RTC's Fall 2017 Communicator

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FALL 2017 13
I’ve Scanned My Old
Photos –NowWhat?
Converting film photos to digital
format can cost you a fair amount of
time, money, or both. So it’s worth
considering what you’ll do with the
digital versions. You’ve probably
already thought about posting on
Facebook or creating a mug or a
calendar with favorite shots. Here are
some other possibilities you may not
be aware of yet:
• Photo Cookies. Believe it or not,
there are services out there that
will bake your selected photo right
onto cookies! This is a great idea for
a birthday or other celebration.
• Photo Phone Case. Shutterfly and
other services allow you to create a
photo-enhanced case for a variety
of phone types.
• Digital Photo Frames. They look
like standard photo frames, but
they hold digital photos and cycle
through your shots at a rate you set.
• Photo Books. Some services enable
you to create professional-looking
bound books with photos and text.
These make thoughtful gifts.
• Home Décor. Do you have some
shots you particularly love or that
remind you of a special day? Blow
them up, frame them, and hang
them on your wall.
Method #3: Outsource the Task
If scanning photos yourself sounds like
too much hassle, you can send them to a
service that will do it for you. Typically
these services send you a box that you
put your photos into and ship back. The
following companies are just a few of
the many that provide these services:
• iMemories ). This
service can digitize a variety of for-
mats including tapes, films, photos,
slides, and negatives. The cost is $.49
per photo.
• ScanCafe ( . The service
includes photo enhancement and the
ability to review the scans before your
order is finalized. The cost is as low as
$.21 per print.
• ScanMyPhotos .
A team of professionals will scan your
photos into digital format and preserve
them on archival DVDs. The cost is
$145 per box with free shipping.