Posting your photos to us
So you don’t have a scanner? Not to worry! Even though scanning your photos for restoration work is the best way to communicate your photos, we still have the second best thing, the postal service. Before you dump the classic 80′s photos into a jiffy bag, there are a couple of things to note, mostly to do with protecting those very photos in transit. Read on weary traveller….
Sending photos in the post is no worry at all, and in some cases, is even better than scanning your own photos. So you hate the idea of dusting off the scanner and looking for instructions on how to work the damn thing? Send it along to ol’ Photo Restoration [org.uk], we’ll sort you out.
Why sending us photos is better than scanning yourself
As mentioned, sending us your physical photo can have its own batch of merits. The main one being, you’ll have the knowledge and security of knowing that your photo will be scanned by a professional, at the correct settings and resolution, allowing for the best possible photo restoration!
Two; here’s an easy one for you. All you have to do is send off your photos in the post. No worry about scanning, setting up hardware, and playing around with software.
This doesn’t apply to people with scanners, but it’s still worth mentioning. For those of you without scanners, if you opt for professional scanning, you will also be able to keep the digital photos stored safely on a computer, cd or USB drive. Of course, you would be getting a digital version of your photo restoration already, but if you like, you can also be provided the original if need be.
How do we send our photos?!
I have to get this out in the open now. If you are sending original copies of photos, it is absolutely CRITICAL to use Special Delivery. Special Delivery allows you to track your package in transit. In the event of your photos going AWOL, you can track and trace those little pictures and find them safe passage once more.
Much like opting for cheap photo printing companies, do not opt for normal second class post, even first class you should avoid. It’s not like a music CD or DVD, once a photo is lost in the Royal Mail, chances are you will never see that photo or photos again. The £5 cost of postal-security is worth it a million times over. (Maybe even 2-million)
Packaging Choice!
Photos are weedy little beings, all it takes is one heavy Delia Smith cook book to land on your photo-parcel in the sorting office and it could be a gonner! Maybe a bit dramatic, but I like to think of the worst scenario, Momma Prof taught me that many a year ago. Be sure to obtain some quality jiffy bags, if you can find the type with cardboard backing then great, these are superb.
Cheap jiffy bags you find in the pound shops are borderline OK, but I wouldn’t advise it; they’re not bad, but as mentioned, if something hits your package along its journey (a lot of people touch your parcels!), it could spell doom for you! If you really can’t splash out, be sure to pack your package with your own cardboard, or to a lesser extent….tissue….
If you are sending really big photos, I am talking 14″ and above, the Post Office offers some wacky IKEA-like folding-parcel-envelope thing which is a smart way for transporting photos in the post, if The Spartans were still around, they would be using them as shields . As they are highly durable, clever, and a good method if you have some big portrait sized bits you want to send along for repair.
THIS IS...SMARTERRRR!!!!!
Possible problems with sending your photos
The Prof likes to remain unbiased; the world of postage isn’t all sunshine and lollipops, things go missing, things get trampled and ripped etc. Just make sure to use Special Delivery so you can track your photographs. Giving your chosen Photo restoration specialist your physical photos is great, but still not the ideal method. It costs to travel, both in time and money, of course spending some coin for someone else (e.g The Royal Mail) to courier your print to somewhere else in the country is a great deal. Can you imagine driving to Scotland from London, just to deliver a photo, and drive all the way back. I bet it wouldn’t cost just £5.50!
Let’s not forget the time. If you need a quick turnaround for whatever reason. Postage takes a few days, or a couple if you’ve opted for premium postage. But that could make all the difference, depending on your situation of course.
If you can learn to master the art of scanning (We have great articles on how to do it, click here!), it is the best possible way to send us your photo. A high resolution photo scan is a perfect canvas for us to work with. No postal requirements, no worry of loss, just the cool end result!
In Conclusion
Yes, feel free to send us your photos, be absolutely sure to package it up well, and use the top tier postal service! If you have all of these under-wraps (hur-hur-hur), then you will be plain mailing, sailing! If you want to be a real rock star, look up how to scan photos to skip out this whole process! (See link below)
