Ask how your originals will be handled and request a representative sample before committing the whole collection. A cheap price per photo does not tell you whether captions, albums and return arrangements are included.
This is a checklist for choosing a service, not a recommendation of a provider we have tested.
Describe the actual collection
Make a rough count of loose prints, albums, negatives, slides and unusual sizes. Note written backs, mount captions and any order you want retained.
Describe damaged, stuck or fragile items separately. “Five hundred photos” can hide very different handling needs. Do not pull material apart to make counting easier.
State what you want: family viewing, readable writing, possible enlargements or source captures for later editing. Ask the service to distinguish those source files from smaller sharing copies.
Ask who handles the originals
Find out where the work happens and whether subcontractors or another country are involved. Ask how your items stay identifiable from arrival to return.
Ask whether the proposed process uses a flatbed, camera or rollers, and what happens when an item is unsuitable. Put any restrictions in writing: for example, no album dismantling or physical cleaning without a separate discussion.
If the condition needs conservation advice, resolve that before ordinary scanning. Owning a scanning machine is not the same as being able to treat a damaged photograph.
Agree on the files and a sample
Ask for actual capture resolution and expected pixel dimensions for a representative item. “High resolution” alone is too vague to compare quotes.
Specify complete edges, written backs and how paired files will be named. Ask whether cropping, sharpening, colour correction or AI restoration is included. Request an unchanged capture separately from optional enhancements.
Choose a small sample with a pale picture, a dark picture, fine detail and a back caption if these occur in your collection. Agree whether the sample is paid and what you will assess.
Open the actual delivery files, rather than only an email preview. Check readable writing, focus, orientation, frame coverage and any unnatural correction. Give specific feedback such as “the inscription is clipped” rather than simply asking for better quality.
Compare the full price in Australian dollars
Request an itemised total in AUD, with GST where applicable, minimum charges, album handling, front-and-back capture, delivery media and return postage stated.
Ask what happens if the final count is higher. Set a point at which the service must contact you before adding work. Clarify rescans, naming corrections and the time allowed to report problems.
Allow for your own backup space too. A temporary online gallery should not become the only home of the finished files.
Check privacy and return arrangements
Ask who can access the images, whether they are used for demonstrations or AI processing, and whether they are retained after delivery. Find out how downloads are protected and when access expires.
Choose retention deliberately. A very short period can make corrections difficult; indefinite retention may not suit private family material.
Agree on packaging, tracked transport or handover and return of every original. Keep your inventory and contact details outside the parcel as well as with the order. If considering insurance, read the actual cover; money cannot recreate the personal meaning of a lost original.
Know how you will accept the result
When the order returns, check physical items against the inventory. Then check the digital files separately: expected fronts, backs, filenames, folders and agreed versions.
Open examples from across the delivery. Counts can reveal a gap but do not prove every picture was captured correctly. Download before access expires, make a second copy and inspect it. Report specific problems within the agreed period.
You have enough information to decide when the written scope explains handling, deliverables, total cost and what happens if something goes wrong. Leave unclear points open rather than assuming they are included.
Next step
Plan the names and stories that should accompany the files.
Scope
Editorial selection questions, revised 9 September 2026. No provider, price or sample order has been tested. Confirm each service’s current terms directly before booking.