Everyone has paper photos. Many of us have stored our older paper photographs in photo albums or shoeboxes. And while we may think that they’re protected, the truth is…older photo albums and acidic boxes which hold our treasured memories, often damage the images they are meant to protect.
They turn brown
You heard it right. Based off of the type of ink that was used for printing the photo and how it’s stored, our photos fade. Some turn a brown, yellow or reddish shade of color. Paper photos are also susceptible to mold damage, so you should always store your photos in a place within the home that has the most consistently median heat (50 to 70 F) and low humidity.
They are inaccessible
Who wants to dig through the attic or a scary basement to look for those long lost memories? Albums and shoeboxes are so clunky and dusty – no wonder they never receive any visitors. Make it easier by scanning those paper photos and making digital photo albums on sites like Shutterfly or Mixbook. Better yet, contact Storyteller to design one for you!
Fire or Flood Loss Prevention
Fires and floods do happen, and they have the power to swallow up those memories forever. But if you digitize your photos, they’ll not only be in a safe place (ie: an external hard drive or cloud), but your other family members may enjoy them as well.
Scanning photos might seem easy, but like everything with technology, there are a few things that can go wrong.
- People forget to crop the images
- Scanners might have default settings turned on, which should be turned off
- People don’t scan the right resolution
- The photos are saved in the wrong format
- The scanner used is not optimum for archiving purposes
When preserving your memories, why not hire the a professional who can save you the time and stress? Contact us for finding ways on how we can help you get started on scanning your photo collection!
If you’re a DIY’er, we recommend educating yourself before taking on the huge task of scanning your own photo collection if you have no prior experience. Proceed with caution, and scan in small batches to ensure everything has been properly archived!
You wouldn’t want to scan 1500 paper photos, only then to find out that a setting was wrong. We urge you to either contact a professional like Storyteller, or seriously educate yourself on scanning your own materials.
Happy Memory Preserving!
