Question 1

Are my originals safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You choose how to post your box to us — we recommend a tracked, insured service for irreplaceable items — and we pay for a tracked and insured return once your order is complete. Every item is handled by hand — no bulk feeders, no automated hoppers. Your originals are always returned to you; nothing is ever kept, discarded or altered. From the moment your box arrives, it's logged against your order reference and stored securely until it's back in the post to you.

Question 2

How long does it take?

Accepted Answer

Typical turnaround is 2–3 weeks from the day your box arrives with us. Archive orders take 4–6 weeks, because cataloguing and research take real, careful time. We email you the moment your box arrives, and again at every stage — so you always know exactly where your memories are.

Question 3

What if my tapes or photos are damaged or mouldy?

Accepted Answer

Send them anyway — damage is exactly why digitising matters. We assess everything on arrival and dust photos, slides and negatives with air only. Mouldy tapes are inspected before capture; where playback would risk the tape or our equipment, we'll contact you before doing anything. You only ever pay for what we successfully digitise.

Question 4

Do you repair or restore my original photos and tapes?

Accepted Answer

No — and this is a promise, not a limitation. We never alter, clean up or physically repair your originals in any way. Everything is scanned exactly as it is. If you'd like, we offer digital enhancements — scratch & dust reduction and colourisation — but these are applied only to the digital files, and you always receive the faithful untouched scan alongside the enhanced copy.

Question 5

What's the difference between the three packages?

Accepted Answer

Digitise is the simplest: you pack your own box, we digitise everything and return it. Preserve adds our Preservation Kit — a rigid box with archival acid-free sleeves and labelled dividers; you post us your originals as normal, and we re-house them into the Kit and return them better protected than they arrived. Archive is our flagship: everything in Preserve, plus every item individually named and catalogued, people matched across the collection, approximate dating, independent family research, one research goal, and a written Family Findings Document.

Question 6

What's in the Preservation Kit?

Accepted Answer

A rigid postal box, archival acid-free sleeves and envelopes, labelled dividers, and a guidance leaflet. You send us your originals in your own packaging; we re-house everything into the Kit and post it back to you. The sleeves are yours to keep — the Kit keeps protecting your collection long after we've finished.

Question 7

How does the Archive research work, and what do I need to give you?

Accepted Answer

Research is only as good as its starting points. At checkout, Archive orders complete a short intake questionnaire: full names of key family members (including maiden names) and how they relate to you, approximate dates and places, anything written on the backs of photos, and your one research goal phrased as a single clear question. We then match people across your collection, estimate dates, and research the people you've named using public records and local history sources. Everything we find goes into your written Family Findings Document, delivered in the same folder as your digitised files. One honest note: findings can never be guaranteed — records are sometimes lost to time. What we guarantee is a rigorous, documented search.

Question 8

What resolution do you scan at? JPEG or TIFF?

Accepted Answer

Prints are scanned at 600 DPI and film (slides and negatives) at 2400 DPI, delivered as high-resolution JPEG as standard. Lossless TIFF is available on request at no extra charge — just mention it when you order. Video is delivered as MP4 and audio as MP3, with WAV available on request.

Question 9

Can you digitise commercial or copyrighted tapes?

Accepted Answer

We digitise home recordings only. It's your responsibility to check your tapes before sending, to remove any commercial or copyrighted material — pre-recorded films, TV box sets, purchased music — and to make us aware if you're unsure about anything in your box. If we spot commercial content, we'll set it aside and return it undigitised. By placing an order, you confirm that everything you send is your own home recording or material you hold the rights to.

Question 10

How does the cloud download work? How long is the link valid?

Accepted Answer

When your files are ready, we email you a secure private download link. It's valid for 60 days — plenty of time to download everything and make your own backup copies. We recommend downloading to at least two places. If you'd rather have a physical copy as well, add a USB stick to your order for £14.99.

Question 11

Do you look at my photos and videos?

Accepted Answer

Only as needed for quality checking — making sure every scan is straight, sharp and complete — and, on Archive orders, for the cataloguing and research you've asked us to do. Complete discretion, always. Nothing is ever kept after delivery: your files are deleted from our systems 30 days after you confirm safe receipt.

Question 12

What if you can't digitise something I send?

Accepted Answer

You only pay for what we successfully digitise. If a tape turns out to be blank, or an item can't be captured safely, we'll tell you, adjust your invoice, and return it with everything else.

Question 13

Where are you based? Is my media ever sent abroad?

Accepted Answer

We're based in Doddington, Cambridgeshire, and everything happens here in the UK. Your memories never leave the country — no outsourcing, no overseas processing, ever.

Frequently asked questions