As perfectionists in image processing, we realise that there is a danger with perfection - you can never attain it. At Oscans we try to get as close to perfection as possible, so that our scans are at a standard that is good for most people in most circumstances nearly all the time.

As a scanning and archiving specialist, Oscans has handled a variety of image collections, for families, photographers and large organisations (see our News page for details). Our experience in handling different types of image media means that we have a high throughput capacity and you will receive your scanned images within a reasonable time frame.

Oscans will give you all of your image files "as scanned" as well as "optimised" with our Photoshop processing recipes, which we have refined over the last decade. We believe that the results will be of high quality at a very reasonable price per scan.

We know that your images are precious to you, so we are happy to give you a few free test scans, so that you know what to expect from our service. You are also welcome to make an appointment at our Sydney CBD office, if you would like to review our processes and facilities.

Oscans produces quality digital scans of photographs in a variety of print and film formats.

We use the term "print" to refer to any printed photographic image, while "film" may refer to negatives or positives (which are often in slide form).

Once we have scanned these images, we arrange them as digital files for display on your computer, TV or other digital device.

Oscans specialises in scanning and archiving images, meaning that you can have your negative, slide and transparency film scanned to view in digital format.

We currently do not offer any service for chemical processing or printing, but you are welcome to take our results and print them through other specialist printing services.

Digitising your photo collections can take a great deal of dedicated time over several years and your images can degrade substantially in that period. Can you afford to wait?

Oscans has invested in state of the art, pro-lab equipment and we are heavily focused on doing one thing: providing a professional, high end archiving service efficiently.

Additionally, we have developed batch post-processing recipes which we apply to all images, improving quality substantially and often bringing worn and faded images back to life. As we have been specialists in the field for over a decade, so you can expect a consistent result from our scans.

At Oscans we are geared to scan very large commercial and private image collections. The efficiency in setting up systems and profiles for larger collections means that we can substantially reduce the price for higher volume jobs.

If you only have a few images to scan, you may consider bringing more images so that you can get the best value for your scanning needs. Many of our smaller clients continue to work with us to eventually scan their entire photographic archives!

Even if you maintain that you only want a few items scanned, we are open to receiving your work. Don't hesitate to [contact us] so that we can discuss your requirements.

TIFF files are uncompressed images which are an archival file standard, containing all information extracted from a scan. JPEG files are compressed and are typically 1/20th of the TIFF file size, but are good for most general applications.

As part of our standard service, you will receive your images on a CD in TIFF format "as scanned", as well as in JPEG format which is "optimised" with our Photoshop processing recipes. As the "optimised" images are generally vastly improved in tonality and colour, our clients typically prefer to use these for their purposes.

Oscans is quite happy to produce an additional copy of the "optimised" images in TIFF format at no extra price, as long as you supply us with a FireWire or portable storage device and forgo the CD.

Oscans standard service for colour film-based images includes the application of a dust removal technology called Digital ICE, which physically detects the existence of dirt and scratches and compensates for these imperfections in the output image (see more in next answer).

Digital ICE is very effective with small blemishes in film images, however, if the image is extremely dirty, or if it is a photographic print or other format, there are ways to physically clean the image to reduce the amount of dirt on a scan.

If you choose to do this, you must be very careful! NEVER blow on your images with your lips. Exhaled air is wet and will very likely cause long-term damage. We also recommend that you do NOT use compressed air cans, as some contain a propellant which may leave a mark on the film surface.

You may consider a blower brush from a photo supplier, as long as you do NOT touch the bristles with your fingers, as doing so may cause the bristles to acquire skin oils, which may cause marking.

Microfibre or anti-static clothes may also be effective cleaning tools, if caution is applied so that any dirt moved across the image does not scratch the surface.

You can even re-wash photographic film in very clean water (CAUTION: we do not recommend this for prints!). We have experimented successfully with washing mould spots from positive strips with a mild Swipe solution (Swipe is a water-based dispersant, NOT "Spray and Wipe"), but extreme care is required when drying, so that lint from cloth or tissues does not cling to the image.

Digital ICE is proprietary technology owned by Kodak and is used on our Kodak-HR500 Plus Scanner. It electronically removes the appearance of nearly all surface defects from colour photographic film, including dust, scratches and mould.

Each image is scanned twice, and the surface is analysed to determine the imperfections. It is then electronically processed to eliminate the flaws. In some extreme cases, the image can soften slightly, but this tends to be apparent only at the highest magnification.

We have found that while Digital ICE is very effective for film scans, the extent of the softening that occurs in print scanning is unacceptable by our standards. Digital ICE also cannot be applied to black and white film. To address this issue, Oscans applies our own propriety system of digital dust-removal as part of our post-processing recipe to prints and black and white film.

If you have any enquiries about how Digital ICE may be applied to other image formats, [contact us].

Good News: Kodachrome can be ICE'd with our systems. We use the best Kodak slide scanner ever made, the Kodak HR 500 Plus. You are welcome to send us a few to test at no charge for scanning.

A very high quality print requires 300 dots per inch (DPI) printed onto the paper. Oscans standard service is to create a digital image at least 2200 x 3300 pixels across the edges. We believe that this is sufficient to print onto A4 at 300DPI, but may also print to A3 at a lower resolution.

To obtain this pixel count, we adjust the pixels per inch (PPI) captured by the scanner based on the physical size of the photo.

For our standard service, a 6x4 inch print will be scanned at approximately 600PPI and a 135 film negative will be scanned at approximately 2400PPI. Higher quality scans will have greater PPI and will print at high quality to a larger print size.

All film cameras, modern and old, were capable of producing images that are at least this resolution.

Key factors that differentiate pricing include:

We believe our prices are very reasonable and we are happy to provide a quote for your scans once we have determined your specific needs and have reviewed your collection. Please [contact us] for more information.

We understand this concern, as we would feel the same about our own images!

Oscans staff treats all forms of client photography with at least the same sort of quality and care that we would give to our own images. Film strips are handled with clean white gloves. All film is kept covered and in its holder until the time it enters our scanners. We minimise any contact with (or exposure to) the film surface.

Be assured that your images will NEVER leave our CBD premises, unless you have particular delivery requests. We also make a point to leave no rubbish bins near our storage and scanning areas!

We are located in a secure office building in the city that is completely locked up when we are not present.

If you have concerns, you are invited to arrange an appointment to visit our offices and have a look at our facilities. Some prints are too important to let out of your premises - if this is the case, give us a call so that we can discuss any special arrangements.

At Oscans, we make an effort to minimise cropping of your scans, to get as much information as we can from every picture. As a result, our devices may occasionally overscan the image, leaving a black (or white) edge. We apply quality control to all of your images to crop the edges out of these scans; however, it is possible that we occasionally miss a sliver across the side of your image.

This issue is easily fixable using standard image cropping tools. If you have any concerns about the way your images have been scanned, do not hesitate to give us a call.

When you receive your digitised film images, you might notice a slight difference between your scans and any other printed copies that you may have.

There are many reasons why you may perceive a difference:

Oscans is prepared to work with you in order to get consistently favourable results.