Old photographs - how to copy

hollydays

My kids would like copies of photos of their late dad. How / where do I take these to get copies.

neilwoods

If you have an all in printer, scanner & copier. Could scan them in yourself, assuming they are photographs, if negatives, can get negative scanner.

Once scanned at a decent resolution, could print out yourself or take to somewhere like boots, asda or online and get good quality prints done.

aerostar

If you have a digital camera then use the close up mode and in daylight on a cloudy but bright day (even lighting) take a photographs of the prints and print the best ones out. A little trial and error and you can get first class results.

Icey370

I did this a few years ago with a scanner. Pictures turned out great! Only problem is that is does takes quit a bit of time (did a few hundred), but it's well worth it!

lemontart

If there are a lot there are several companies that will do it for you if you do not have an all in one printer/scanner- However if not why not invest in one - they can be had from around £40 these days - as a gift for all the family - then spend precious time with your children making new memories scanning them together and telling them the stories behind the pictures as you do them - sharing your happy memories of their dad with them. - Priceless time imho.

I am over time scanning all my old photos and those from the rest of my family as I get time and it evokes so many memories,

DigForVictory

+1 for scan & print - but in the name of heaven Also Save The File as a.jpeg or .bmp not & whatever the scanner software leaves it floating in.

Do then be gentle with the vintage relatives as this may be the first time they've seen so-&-so in years. And while you may get fond smiles & accurate names, you may get shrieks of rage (at a man dead these last 20 years) because the surviving memory is of him using dolly for cricket practice.

Within reason, document every reaction, as you may only get one shot at asking these questions. (Or they may outlive you, but the odds are against them.)

hollydays

Thanks for your replies. My kids aren't tiny any more, but we are all getting together for Christmas this year, and it's part of the ongoing process of remembering and healing a bit more.
Strangely enough I have been given a scanner which I haven't set up yet and am really not familiar with what it can do but I'll get onto that quick. They are mostly photos but I have got a lot of the negatives too.

macman

So unless you have prints of the ones you need, you'll need a negative scanner. Or get prints made of the negs, and scan from those.

WTFH

A negative scanner will give you the best quality results (it can be used for positives as well - i.e. "slides"), but a good quality flatbed scanner can do a pretty good job with photographs.
Save the images as JPG and then burn them onto CDs (or DVDs). While you might want to give the kids printed images, I'd suggest giving them the disks as well. Something that you might not consider as a special one now might mean more to them either now or in the future.

Prothet_of_Doom

aerostar wrote: »

If you have a digital camera then use the close up mode and in daylight on a cloudy but bright day (even lighting) take a photographs of the prints and print the best ones out. A little trial and error and you can get first class results.

Indeed. I do this alot.

InsideInsurance

Many flatbeds either can deal with negatives or have an optional extra component that can be added to facilitate it. Unfortunately many all in one printer/ scanners do

Best option, scan and print. Back up option, photograph the photos and print. Expensive but easiest painful option, pay a company to digitise them for you (and either self print or get them to print)