine, or printer). So not only does our hand-scanning approach give you better quality, it makes your order safer, too.
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Q7: What format of originals do you scan?
We scan the following formats:
• 35mm negatives
• 35mm slides
• paper pictures up to 8x10
• 110, 120, 126, 127 & 200 (medium) format film
We also scan children’s art work, post cards, newspaper stories, etc.
Click here to view our detailed price for the various formats.
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Q8: Why not scan my pictures myself?
Let’s say you want to scan 500 pictures, it will cost you:
• 40 monotonous hours of scanning (5 months if you dedicated 2 hrs/weekend)
• about $200 for a high quality scanner like the EPSON 4490
• about $1500 for a high quality negative scanner like the NIKON CoolScan 5000ED
If you let SophterLight do it for you, it will cost you
• Zero hours of your time
• $175 for 500 negatives
• $175 for 500 slides
• $250 for 500 paper photos
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Q9: Why scan/digitize my old photos, negatives and slides?
Memories are priceless! Most people have thousands of pictures in different formats (paper prints, slides, negatives). Scanning them enables you to:
• Preserve them on digital media like DVDs and CDs forever
• Get rid of your clutter and easily organize all your pictures
• Sort them, date them and label them
• Distribute multiple copies to friends and family
• Create photo books for special occasions
• Compile picture biographies of loved ones
• Upload all pictures to online photo sharing websites
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Q10: What is DPI? What’s the fuss over high resolution? 3000 DPI, 600 DPI?
DPI stands for "dots per inch", and is a common, if misleading, technical term in scanning.
DPI tells you the number of pixels per linear inch that a scanner will produce in your scan file. The higher the dpi, the larger your scan will be in terms of both pixels and megabytes.
We feel scanning at high resolution is important, since you can't be sure what uses you will have for the scan in the future. So generally, what's needed is a scan that has resolution that is high enough to allow you to do enlargements, printing, and cropping from the scan file. On the other hand, it's possible to scan with too much resolution too--some very detailed scans can actually pick up and magnify the grain of the paper (if a print) or the film itself (if a negative or slide). So we feel that our standard resolution of 10MP for 35mm slides and negatives, and 600 dpi for paper photos, strikes the right balance.
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Q11: I want simplicity, I don’t have the time to sort through hundreds of pictures.
SophterLight Photo Restoration is the only professional scanning service that is designed for simplicity and ease of use.
We understand that it is painful and sometimes impossible to sort through thousands of pictures (you can’t even see what’s on a negative!). At SophterLight, you get to send us ALL your pictures:
- we scan them and manually process them
- we load them onto your on-line account for your review
- you review them at your leisure
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Q12: If I have paper photo prints AND 35mm negatives, which ones should I scan? Are negative scans cheaper and better quality than scans from paper photos?
If you have negatives for most of your photo collection, scanning negatives is a better option because:
• Scans from negatives are of much higher quality than paper photos
• Negatives are cheaper to ship (negatives weigh 1/10th of paper photos) and are priced more affordably
• For negatives, you will need a smaller package to ship
• Negatives are in a sequence and easier to organize while scanning
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Q13: My pictures are in albums, can SophterLight scan the album pages without removing the individual pictures?
We currently have a $29.95 surcharge for the handling of albums. You should strive to remove the individual photos, place in folders or Ziplocs, and ship them to us for scanning. This way, we aren't put in a tough position of making a judgment call on whether or not to cut an image from an album. If we do run into situations such as this, we will do our best to contact you prior to any physical alteration of your albums. Never send your order in bubble mailers – always use a certified shipping box.
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Q14: My slides are housed in carousels, magazines or protective slide display pages, what should I send?
We recommend that you remove slides from carousels (which have significant cost in shipping). If you do decide to ship your slides in carousels, then we will charge you a surcharge of $14.95. If you have slides in magazines or slide display pages, you may ship them in that manner with no surcharge. Alternately you can package your slides in aluminum foil boxes. This will be much cheaper for shipping. Regardless of how you ship them, please insure to secure them tightly with rubber bands or wrap them in saran wrap to prevent the images from shifting around during shipping. Slides, negatives and prints are very durable and don't require excess protection while shipping - but you should put them in Ziploc bags to protect from any inadvertent spills on the delivery truck. A single layer of bubble wrap or newspaper will generally suffice for protection in the box. Never send your order in bubble mailers – always use a certified shipping box.
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Q15: What is the process? What do I have to do? How should I package and ship my pictures?
See our “how it works” page
Step 1: Collect pictures: Collect all your pictures in multiple formats (negatives will work out the cheapest: both shipping and scanning costs) Count: ? Box them: Package them in a standard FedEx or UPS box
Step 2: Place order: Log onto SophterLight and place an order. Print 3 copies of the shipping label: attach one to the outside of the box; place one inside (it will always travel with your images); and keep the third for your records. Then, simply ship it!
Step 3: Tracking: We will send you a confirmation email on receipt and also when your pictures are scanned and ready for review online.
Step 4: Tracking: You can review the status of your order at anytime by logging in to your account and clicking on order status. You get to review ALL your scanned pictures online. You select the pictures that you like (minimum 80% selection required) You’re done! We will ship you: • All the originals that you sent us • All your selected scans on your choice of a DVD or CD or a Hard Drive
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Q16: How much does it cost? When will you bill me?
Check our prices on our price page. When you place your order, we charge you for the shipping cost of sending us your originals plus a 50% upfront payment for your estimated order size. We will then bill you for the remainder of the processing cost and the return shipping after you have completed the online review of your scans.
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Q17: How much time does this scanning process take?
For those in a rush, use our "Express Service": your order will be ready for online review in 8-10 days from the time we receive your originals (you will be able to download your scans 24 hours after that). 31% of our customers choose Express Service. For those who can wait and want to save some money, our "Standard service" processing takes 4-6 weeks from the time we receive your originals. 69% of our customers choose Standard Service. Express service pricing is higher than the standard service (e.g., 35mm color slides and negatives cost 29 cents/scan for Standard service and 39 cents/scan for USA Express service). With our standard service, your DVDs and originals will be returned to you within 10-14 days after you have reviewed and checked out.
*These turn around time numbers are for typical orders that are less than 2000 photos. For larger quantities, please add approximately 4 days for every additional 1000 photos. Once we receive your order, you will be able to track progress online from day to day. For turn around time information on special photo film media like medium format, 110 format, large format etc, please contact us.
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Q18: Should I choose DVD or CD for storing my digital images?
We highly recommend DVDs if your computer has a DVD drive because DVDs hold 7 times as many images as a CD. The quality of the image is the same on both.
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Q19: How will the image files be organized on my CD/DVD?
Will I be able to view my images and play them on a DVD player?
Your scanned pictures will be stored on DVD or CD in jpeg format. If you took the time to organize and label groups of images, this organization will be reflected in your scanned images. For example, if you have an envelope of photos labeled: “Sam’s 2nd Birthday”, we will store your scanned photos in a folder named “Sam’s 2nd Birthday”. You will see this folder during your online review process and this folder will be burned onto your DVD. These DVDs or CDs can usually be viewed on your DVD/View CD player or computer. However, we cannot test every model of player, and have found that some DVDs will not play in certain players. The DVDs are intended to be used with a computer, so they should work with all computers.
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Q20: How many photos fit on a DVD?
Approximately 1200 paper print scans at 600dpi and 300 negative or slide scans at 3000 dpi. The exact number is difficult to determine because of the digital size of the scanned image - for instance, a picture of a sunset over the mountains will have much more detail than a picture of a green leaf against a white wall and will, therefore, be larger in size.
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Q21: How does SophterLight ensure my images are kept private?
The privacy and protection of your images is of paramount importance to us. Please refer to our privacy policy.
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Q22: What is a TV-ready slideshow?
With a jpeg compatible DVD player, you can enjoy viewing the pictures from the DVD in the comfort of your living room. The "slideshow" feature of your DVD player will allow you to browse through your images just as you would on your computer. The recent generation of DVD players have the "slide show" feature. In order to determine whether or not your DVD player supports this feature, visit http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers. We cannot test every model of player, and have found that some DVDs will not play in certain players. The DVDs are intended to be used with a computer, so they should work with all computers.
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Q23: Can I view my pictures on my TV?
With a jpeg compatible DVD player, you can enjoy viewing the pictures from the DVD in the comfort of your living room. The "slide show" feature of your DVD player will allow you to browse through your images just as you would on your computer. The recent generation of DVD players have the "slide show" feature. In order to determine whether or not your DVD player supports this feature, please visit http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers. You should look for "JPG" or "jpeg" under "video formats supported." We cannot test every model of player, and have found that some DVDs will not play in certain players. The DVDs are intended to be used with a computer, so they should work with all computers.
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Q24: Can I create photobooks using SophterLight?
Many of our customers choose to have us create photobooks for them. If you are interested in this service please inquire about the details with an associate.
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Q25: Can I email my scans to friends and family?
Yes. SophterLight Photography now allows you to easily share your scanned images with friends and family. After you review your scanned images and checkout, you will have an option to share your images for free. You can also buy extra sets of DVDs when you initially place your order and at the time of the final checkout process.
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Q26: What is Digital ICE?
Kodak’s award winning Digital ICE (TM) processing is included free on all scans (since negatives can have dust and scratches). The award-winning Digital ICE technology automatically removes surface defects, such as dust and scratches, from a scanned image.
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Q27: What is image cropping?
Cropping consists of digitally editing the scan to ensure that the image has a clean border.
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Q28: To what address should I ship my pictures?
Please call us: (929) 335-4353.
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Q29: What type of scanning equipment do you use?
In general, we use the machine that in our experience is best for each type of image you send. For prints, we tend to use high-quality Espon flatbed scanners. (We have found that any machine that requires a paper photo to move through a curved path, as with many document-fed type scanners, is likely to damage photos.)
For slides and negatives, we tend to use our Noritsu industral scanners or our Nikon 9000s, as the job requires.
While we do think the equipment used is important, we very much believe that you cannot get a great scan without significant manual attention, and that's something we give to every image we scan.
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Q30: Where do you process the pictures / originals?
SophterLight is a US company with scanning facilities in Fairfield County, CT (CT, USA). Depending upon whether you chose Express Scanning (1 week in the USA) or Standard Scanning (typically 4 weeks), your order is sent to the corresponding scanning facility. If you chose Express, your order gets scanned in Fairfield County, CT.
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Q31: How big can I enlarge/reprint my pictures?
Printing and enlarging photos can be as much art as science, as acceptable quality can sometimes depend on the use, or even the image itself.
But a good rule of thumb is to think about photo quality printing, which most in the printing industry define as around 300 pixels per inch. (Books and magazines typically print photos to this standard).
At that standard, you should be able to enlarge any paper photo we scan at 600dpi by 2X on each of its dimensions (i.e., a 4"x6" could increase to 8" x 12") without any decrease in sharpness.
Slides and negatives, however, can be printed much larger, thanks to their naturally higher resolution. At our standard scanning resolution of 3000dpi, a 35mm negative could be printed, photo quality, at 9" x 13", roughly.
You do not always need to print at photo quality, however. If, for example, your print is going to be seen from a distance, you can print much larger. In testing, for example, we've printed 35mm negatives to 20" x 30" and been very pleased with the results.
If you are interested in making a poster or other large print that is going to viewed up close, we'd suggest that you use our Pro Resolution feature, which scans paper photos at 1200dpi and 35mm negatives and slides at 4000dpi. That would enable, in the case of negatives, an approximately 12" x 18" print at photo quality. We'd also suggest you have us deliver the scans to you in TIFF format, since with our jpgs there is a slight amount of compression. Both of these features cost just a few cents extra, so they will be well worth it when you make a very large print.
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Q32: What are your customer service hours?
Our office hours are 9am to 5pm EST Monday thru Friday. We will make every effort to respond to email queries within 6 hours during office hours and will make every effort to return voice mails within 4 hours during office hours. We are not open weekends or holidays.
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Q33: How do I contact you?
You may call us at: (929) 335-4353. Alternatively, you can send us an email here: [email protected]
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Q34: Can you scan a single negative that has been cut from a strip of negatives?
Unfortunately we can't scan a single negative that has been cut from a larger strip.
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Q35: Why am I required to pay 50% up front?
We require a 50% upfront down payment to begin your order. Hopefully, this isn't an issue - our competitors charge you the entire amount prior to working on your order. The 50% is taken from your order size estimate - it will be adjusted as necessary upon final checkout after you have reviewed your scans.
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Q36: What sort of box should I put my images into?
Please insure that you securely box up your precious images. The UPS store or your local post office can provide you with excellent shipping materials. And always be careful to fully tape up the box. Never use bubble mailers and DO NOT use the flimsy department store boxes you get from places like Macy's or Nordstrom.
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Q37: Please tell me more about the hard drive option.
Currently we use the 2.5" 500GB drive from Western Digital (WDXMS1200TN) which has "in-line" power so no external power supply is required - they are extremely convenient. They connect via a USB port and fit in a shirt pocket. Scans in JPEG at 3000 dpi are between 5-7MB. The usable space on the drive is about 310 GB. Consequently, we can store about 16,000 images on a drive. We don't offer larger or smaller drives. For now this is the only option we offer.
Please note that if you purchase hard drive, you will receive this in place of the default CD/DVD set.
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Q38: Do you offer photo restoration / reconstruction services?
Yes, we now offer these services. You can upload images directly to us via our upload tool. You can write to our customer service team with any inquiries and they will be able to answer any question you have. Prices range from $5 to $40.
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Q39: Tell me about the Pro Library.
With our Pro Library option you get two complete sets of images. One is in compressed JPG file format with full image processing applied (crop, dust / scratch removal, color correction). The second is a “raw” scan with no image processing applied in a “lossless” TIFF file format. Both are scanned at the default setting of 3,000 dpi for slides/negatives and 600 dpi for prints. The JPG fully processed images are useful in 90% of professional applications for reprint or use on-line. The TIFF file become essential when full resolution is needed for poster size images, color space is critical, or a non-processed image is required by professional printers. Many of our museum, art gallery, photography and other professional clients find our Pro Library Option a great solution. Every so often one of our clients comes across a hidden “gem” they didn’t know they had. When they do, it’s important for them to have the absolute highest possible resolution image that has not yet been processed for them to work with. Sort of a “blank canvas” from which to apply professional processing as they see fit. Price is an additional 24 cents per image. You can also go to 4,000 dpi for slides/negatives and 1200 dpi for prints - cost is an incremental 9 cents per image. We only recommend such high resolution to pros and hobbyists who have a definite need and understand the nuances of 4000 dpi scans.
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Q40: What hardware and software does my recipient need?
The scans are burned onto a data DVD when they are returned with the originals. If they want to view them, they will need a computer running at least Windows XP or later, or Mac OS 9 or later and a CD/DVD player, though that computer doesn’t need to be connected to the Internet at all. However, if they don’t have a computer, you can still order and provide a Gift Box to your recipient—just indicate that the completed scans and originals should be sent to you, which can be done on the order form.
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Q41: Can I send it to my Mom, have her fill it up, and then have the completed scans sent to me?
Yes, you can. When you order, you can specify an a recipient for the empty box, and a Return recipient (for when the box is full of the originals and the completed scans). The empty box recipient and the Return recipient may be different people.
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Q42: How long will it take to receive the completed order, with scans and originals?
About 2 to 4 weeks from when we receive it depending on order size. Smaller orders may take as little as 3 days, ask your SophterLight Pro for an estimate.
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Q43: Do you scan medium format slides?
Yes. We scan 120/220 medium format slides. We also scan 35mm, 110, 126, 127 slides.
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Q44: What is resolution or dpi and which dpi should I choose?
For purposes of comparing technical aspects of scans, we often use the measure "dpi", which stands "dots per inch". While not precisely accurate, it does enable you to begin to understand two important things about your scanned image: 1) how sharp it will look when printed, and 2) how large it can be printed before it begins to look a bit fuzzy. It is not true, however, that a higher resolution is always the best solution--sometimes a more finely detailed scan can pick up the grain of the underlying material and give results that are inferior to a scan at a lower dpi. So in general we recommend scanning 35mm slides and negatives at approximately 10 megapixels ("MP"), which should give you a very nice print up to about 13" x 9". If you plan to print larger than that, then you may want to think about our Pro Resolution feature, which will enable you to print even larger, up to 16" x 20" and beyond.
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Q45: Do you scan glass slides or glass mounted slides?
At this time, we do not scan glass sides.
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Q46: Is it better to scan the print photo or the negative?
It is always better to scan the negative because it is usually in better condition, and the scanner can produce a digital image at a higher dpi resolution. Furthermore you get to keep the photo displayed in your home during the scanning process. That said, we do offer great photo scanning and slide scanning solutions.
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Q47: How do I know which side of the negative to scan?
Theoretically, it is very easy, but practically, it is very difficult. You need to scan the side that has the photographic emulsion. This emulsion side is usually less glossy. However, it takes a long time to figure this out. The best option for telling which side is which is to look at the numbering scheme on the negative. When using a negative film scanner, align the negative such that you can read the numbering scheme. You are now looking at the opposite side of the emulsion.
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Q48: Can I use Kodak Digital ICE while scanning black and white negatives?
Actually, no. The infrared light that detects dust and scratches is not compatible with the silver halide emulsion on black and white negatives. If you scan with ICE, the digital image will look "silvery" and out of focus. The only solution is to disable ICE and manually restore the B&W scan at a later time using a clone stamping tool such as in Adobe Photoshop. However, using clone stamping requires a lot of practice. If you have more questions, feel free to contact our customer support team, and we would be happy to answer your questions.
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Q49: Which dpi should I choose for photo scanning?
The short answer is that higher dpi leads to higher quality, and our belief is do it right the first time and you'll never have to worry about it again. You can scan photos at a lower dpi and pay less, but the photo scan quality will not be as good and there usually are zero post scan services such as color correction and cropping - so be wary. At SophterLight, we want you to have the highest quality so we scan at 600 dpi. You can see some specific examples on our quality comparison page. Is 300 dpi just as good? Unfortunately, it is not. You can take a look at our side to side quality comparisons of 150dpi, 300dpi, and 600dpi. 600dpi simply picks up more information from the print. Furthermore, you can scan and print a 4x6 photo at 300 dpi, but you will never be able to enlarge the print at a later time to a 5x7, for example. As technology gets better, you'll find more value in the 600 dpi. Again, when it comes to photo scanning, do it right the first time, and you'll never have to do it again. Furthermore, if you want to get the most out of post-scan services like photo restoration, you will definitely want to scan your photo at 600dpi.
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Q50: Should I scan photos or scan negatives?
We recommend scanning negatives first because negatives provide the best resolution and quality. Negatives contain the maximum information about your image since they are fundamentally analog - and we scan negatives at 3000 dpi. When we speak of "information" we mean: clarity, sharpness, color depth, etc. Similarly, we suggest scanning slides over photos if the image is the same. Again, like negative scanning, you scan at a higher resolution with slides than with photos.
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Q51: What kind of photo scanners do you use?
We use top-rated Epson 4490 flatbed scanners.
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Q52: Why are my scanned photo files so large after scanning? Is TIFF bad?
The more information that you capture in a scan, the larger the file size will be. Information is defined as clarity, sharpness, color depth etc. A high resolution scan at 600dpi would give you a file of 5-7MB in jpeg and 30MB in TIFF format. Therefore, we do not recommend TIFF for the average customer. At the lower jpeg file size, you will be able to share images online and take up less space on your computer hard drive.
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Q53: What instructions do I need to provide for photo restoration?
Providing us with guidance on what to restore in your image is optional. Our restoration artists are very experienced and know how to repair damaged/poor images. However, if you have special requests, you can include instructions like: "remove blemishes", "remove frame border", "make the hair blonde", etc.
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Q54: What types of digital files can I upload for restoration?
You can upload images in jpeg format. Any image must be less than 20MB in size. Please ensure that your images have enough clarity (we cannot restore a complete blurred image into a sharp image). If for any reason your file cannot be restored, we will let you know during the quote process and you won't have to pay for any images that aren't restorable.
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Q55: How long does it take for a Photo Restoration Quote?
SophterLight will typically send you a quote in 1-2 business days from the time you upload your images.
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Q56: How long will take to get my image restored?
We are usually able to complete the restoration of your images within a couple days to a week from the day you approve the quote.
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Q57: How will I get my restorations back?
You will be able to download them instantaneously after checkout from your online account. We send you an email notification when the restoration has been completed and is available for your review.
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Q58: How much will a Photo restoration cost?
There is no risk. You will get a quote from us and you get to review and accept the quotes prior to making any payment. Our quotes are final and there are no hidden charges. You can review our restoration pricing page to get an overview on pricing. Pricing is based simply on the time spent by the artist and the skill required to restore the image.
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Q59: Can I get my Photo restorations on a CD or DVD?
We are not offering CDs/DVDs right now. We also offer thumb drives for an additional fee. We provide instantaneous download as soon as you check out.
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Q60: Will SophterLight keep my restorations forever?
Once you have downloaded the completed restoration work, we will erase the images from our servers after 30 days.
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Q61: Can you restore black and white images?
Yes, we can restore black and white images as well as sepia images.
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Q62: Can you restore images that have been torn?
Absolutely. It is critical that we get as much of the original photograph as possible. You can refer to our restoration gallery for examples of torn photos that have been restored.
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Q63: What training do your photo restoration technicians have?
Our artists have been through formal training in color concepts, restoration tools, image enhancement techniques, highlight/clipping management, grain reduction and calibration routines. They are proficient and expert in Adobe Photoshop. All artists must pass SophterLight's proprietary restoration skills test prior to working on customer images.
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Q64: What photo restoration tools do you use to restore my images?
Our restoration team is expert in the use of Adobe Photoshop.
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Q65: What color profile do you use?
We use Nikon sRGB as our default.
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Q66: Can you scan my curled black and white negatives?
We use a "wet mount" process for the scanning of black and white negatives. We encase each of your negative frames in a special solution between two transparent surfaces, and then scan them using our Nikon 9000 scanners. The resulting scans have extraordinary image detail.
However, this process does not support significantly curled negatives. If you are not sure if your negatives are curled, go ahead and send us a snapshot of your negatives to [email protected] and our customer support team will be able to assist you.
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Q67: Would the scanning process distort my original films?
No, we scan APS film using the latest high end Noritsu scanners. Noritsu is the industry leader in photographic film processing equipment for minilabs and print studios. Your original films are returned exactly the way they were sent to us.
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Q68: Why scan at a higher dpi?
We feel that scanning at high resolution is important, since you can't be sure what uses you will have for the scan in the future, whether it's printing a photo book, making enlargements, or even viewing on a large HDTV.
So generally, what's needed is a scan that has resolution that is high enough to allow you to do enlargements etc, but on the other hand, doesn't pick up and magnify the grain of the film itself.
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Q69: What type of scanners is used to scan APS films?
We scan APS film using the latest high end Noritsu scanners. Noritsu is the industry leader in photographic film processing equipment for minilabs and print studios. Scans are at 4000 dpi for APS rolls
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Q70: What is dpi?
DPI stands for "dots per inch", and is a common, if misleading, technical term in scanning.
DPI tells you the number of pixels per linear inch that a scanner will produce in your scan file. The higher the dpi, the larger your scan will be in terms of both pixels and megabytes.
We feel scanning at high resolution is important, since you can't be sure what uses you will have for the scan in the future. So generally, what's needed is a scan that has resolution that is high enough to allow you to do enlargements, printing, and cropping from the scan file. On the other hand, it's possible to scan with too much resolution too--some very detailed scans can actually pick up and magnify the grain of the paper (if a print) or the film itself (if a negative or slide). So we feel that our standard resolution of 10MP for APS strikes the right balance.
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Q71: Do you offer an Express Service?
Yes. We offer an express scanning service (the “Express Service”) where you will be able to see your scans online for review and digital download no more than eight (8) business days after we receive your photos (the “Express Guarantee”). That’s approximately 10 days faster than our normal turnaround time.
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Q72: Is there a premium charged for the Express Service?
Yes. There is a per image premium for the Express Service and the current pricing can be found at our pricing page located at http://www. (the “Express Fee”).
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Q73: Is the Express Service available for all media types?
No. The Express Service is currently only available for standard media types, that is: (i) 35mm color negatives, (ii) 35mm slides (paper or plastic) and (iii) paper photos (up to 8” x 10”) (the “Standard Media”).
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Q74: What if my Express Service order contains non-Standard Media images?
If your order contains images which are not among the Standard Media type, we will process the Standard Media images and will contact you regarding the processing of the non-Standard Media, provided, however, the Express Guarantee will not apply to the non-Standard Media.
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Q75: Is there a maximum order size for the Express Service?
Yes. The Express Service is only available for orders of 500 images or less.
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Q76: Does the Express Fee apply to every image in my Express Service order?
Yes. The Express Fee applies to every image scanned regardless of the size of your order.
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Q77: What if my scans are not available after eight (8) business days?
If your order is not available for your online review and digital download within the eight (8) business days, we will refund you the price that we charged you for the Express Service.
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Q78: Do you scan Medium Format negatives?
Yes, we do. Most commonly, this format comes from 120 or 220 film. But for us, really, it's any format that is larger than traditional 35mm and smaller than 4" x 5", which is where our Large Format category begins.
Common Medium Format frame sizes that we scan are 6x6cm, 6x4.5cm (sometimes called "645"), 6x7cm, and 6x9cm.
We scan these on our Nikon 9000 EDs. Also, for black & white medium format negatives, we apply our patent-pending wet mount process that virtually eliminates the scratches that affect so many old black & white negatives.
We scan, by default, at 3000 dpi. The file sizes created for each medium format scan depend on the exact size of the frame submitted, but are in general at least 7MB and as much as 25MB.
That translates to a recommended printing size range of up to 33 x 22 inches. At that size, the print would be rendered at effectively 300 pixels per inch, a common printing standard for up-close viewing. (If the print is intended to be viewed from many, many feet away, you might be able to print larger with no noticeable defects).
We can scan Medium Format slides if they are color, but we currently cannot scan medium format slides if they black & white, as they are incompatible with our wet mount process.
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Q79: Do you scan Large Format negatives (or positives)?
Yes, we scan both positives and negatives in Large Format.
We are very proud to offer Large Format scanning at an outstanding price for our professional photographer customers. There is a very rich tradition of Large Format photography that we're excited to help preserve.
For frame sizes of 4"x5" or even 4"x6", we charge one price, and for frame sizes of 8"x10" we charge a bit more, due to the sharp increase in scanning time.
We perform these scans on dedicated Epson 10000 XL's at 3000 dpi, which creates some very large files suitable for a wide range of uses. A 4" x 5" Large Format scan from us will be about 50 MB in size, and suitable for 36" x 46" prints. Similarly, an 8" x 10" Large Format scan from us will be about 200MB in file size and suitable for prints intended for up-close viewing all the way up to 75" x 96".
We do not currently scan Black & White Large Format because our patent-pending wet mount process, designed to virtually eliminate scratches, is not available for Large Format yet. However, if you believe scratches will not be an issue for your Black & White Large Format negatives or positives, contact us and we'll make arrangements.
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Q80: On a given strip of negatives, can I mark just the images I want scanned?
Unfortunately, no. We have found that our scanning process is operationally tighter and safer if we, as a matter of policy, scan all the images you submit. But this is one big reason we allow you to delete scans when you review your order: to help account for the fact that on a strip of negatives there may be images that you simply don't want--whether that's because of double exposures, duplicate or near-duplicate images, or frankly for any reason at all.
