The arithmetic, so you can check any quote
Almost every confusing quote in this industry comes from one thing: film is billed by the footage actually transferred, not by the reel. Once you can convert between the two, most quotes become comparable and the bad ones become obvious.
The conversion
- A 3 inch reel holds roughly 50 feet.
- A 5 inch reel holds roughly 200 feet.
- A 7 inch reel holds roughly 400 feet.
Count your reels by diameter, multiply, add up. That total is the number every honest quote is really based on.
Our published rates, as of August 2026
Roughly $0.29 to $0.32 per foot, which is where the familiar figure of about $14.50 to $16.00 for a standard 50 foot 8mm reel comes from. A $50.00 service minimum applies. DVDs are $5 per disc alone, or $15 alongside a drive. We publish these so you can compare, not because they are the lowest.
A worked example
Eight 3 inch reels and four 7 inch reels is 400 feet plus 1,600 feet: roughly 2,000 feet, or about $580 to $640 in scanning at those rates.
Now look at the shape of that bill. The four large reels are a third of the reel count and about 80% of the cost. If a quote needs trimming, trim by footage. Cutting four small reels saves almost nothing.
Two pricing models, and which suits you
Per foot means a half-full reel costs half as much. It rewards you for having short reels and it is harder to compare at a glance. Per reel is simpler to quote and averages across customers, which means short-reel collections subsidise long-reel ones. Neither is a scam. Just make sure you know which you are being quoted.
When the cheap option is genuinely fine
Three reels of unknown content that you simply want to see? A mail-in box service will do that and cost less than we will. It stops being fine when the material matters, the film is fragile, or you do not want to pay twice.
Ask us anything first
Send a photo and a rough count. We will tell you what you are holding and what it would involve, with no obligation.