Hi Reader,

Last year, a client called me in a panic.

She'd boxed up decades of family photos — slides from her parents' travels, old VHS tapes of her kids' birthday parties, printed photos dating back to the 1950s — and shipped them off to a scanning service she'd found online.

The service promised fast turnaround and cheap prices. She was thrilled.

Three months later? She got her photos back... along with thousands of digital files labeled things like "IMG_0001.jpg" and "IMG_0002.jpg."

No organization. No grouping by person or event. No way to tell which photo was from which decade, let alone which box.

She'd spent $800 to scan her collection, and now she had a different mess to deal with.

Which got me thinking about all of you.

Because here's the thing: whether you're sitting on boxes of loose photos, or you spent years creating beautiful scrapbooks, or you've got videotapes gathering dust in the garage... there are some things you need to know about protecting those memories.

Can We Talk About Scrapbooking for a Minute?

If you did scrapbooking in the 90s and early 2000s (like me 🙋🏼‍♀️), you probably remember being told that scrapbooking was preservation.

That putting your photos in albums with acid-free paper and archival-quality adhesive was all you needed to do to protect your memories forever.

And back then? That was the best advice we had. I believed it. You believed it. Everyone believed it.

But here's what we know now that we didn't know then:

Even the most carefully crafted scrapbook is vulnerable no matter how archival the quality.

Fire. Flooding. Earthquakes. Dogs who like to chew things. Grandchildren with markers. And honestly? Your minimalist grown kids who might not want to take those heavy albums when you're gone.

(My daughter has already refused to take the scrapbooks. I've tried! She loves me, she loves the memories, but she does not want 15 physical albums taking up space in her small mobile home with 3 large, unruly dogs.)

Listen, I'm not saying you shouldn't scrapbook. If scrapbooking brings you joy, keep doing it! I support that completely. In fact, we always have at least one scrapbooker at our Co-Working WorkRooms, and I love seeing what they create.

But scrapbooking alone isn't preservation anymore.

The new best practice is this: Scan first. Then create however you want.

Scan your photos before you put them in a scrapbook. And if you already have scrapbooks sitting on your shelves? Scan those too.

I've scanned all of mine. And you know what? Those digital versions will live on in my Digital Photo Hub, which my daughter will inherit. The stories and memories will survive, even if the physical books end up in the trash someday.

At least I'll know they're safe.

And While We're Talking About Urgent Things... Your Videotapes

If you have old VHS tapes, Hi8, Betamax, or any other videotape format sitting in a box somewhere, this is your wake-up call. ⏰

Videotapes were never designed to last this long. Most have a lifespan of 15-25 years, and many are already way past that.

The magnetic tape inside degrades over time. And once it's gone? It's gone. There's no getting it back.

Even now, when you get them scanned, you'll probably see lines and other artifacts on the video — that's just the result of degradation, and it really can't be fixed, at least not without spending a lot of extra money on digital restoration.

If you have videotapes you care about, getting them scanned should be your top priority. Like, this month. Not "someday."

Organization Matters (A Lot)

OK, back to that client I mentioned at the beginning.

Most scanning services have you throw everything into a box and ship it off. You get the files back, but they're in no particular order — and now you have to sort through thousands of JPEGs to figure out what's what.

Some services (like Forever) handle this differently. You organize your photos into groupings before you send them in — by person, event, year, whatever makes sense to you. Then those groupings stay intact when you get your files.

It takes a little more effort upfront, but it saves you hours (or days, or weeks) of work on the back end.

If you're considering a scanning service, ask them: "Will my photos stay organized, or will I get them back as one giant pile of files?"

Security and Tracking

I don't know about you, but the idea of shipping irreplaceable family photos across the country makes me nervous. 😬

So here's what I look for in a scanning service:

• Tracking at every stage — from the empty box arriving at your door, to the box arriving at the facility, to your originals being shipped back to you.
• Barcoding systems so your order doesn't get mixed up with someone else's.
• Camera tracking inside the facility so there's a record of everything that happens with your order.

Forever does all of this.

And yes, they really do use that camera tracking. Last year when I got all my scrapbooks back, one personalized cover was missing. I was convinced they'd lost it. But their customer service pulled up the camera footage and it showed the cover wasn't in the box when they first opened it. (It's still lost somewhere in my house, I'm sure. 🙃)

The point is: they could prove what happened because everything is tracked and recorded.

I have a 2-minute video tour of their digitization center if you want to see how it works behind the scenes.

As far as I know, Forever has never lost a customer's photos. I can't say the same for every service out there — there have been news reports over the years of other companies losing shipments.

Resolution Matters

Not all scans are created equal.

Forever scans photos at 600 dpi (pixels per inch) and scrapbook pages or documents at 300 dpi. Slides and negatives are scanned at 3000 dpi. That's high enough to print sharp, clear copies later if you need to.

If you're using a different service — especially a local one — ask what resolution they use for different media types. You don't want to pay for scanning only to find out the files are too low-resolution to use, especially slides and negatives —they should be 3000 dpi or higher.

What About Negatives?

This is one of the most common questions I get: Should I scan the negatives or the photos?

Here's the honest answer: Technically, negatives will produce a better scan because they're the original. The photo is a first-generation print.

But in a family photo collection, that difference is often barely noticeable — unless the photo is faded or damaged.

So if your photos are in good shape, scanning the photos is usually fine. If they're damaged or faded? The negatives might give you a better result.

A professional photographer would make a different choice. But for family photo keepers like us, the photo is usually good enough.

What Forever Can Scan

Forever can handle almost anything you'd want to preserve:

• Printed photos
• Slides and negatives
• Videotapes (VHS, Hi8, Betamax, MiniDV, and more)
• Film reels (8mm, Super 8, 16mm)
• Audio cassettes and records
• Scrapbook pages and photo books from other vendors
• Large items like posters and maps
• And more

Right now, Forever's scanning services are 50% off, which makes them very competitive with other services — but with better organization, tracking, and security. And you can save another 5% on top of that by becoming a Forever Club member first.

​Check out Forever's scanning services here.​

What If You Don't Want to Ship Your Photos?

I get it. Some people just aren't comfortable mailing their irreplaceable memories.

If that's you, look for a local professional photo manager in your area. You can find one at https://pro.thephotomanagers.com/.

Just make sure to ask about:

• What resolution they use for different media types
• How they organize the files
• What happens if something goes wrong

The Bottom Line

Scanning your photos, slides, and videotapes is one of the best things you can do to preserve your family's memories.

But not all services are equal. Do your homework, ask questions, and choose a service that prioritizes organization, security, and quality.

And if you have videotapes? Don't wait. Get those scanned now.

Hit reply if you have questions. I'm here to help.

Warmly,
Fancy

PS - Next week I'll be talking about the difference between templated photo books and digital scrapbooking — and why "doing it yourself" doesn't have to mean scissors and glue. Stay tuned!

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