How to choose
Eight questions any good lab answers without hesitating.
Most of this decision comes down to questions the cheap options would rather you did not ask. None of these are trick questions.
Per reel, per item, or per foot?
And what is the rate as of today? Per foot means a half-full reel costs half as much. Per reel averages across customers. Neither is a scam; just know which you are being quoted.
Is there a service minimum?
And what is the line item called if you fall under it? Ours is $50, shown as a “Minimum order adjustment”.
Does the scanning happen in your building?
Or is it sent out? This is the question people skip and it matters most. A service that forwards your film cannot tell you where it is or quote a real queue.
Is it frame by frame?
Each frame captured as a separate image, or a camera pointed at a projected picture? The second is cheaper and it flickers, loses frame edges and washes out.
What resolution is included?
At the base rate, rather than as an upsell. True HD 1080p should be a floor, not an extra.
Is every item logged and tracked?
Under chain of custody, from intake to return. If your order is a box number rather than an inventory, nobody can say what went missing.
Do originals come back in the same shipment?
Converting film does not consume it. If returning it costs extra, or is optional, ask why.
What is the rush fee?
Quoted per order, or as a percentage? And what happens if a reel needs unexpected work? A confident date on unseen material is a promise made before anyone looked.
The one people skip.
“Is it sent out?” matters most. A service that forwards your film to a third party cannot tell you where it is, cannot quote a real queue, and has added handoffs to the one thing you cannot replace. Ask it first.
When a cheaper option is genuinely fine
If you have three reels of unknown content and simply want to see what is on them, a mail-in box service will do that, and it will cost less than we will. Where it stops being fine is when the material matters, the film is fragile, or you want a scan you will not need to redo. We would rather tell you that than take an order you regret.
Ask us first.
Send a photo of one reel and a rough count. We answer all eight in writing, with no obligation.