More Than 50 Million Photos, Negatives and Slides Scanned by ScanCafe...Only 550 Billion to Go

BURLINGAME, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As of today, ScanCafe, the most trusted photo scanning service, has successfully scanned and repaired over 50 million photos, negatives and slides, by hand, since opening its doors in 2006.  This is the largest number of photographic memories preserved by any scanning service. Yet the job is just begun.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110221/AQ51930LOGO )

A Race Against Time

North Americans have taken well over 550 billion family photos over the last 70 plus years, according to research firm GfK North America. But barely half have even protected a single heirloom photo, something that has traditionally been prohibitively expensive, impractical or time-consuming. The result? Generations of memories are at risk, both to the inevitable decay of photos and to damage from fire, flooding, and even children and pets.

"Our mission is really a race against time," said Sam Allen, CEO of ScanCafe. "The danger is we could be the generation that failed to keep our memories safe, the generation that allowed the past to be forgotten. But the opportunity is that with the technology and craftsmanship available today at ScanCafe, you can have the best consumer photo preservation out there, for just pennies per memory.  So yes, we are proud that we've preserved 50 million photos, but we know we've got to preserve many more, before they are lost forever."

What sets ScanCafe apart is not simply that it has simply done more photo scanning, slide scanning, and negative scanning than any other service, but that it has the highest quality available (as reviewed by top industry publications) and still remains the most affordable solution for almost every consumer. ScanCafe technicians hand-scan and repair every single image, to turn back the clock on photos that have faded, scratched or changed color over the years. With this level of handcrafted attention, a family's memories can look brand new again, and stand the test of time for future generations.

How It Works

Customers simply visit ScanCafe.com and place an order using Amex, Mastercard, or Visa. Customers then print out an integrated United Parcel Service (UPS) shipping label, which they use to mail in their photos. (That integration with UPS allows all orders to be tracked door to door, for maximum safe handling.)

There is no need to pre-sort photos. ScanCafe customers have the ability to preview their scans online, prior to completing payment, and choose which scans they want to pay for (up to 20% may be deleted). The basic photo scanning service includes professional color correction, cropping, scratch, dust and red-eye removal. All selected photos are burned to a photo DVD in high resolution (suitable for at least 2x enlargement, and up to 13" x 9" for slides and negatives) and sent back to the customer along with all their original materials.

Basic scanning prices start at (U.S.) 22 cents per color 35mm negatives and slides, and paper photos to 8"x10". In addition, ScanCafe offers a patent-pending black & white negative scanning service aimed at professional photographers, photojournalists and anyone with black & white 35mm negatives. Black & white negatives can be preserved, with dramatically reduced scratching, for just (U.S.) 69 cents per scan.

About ScanCafe

Founded in 2006, ScanCafe is an award-winning scanning service, serving pro photographers and amateur enthusiasts alike, that is dedicated to preserving memories. ScanCafe scans and digitally repairs old photos, slides and negatives by hand, creating digital files that can be safely stored and shared forever. ScanCafe has successfully scanned and repaired over 50 million images to date, was named best scanning service by Money magazine, and cited for highest quality by Popular Photography and MacWorld. ScanCafe is based in Burlingame, Calif., and serves customers in the United States and Canada. For more information on ScanCafe, please visit http://www.scancafe.com, or follow conversations at http://www.twitter.com/scancafe.

SOURCE ScanCafe