6 Things You Must Know About Preserving Your Photos
Organize, digitize, preserve and share your family pictures.
1. Prepare to share.
Family members may want their own copies of Grandma’s wedding album. You can scan and digitize prints and slides at home (a photo scanner starts at about $200), but if you have a lot of pics, send them to a service such as FotoBridge or ScanCafe. Ask for 600 dpi (dots per inch) resolution for prints and at least 3,000 dpi for slides so that recipients can enlarge the images later. You’ll pay 22 to 33 cents each for files saved in JPEG format, which is good enough to post, say, on Facebook. But for archival purposes, ask for files saved as uncompressed TIFFs (which include all the image’s original data); at ScanCafe, you’ll pay an extra 24 cents apiece.
2. Back everything up.
To preserve your photos, you can’t beat redundancy. Save negatives and slides in their original packaging. Save digital shots not only to your hard drive but also to an external hard drive and an online site, such as Flickr. Have your most important images printed using professional-grade processes and materials.
3. Shoeboxes are for shoes.
Prints deteriorate when exposed to excess light and extremes of temperature and humidity. Look for sheets or envelopes that will protect them and won’t cause fading or staining, and store them in special binders or albums. Such archival-quality products are typically made of acid- and lignin-free paper or inert polyethylene and polyester. Good sources include Gaylord, Hollinger Metal Edge, Light Impressions and University Products .
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
4. Restore when necessary.
Scanning services will include touch-up and color correction of your images. But what if an important family photo is torn, stained or faded? A skilled conservator can repair and restore it, but you’ll pay $125 to $250 an hour. So if you just want to remember Uncle Frank’s face, a corrected scan may be sufficient. If you think the photo might be a rare example of a 19th- or 20th-century photographic process, have it assessed by an appraiser (find one at www.appraisersassociation.org) or a conservator (www.conservation-us.org) to learn whether restoration is worthwhile.
5. Add an ID.
Preserving photos for the future is pointless if they’re unidentified, says professional photo conservator Tom Edmondson. Label prints on an edge of the back in pencil or with a felt-tip marking pen with pigmented ink that won’t fade or discolor over time. Instead of organizing photos chronologically, sort them into large and meaningful categories, such as “The Seventies,” “Holidays” and “Vacations.” And be selective. Weed out duplicates and fuzzy shots.
6. Get expert advice.
For prints, go to the National Archives’ Web site. You’ll learn how to display photographs, care for vintage albums, deal with photos stuck to “magnetic” pages, and more. For digital images, go to the Library of Congress.
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
-
Take Charge of Retirement Spending With This Simple Strategy
To make sure you're in control of retirement spending, rather than the other way around, allocate funds to just three purposes: income, protection and legacy.
By Mark Gelbman, CFP® Published
-
Here's How To Get Organized And Work For Yourself
Whether you’re looking for a side gig or planning to start your own business, it has never been easier to strike out on your own. Here is our guide to navigating working for yourself.
By Laura Petrecca Published
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2024 and 2025
Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up. Here's what you need to know.
By Jackie Stewart Last updated
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnb
real estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
By Miriam Cross Published
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute Vacation
Travel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.
By Vaishali Varu Last updated
-
How to Figure Out How Much Life Insurance You Need
insurance Instead of relying on rules of thumb, you’re better off taking a systematic approach to figuring your life insurance needs.
By Kimberly Lankford Last updated
-
Amazon Big Deal Days Is Coming! We’ve Got All the Details
Amazon Prime To kick off the holiday season with a bang, Amazon Big Deal Days runs Tuesday, October 8 and Wednesday, October 9.
By Bob Niedt Last updated
-
How to Shop for Life Insurance in 3 Easy Steps
insurance Shopping for life insurance? You may be able to estimate how much you need online, but that's just the start of your search.
By Kaitlin Pitsker Published
-
Five Ways to Shop for a Low Mortgage Rate
Becoming a Homeowner Mortgage rates are high this year, but you can still find an affordable loan with these tips.
By Daniel Bortz Last updated
-
Retirees, It's Not Too Late to Buy Life Insurance
life insurance Improvements in underwriting have made it easier to qualify for life insurance, which can be a useful estate-planning tool.
By David Rodeck Published