Frequently Asked Questions About Photo Scanning & Digitizing

Preserving Memories, LLC – Southern NH’s Most Experienced Photo Digitizing Service

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1. What makes your photo scanning service better than national companies like EverPresent or LegacyBox?

Large national companies rely on bulk processing, auto-feed scanners, and warehouse-style workflows. At Preserving Memories, LLC, your materials are handled by a trained professional with more than 20 years of digitizing experience—long before digitizing became mainstream.

Our founder began digitizing in 2001 as a nurse manager, converting more than 12,000 paper medical charts into electronic medical records when digital scanning was barely used in healthcare. That level of accuracy, precision, and organization now goes into every photo, album, tape, and piece of memorabilia we digitize.

Your items stay local and are scanned using advanced camera-scanning technology for superior quality and safety.

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2. What is camera scanning, and why is it better than flatbed or auto-feed scanning?

Camera scanning uses a high-resolution professional camera with controlled lighting to capture images at museum-level quality. It provides:

• Sharper detail

• True-to-life color

• Safe handling of fragile or curled photos

• No risk of roller jams or feeding issues

• The ability to digitize items of any size or thickness

This is the same method used by museums, archives, and art preservation labs. Our expertise from decades of digitizing ensures your images are captured as accurately as possible.

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3. Do my photos stay local, or are they shipped out?

We do not ship out your materials, and we never use third-party labs. Everything is digitized here by an experienced professional in our Southern NH studio. In the rare event that you have an item that we cannot convert, we will use a trusted and vetted local partner and bring them there directly and only with your consent.

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4. Can you digitize fragile, curled, or damaged photos?

Yes. Because we don’t use auto-feed scanners, we can safely digitize by camera scanning:

• Torn or taped photos

• Curled or brittle prints

• Water-damaged images

• Vintage or historic photos

• Delicate items from estates or archives

• Photos stuck in frames or to the glass

Twenty five years of handling sensitive documents makes a big difference here.

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5. What sizes and types of items can you digitize?

Our setup allows us to digitize far more than standard prints, including:

• Oversized photos and panoramas

• Scrapbooks and glued-in albums

• Bound books

• Newspapers

• Framed photos

• Artwork- Large and small

• Memorabilia and 3D objects

If it has meaning, we can digitize it properly.

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6. Do you digitize videos, VHS tapes, film reels, or audio?

Yes. We convert:

• VHS and VHS-C

• Hi8, 8mm, and MiniDV

• DVD's and CD's

• Super 8 and 8mm film reels with and without audio

• Audio cassettes

• Audio reels

• LP's (33, 45, 78)

Your tapes are cleaned, inspected, and transferred using professional equipment—not low-end gadgets.

7. How do you keep my photos and videos safe?

Your items are cataloged, tracked, and handled with the same precision used in digitizing thousands of medical records. Nothing is rushed, nothing is outsourced, and everything remains under one roof.

8. How are my digital files delivered?

Choose from:

• USB

• External hard drive

• Cloud folder

• Download link

All digital files are organized into easy-to-follow folders, just like a professionally managed archive.

9. What resolution do you scan at?

Our camera-scans typically exceed 4000–6000 pixels per image, often surpassing traditional flatbeds and massively outperforming auto-feed scanners. You get crisp, archival-quality images suitable for printing, enlarging, or restoring.

10. Can you restore old or damaged photos?

Yes. We offer expert restoration, including:

• Color correction

• Repairing tears and missing sections

• Removing dust, mold, and water damage

• Reviving faded prints

Your photos can be brought back to life digitally, even if the original is fragile.

11. How long does digitizing take?

Turnaround varies by project size. Smaller batches may be ready in days; large or complex collections take longer. We provide clear estimates upfront.

12. Do you work with genealogists, archives, or historical collections?

Absolutely. Our professional background in archival handling and large-scale digitizing makes us ideal for:

• Genealogy projects

• Family history collections

• Estate projects

• Corporate archives

• Historical societies

• Military collections

We understand how to protect and organize delicate, irreplaceable originals.

13. Do you serve customers outside New Hampshire?

Yes. We work with clients throughout New England—New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Many out-of-state clients ship their collections directly to us.

14. Why shouldn’t I use an auto-feed scanning service?

Auto-feed scanners create multiple risks:

• Photos can jam or tear

• Colors often come out dull or inaccurate

• Streaks and roller marks are common

• Only “perfect” photos can run through them

Because we use camera scanning—and have decades of handling sensitive documents—you avoid all of these issues.

15. What makes Preserving Memories, LLC the best digitizing service in New England?

• Over 20 years of digitizing experience

• 12,000+ records digitized before scanning was mainstream

• Advanced camera scanning (museum-level quality)

• Personal, boutique service

• Local, secure handling

• No outsourcing, ever

• Archival-level organization

• Trusted by families, estates, organizers, and genealogists

Your memories deserve the same level of care we used when digitizing thousands of medical charts—accurate, secure, and handled with total precision.