BritePix Photos, Slides and Negatives scanning service
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FAQ

General Questions

 
  1. Why should my photos or mounted-slides be converted to a digital format?
  2. Why can't I scan my photos to a CD myself?
  3. Do you scan any type of photos?
  4. Can I order copies of my digital images?
  5. Will I be able to see my photos on my DVD?
  6. Can you print more copies of my photos for my family?

"Fill out an online order Form" Questions

 
  1. What resolution should I choose?
  2. Can I make a change in my order after it has been submited?
 

"Mail us your pictures" Questions

 
  1. How should I prepare and package my photos, negatives or slides?
  2. How should I mail my photos, negatives or slides?

"We digitize your photos" Questions

 
  1. How long will it take to scan my photos?
  2. What format will you scan my photos to?
  3. What's the difference of scanning my photos to a CD or a DVD?
  4. Some of my photos are faded and damaged. What can be done about it?
  5. In what order will you arrange my photos on the disk?

"We ship you back the complete order" Questions

 
  1. Will you return my photos?
  2. What payment methods do you accept?
  3. Can you post my photos to the web?

"DVD Slideshow Movie" Questions

 
  1. Can I play the DVD Slideshow Movie in any DVD player?
  2. What is the difference of a DVD Slideshow Movie and a "plain" JPEG DVD?
  3. What Country/Video format is used?
  4. Does the movie include a musical background?
  5. Can I order copies of my DVD movie?
  6. Is it possible to customize my DVD movie?
  7. What is the difference of a DVD Slideshow Full Featured and a DVD Slideshow Basic?

General Questions

  1. Why should my photos be converted to a digital format?
    There are plenty of reasons!.

  2. Why can't I scan my photos to a CD myself?
    Actually you can, but it is a very time consuming task, especially when a large amount of pictures is involved. Consumer market scanners are somewhat slow, so "raw scanning" 100 photos could take more than 3 hours, plus the time and effort it takes to rotate, crop, correct, enhance, and save the files. Besides, quality scanning of slides and negatives requires special equipment and technology which is not available to most consumers.

  3. Do you scan any type of photos?
    We can scan any size of printed photos up to 8.5" x 12". We will not scan photos depicting pornography, child abuse, or animal cruelty. Nudity is acceptable as long as it's considered artistic and not pornographic. Our judgement in this matter is final.

  4. Can I order copies of my digital images?
    We keep a copy of your order on file for 30 days. You can order additional copies of your digitized images from us during that period. After that, you can send us the original disk and we will make additional copies for a resonable fee, or you can make copies of your disk yourself. If you opted in for a free personal web album, you can always download your images from the web, but these images may have a lower resolution than the original files.

  5. Will I be able to see my photos on my DVD?
    Yes, most new DVD players are JPEG-compatible, so that you will be able to see photo slide shows. You can also view a DVD Slideshow Movie of your photos in any DVD.

  6. Can you print more copies of my photos for my family?
    Yes. We use a third party printing service which will be available for you once your photos are posted to your personal web album. You can choose which photos to print, quantities, and type of photographic paper. You can choose to print your photos on a variety of articles as well, like shirts, coffee mugs and key holders. They will mail the prints directly to you.

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"Fill out an online order form" Questions

  1. What resolution should I choose?
    That depends on what you intend to do with your pictures. For photo prints, 150 dpi is enough for posting to the Web, viewing on your computer screen, or printing at fair quality. If you want to print with good quality at original size, then 300 dpi is your choice. If you want to enlarge and print, or zoom in on an object, then you should choose 600 dpi. Remember, the larger the resolution, the bigger your files will be, and the slower it will be for computers to process them or to travel over the internet. The same principles apply to slides and negatives. Learn more about resolution and dpi.

  2. Can I make a change in my Order after it has been submited?
    Yes, provided we have not processed your order. You can give us a call toll free, but any changes are considered firm only after you indicate them in writing by email, using this contact form. Cancelled orders are charged only for shipping expenses.

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"Mail us your pictures" Questions

  1. How should I package my photos, negatives or slides?
    Photo prints should be carefully packed in envelopes. Photo negatives should be placed in envelopes, protective sleeves, or archival sheets. Film strips should not have more than 6 frames per strip. Slides should be stacked in piles of up to 50 slides, wrapped in plastic and tightly tied with rubber bands. DO NOT SEND SLIDES IN CAROUSELS, TRAYS, OR MAGAZINES, since we will not accept them. In general, no loose materiales should be mailed, and all material should be wrapped in plastic or put in a plastic bag. You may include a piece of paper containing clearly printed instructions regarding your material, such as special requirements, or retouching services. If you want your photos, negatives or slides to be scanned in a particular order, please have them arranged and properly numbered on the back or on a label prior to mailing. Do not forget to print your Return Address in the envelope, box or parcel you use to mail your materials. Learn more about the order arrangement for your photos, or learn more about how to package your materials.

  2. How should I mail my photos, slides, or negatives?
    We strongly advise to mail all material using USPS Priority Mail, USPS Express Mail, or other courier services like FedEx or UPS. We also encourage the use boxes or envelopes provided by your prefered courier, as they will prevent bending of photos and negatives. Do not forget to print your Return Address in the envelope, box or parcel you use to mail your materials. Learn more about how to ship your materials.

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"We digitize your photos" Questions

  1. How long will it take to scan my photos?
    Our current turnaround is 5 business days for jobs under 500 and 10 business days for jobs under 1000. Please contact us for larger quantities, or to inquiry about the possibility of processing a rush order.

  2. What format will you scan my photos to?
    We usually scan to the compressed JPEG format with high quality. This format is compatible with practically every image viewing and editing software application on earth, and being compressed, takes much less time to be processed by computers and other devices like DVDs. Upon request, we can scan to other formats like BMP, PSD, TIFF, or PNG.

  3. What's the difference of scanning my photos to a CD or a DVD?
    A DVD can hold up to 4 gigabytes of information, and a CD holds up to 600 megabytes. That means that a DVD is capable of storing approximately 615 uncompressed 6" x 4" photo files scanned at 300 dpi, compared to approximately 92 by a CD.

  4. Some of my photos are faded and damaged. What can be done about it?
    No problem! All of our scanning services include basic enhancement services for all pictures. This includes rotation, cropping, and color correction. If your photos need a more advanced correction, we will be happy to give you a quote for those services. You may call us toll free or contact us by email for further information about enhancement services.

  5. In what order will you arrange your photos on the disk?
    We will scan and save your photos in the same order you send them to us. You should arrange your photos by theme or event in smaller batches and band them together. You should also number each photo or mounted slide on the back with a graphite pencil. Envelopes and plastic bags containing photo batches can also be numbered or labeled to indicate us the proper scanning order. You can also include a clearly printed piece o paper with special instructions for us.

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"We ship you back the complete order" Questions

  1. Will you return my photos?
    Unless you specifically decline so, we will return your original photos, negatives, and slides along with your digitized images in a CD or DVD, via Fedex 2nd Day or USPS Priority Mail. You will be charged for shipping at our cost.

  2. What payment methods do you accept?
    Payment can be completed through PAYPAL, the largest and most recognized online payment agent. You DO NOT need a PAYPAL account in order to complete payment. You only need any valid VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express card. Please note thaf your debit/credit card must have a Card Verification Number on the back, and that American Express Corporate Cards cannot be used in conjuction with PAYPAL at this time. For more information on PAYPAL, please click here. We also accept payments over the phone with any major credit card. Please DO NOT send checks, cash or money orders along with your photos, slides or negatives.

  3. Can you post my photos to the web?
    Sure! We will post your photos to a private Web Album and provide you with a Web address, which will be known only by you and the people you share it with. At your request, we will protect your gallery with a password. Click here to view a sample Web album. This service is given at no additional cost to you for a period of 6 months, after which you can request us to renew this service for additional periods.

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"DVD Slideshow Movie" Questions

  1. Can I play the DVD Slideshow Movie in any DVD player?
    Yes. DVD Slideshows movies are created using the MPEG-2 video format, which is compatible with all DVD players and DVD-ROM units.

  2. What is the difference of a DVD Slideshow Movie and a "plain" JPEG DVD?
    If you save your JPEG image files to a DVD or even a CD, you can watch an "automatic" slideshow of your images when you insert the CD or DVD disk in a JPEG-compatible DVD player. This slideshow does not feature background music, titles, menus, transitions between photos, or special effects, as does a DVD Slideshow Movie. Most recent DVD players are JPEG-compatible, but you should consult your DVD player manual for this feature if you intend to view "plain" JPEG slideshows of your digitized images. Remember, you can view your JPEG slideshow on you DVD player even if your photos were stored to a CD.

  3. What Country/Video format and what disk type are used to produce a DVD Slideshow Movie?
    By default, the NTSC format is used. This is the TV format used in the United States and Latin America. The PAL format is available by request for those residing in Europe or most Asian countries. Disk type used is DVD-R, compatible with most DVD players in the market.

  4. Does the movie include a musical background?
    Yes. For Full-Featured DVD Slideshows one looped song is included in the price. You can request the inclusion of more songs at an additional charge. Because of copyright reasons, you should include a disk with your preferred song(s) when mailing us your photos. This song should be in any standard format (mp3, mpg, wav) or in a regular music CD. Your disk will be returned along with the rest of materials. Alternatively, you can request us to buy and download from the Internet your preferred song. Consult our pricing information.

  5. Can I order copies of my DVD movie?
    Yes. Each copy costs $15. After we mail you your DVD Slideshow Movie, we do not keep copies of it, so If you want us to make a copy, you should send in your original disk.

  6. Is it possible to customize my Full-Featured DVD Slideshow Movie?
    Yes! After your materials arrive, one of our graphic artists and technicians will contact you to coordinate details such as your choice of music genre, titles, etc. Although some of the production details must be left to our expert editors' best effort, feel free to consult and make suggestions to help us customize your Full-Featured DVD Slideshow to your preferences and needs. Basic DVD Slideshows are not customizable.

  7. What is the difference of a DVD Slideshow Full-Featured and a DVD Slideshow Basic?
    A Full-Featured Slideshow includes a main title slide, unlimited chapter slides, special-effect transitions between slides, and a musical background synchronized to the slideshow. A Basic Slideshow does not include titles, chapters or music. Each slide runs for 5 seconds, with a fade in/fade out transition between slides.

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