Cleaning and Preparation

High quality photo and home movie transfers begin with the proper cleaning and preparation. Before our team begins processing your material, we carefully prepare each item to ensure we capture the sharpest transfer possible. Prior to even touching a piece of high quality scanning equipment, all photographic materials go through our cleaning and preparation stage.

Photo Scanning Preparation

Some materials are in great shape and need little to no preparation, others need to be cleaned properly prior to scanning. At ScanDigital, we thoroughly review all material and clean when necessary before we begin scanning. Our team, wearing white gloves, carefully cleans all materials with compressed air to avoid capturing the dirt and dust that may have adhered to your materials over the years.

All photographic material is cleaned with compressed air and lint-free cloths to ensure the sharpest scan, free from dust marks or scratches. We clean every image individually to capture the cleanest scans possible.

Film Transfer Preparation

For reel-to-reel film, we delicately unwind your reels to inspect, repair and clean before processing begins. Our highly trained technicians first inspect the film for bad splices and broken sprockets and repair where necessary. Then, we clean the film with an oil based cleaning solution to lubricate the film before processing. Our intensive preparation allows for a more flawless transfer process.

Video Transfer Preparation

All video tapes are also inspected and prepared for transfer as the first stage in our transfer process. Any tapes with damage or defective parts can be repaired. Once the tape has been approved, it is ready for transfer. This extra preparation step ensures that all tapes are ready for transfer and avoids the inadvertent destruction of a tape. Good preparation is the key to high quality scanning and film / video transfer. All materials receive that extra touch up front to ensure exceptional quality results.