Preparing your old photos and slides before scanning isn’t just a formality — it’s an essential step in ensuring the best possible digital results. Dust, moisture, and poor organisation can all impact scan quality and cause unnecessary delays.
By properly preparing your media, you can help professionals at Tapes To Digital produce crystal-clear, high-resolution images that preserve your memories for decades.
If you’re new to the digitisation process, it’s worth understanding how professional scanning works — check out our guide on Preserve Priceless Memories: Digitising Your Old Tapes to see why proper care and preparation matter.
Before scanning, invest a bit of time in organising your collection. Sorting your photos helps ensure they’re digitised in the correct order and makes file naming easier later on.
Tips for organising:
Group by event, year, or person. This helps keep your digital files logical and searchable.
Label photo sleeves or bundles using sticky notes (avoid writing directly on the prints).
For slides or negatives, use small labelled boxes or strips with dividers.
This small effort helps Tapes To Digital’s scanning technicians maintain your preferred order and structure during the digitisation process.
Over time, dust and fingerprints accumulate, and even the smallest mark can become visible in a high-resolution scan.
Here’s how to clean safely:
Use a soft microfibre cloth or a gentle lens brush.
For slides or negatives, use a hand air blower (never canned air).
Avoid using water or alcohol, as they can strip the photo emulsion.
Don’t force stuck photos apart — our technicians can safely separate delicate materials.
Professional scanning ensures these fragile materials are digitised with care. Learn more about our slides to digital scanning service, which uses specialised equipment to capture every detail clearly.
Safe packaging is critical when sending precious memories for digitisation — especially for nationwide delivery.
Follow these steps:
Use acid-free envelopes or sleeves for loose photos.
Store slides in labelled plastic or cardboard boxes.
Add tissue paper or bubble wrap to prevent shifting.
Place everything inside a rigid, waterproof container.
Avoid rubber bands — they can stick to or damage photos over time.
If you’re shipping your media, Tapes To Digital provides Australia-wide pickup and delivery services, ensuring secure handling from your home to our facility.
For more preparation insights, you may enjoy reading VHS Tape Preservation Tips Before Digitising — the same principles of protection apply to all physical media.
Once your photos are scanned, you’ll need to decide how to save them digitally. The file type you choose affects image quality, size, and long-term use.
| Format | Ideal For | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Everyday use & sharing | Smaller file size, easy to email and upload |
| TIFF | Archival & restoration | Larger file size, lossless quality, best for editing and printing |
If you’re unsure which is right for you, our technicians can recommend the best option based on your goals. We discuss these choices in detail in our blog on How to Choose the Right VHS to Digital Service.
Your digitisation project is personal — and your preferences matter. Include clear notes when sending your media, such as:
File naming preferences (e.g. “Family Holiday 1998”)
Whether you’d like minor restoration for faded or damaged photos
The order of scanning (by album, date, or event)
At Tapes To Digital, transparency and communication are central to our values. Every project is handled with care, empathy, and professionalism — because we understand that these are more than just images; they’re irreplaceable memories.
Learn more about what drives us:
By sorting, cleaning, and packing your photos correctly, you’re ensuring the highest possible scan quality and protecting your originals during the process.
With Tapes To Digital’s Australia-wide scanning and delivery service, your treasured prints and slides are in safe hands — digitised with precision, preserved for generations.
If you want to go a step further, explore Can You Improve the Quality of Old VHS Tapes With Digitising? — a fascinating look at how professional conversion can restore more than just visual quality.