FAQs
Price?
http://www.gophoto.com/order-now
The price includes:
Deleting what you don't want prior to paying
One free DVD set
Free unlimited on-line gallery for organizing & sharing
No need to organize your materials prior to sending.
Rotation, cropping, light color correction on each image
And, all scanning is done within 1-2 weeks by our US technicians
Do I get my originals back?
Are the VHS-to-DVD conversions editable?
1) Copy the files from the DVD to your hard drive.
2) Use an editor that can read .VOB format video files.*
*Note: For Mac users, there's a safe, free program to convert from VOB to MP4 format, so you can edit it in iMovie. The program can be downloaded here: http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php.
What’s the largest negative you can scan (at high quality)
Do I get a CD or DVD with my original images?
How long does it take to process an order?
As soon as your order is complete, we will send you an email with a link to view your images online. (Your slides, negatives and photos will be available for viewing in your free online albums. VHS tapes will not be available for viewing online.) As soon as you pay, we will return your box to you via UPS (unless another shipping option was used.) Please keep in mind that shipping times may vary.
Can I send my photo albums to you as is?
How do I redeem my gift card?
What if I need my order processed quickly?
What if I have special handling instructions for you?
Can I ship using my own UPS account?
How much is shipping?
(GoPhoto pays UPS significantly more, & handles all the complexities of size, weight, distance, so you don't have to worry or calculate a thing.)
If you prefer, you can use your own UPS account and we will discount the shipping charges we would normally charge.
Still too expensive? You can ship using the US Postal Service and we will get your package and snow, rain, heat nor darkness will keep them from delivering it.
What Type of Scanner does GoPhoto Use?
Do you clean the photos before scanning?
Yes. When necessary, we use compressed air to remove dust from slides and negatives. We use special professional grade photo cleaner on printed photos in need of dust removal. In addition, our scanners use Digital ICE technology for slides and negatives to automatically remove dust and minor scratches.
I have negatives and paper photos. Which is best for scanning?
In most cases, scanning from negatives produces a higher quality result since negatives normally have not been handled as much as stored better. If possible please send us your negatives.
What is DPI? What resolution do I need?
DPI stands for dots per inch or pixels per inch. DPI represents the resolution, accuracy, sharpness and clarity of your digital picture. A higher DPI is generally associated with a higher quality image; however, if the DPI exceeds the resolution of the original media, a higher DPI can actual diminish the quality of the image. Our default scanning is performed at 600 DPI for paper photos which is more than sufficient for using your digital photos electronically and also provides the ability to reprint any photo in the same size as its original. GoPhoto’s service includes the following: high resolution scanning, Kodak Digital ICE (to remove dust and blemishes) and manual processing to crop, rotate and color correct your photos.
What format of originals do you scan?
We provide scanning for 35 mm negatives, 35 mm slides and printed paper photos up to 8" by 10". In addition, we also scan 110, 120, 126, 127 & 200 (medium) format film. Our professional quality scanning equipment allows us to scan both black and white photos and color photos. If you have other formats you want scanned, just contact us and we’ll see if we accommodate your request.
How should I organize my photos? Chronologically? Will I be able to rearrange them later?
Ah, organizing. We want this to be the easiest order you have ever placed. That’s why you don’t have to do one ounce of organizing if you don’t want to. Whichever way your pictures are currently stored, neatly in albums or loosely in a variety of boxes, we’ll take them as is. Our scanning process includes built in organizational tools to help you organize the digital images however – by event, by date, by groups – you would like when you review them in your online library. Or, if you already have an organizational system that you would like us to maintain, we can do that too. Include instructions in your order and our technicians will follow them exactly.
Where am I sending my pictures?
We are a US company based in Indianapolis, Indiana. When you place an order with us, you will be shipping your box of pictures directly to our facility in the Indianapolis, Indiana. Your valuable photos will not be further shipped to other remote domestic or international facilities. Unlike our competitors, we have geared our process to minimize the number of channels your pictures will pass through until they are returned safely to you.
I’m not very computer savvy. How will your Photo Sharing options work for me?
If you are already on our website reading this FAQ list, then you have all the skills you need to use our Photo Sharing services. We have made our pages very user friendly with detailed instructions of how to navigate all of our options. One of the benefits of GoPhoto is that we provide sharing services right here while our competitors direct you to additional third parties. We are a one-stop shop for all your scanning and sharing needs.
Why would I send my pictures to you instead of just scanning them myself?
Good question. While scanners are readily available, the process is more involved than most people imagine. If you want to preserve 100 pictures, it will take you:
8 hours of manually scanning – an entire Saturday!
$250 for a good scanner like the Espon 4490 (not to mention the space to put it!)
$100 for an external hard drive (image quality resolution takes up a lot of computer memory)
$700 for Adobe PhotoShop C5 software (and the knowledge of how to retouch your photos!)
We take the fuss out this project for you, make it easy to organize and share your new digital pictures, and at prices that are more reasonable than if you do it yourself.
Why GoPhoto and not the other guys?
Our process is one of the simplest out there and our prices are affordable. There is no need to organize your photos before sending. There is no risk in sending us "all", since you can delete as much as you want before paying. The way you send us your pictures is the way they will be returned to you. Also, we’ve done our research to provide you the highest quality digital images available with current technology. Plus, we offer a free, unlimited online photo library. We not only scan your photographs, we make them easy to share.
Why don’t I have to pay anything upfront? What’s the catch?
No catch. We want you to be absolutely satisfied with the quality of your digital pictures before you pay. Once our trained technicians scan your photographs, you will be notified via email that your images are ready for your review. You will be able to select the images that you want to keep. Those will be saved into both your personal online library and sent to you on a CD/DVD. One big difference from our competitor is that we do not require you to pay for a minimum number of scanned images--only the pictures you select will be the ones that you pay for. It’s really that simple.
I’m nervous to send my pictures. How do you guarantee they won’t be damaged or lost during shipping?
We know that your pictures are special and amongst your most valued possessions. That’s why security is one of our utmost concerns. We have partnered with UPS, a shipping service with a reputation and track record of providing safe and secure shipping. When you place your order, a UPS shipping label is created with a unique bar code that is used to track your package. From the time your package enters the system, either via free pick up at your home, or dropped off at a UPS store, to the time it reaches our GoPhoto Receving Department, it’s whereabouts are known. And the reverse process is used when we send your photographs back to you. You will receive email updates for when your box is picked up by UPS and the estimated time of arrival safely back to your home. Also, we are a US-based company and therefore your pictures will not be sent to a foreign country. We realize you entrust your pictures to us and we have taken extra measures to ensure the safe shipping and handling of your pictures. Our philosophy is to treat your valuable pictures as if they were our own.