Album Scanning in Victoria. You Get Your Albums Back.
Scanning an album does not use it up. Most albums are scanned page by page, still bound, and go home in the same condition they arrived. Nothing is mailed away and nothing is thrown out. You end up with your album back on the shelf and a digital copy the whole family can watch on any phone, TV, or laptop.
You get your albums back
Every album comes home to you in the same condition it arrived. Your originals never leave my Colwood workshop, nothing is mailed away, and nothing is thrown out. You leave with everything you came in with, plus the digital copies.
Most albums are never opened up
I scan the pages as they sit in the album, so the layout, the handwriting and the captions stay exactly where your family put them. If an album is already falling apart and the photos would be safer out, I ask you first.
The scan is a second copy, not a replacement
The album stays yours and stays on the shelf. The difference is that your kids and grandkids can finally see what is inside it, from any phone or TV, without anyone handling those pages again.
Albums Age Whether Anyone Opens Them Or Not
Photo albums were never built to last decades. Adhesives dry out and turn acidic, plastic sleeves trap moisture, and magnetic pages slowly bond to the prints behind them. All of that happens quietly in a closet, with nobody touching a thing. Scanning does not speed any of it up. It just means that when a page finally lets go, the picture on it is already safe.
How It Works
Drop-Off in Colwood
Use my online form to book a private drop-off time. This ensures I can review your items with you personally when you arrive.
Approve Estimate
Once I have your project, I don't just process it. I inspect the condition of every tape and page. If I find something that needs special attention, I’ll call you.
Enjoy and Share
You'll get a private link to everything, and a USB drive to keep if you want one. You can finally watch your memories on your phone, tablet, or TV.
Types of Albums I Digitize
Standard Photo Albums
I scan the pages in place so the original layout and any handwritten notes come with them. If the photos lift out easily and you would rather have each one scanned on its own, I can do that instead, and every photo goes back to you.
Magnetic and Sticky-Page Albums
These are the albums that cause the most damage over time. The adhesive dries and becomes acidic, yellowing and sticking to photos. I have specific techniques for handling them without tearing the prints.
Scrapbook-Style Albums
The context around the photos is part of the memory. I scan scrapbook pages as complete compositions so the layout, captions, and ephemera are preserved alongside the images.
What Album Scanning Costs
Scanned in the Album, $6.30 per page
The album stays exactly as your family made it. Every caption, layout, and handwritten note is captured with the photos. $5.80 a page at 100 or more.
Photos Lifted Out, $4.20 per page
For albums that are already coming apart, and only if you tell me to go ahead. The photos come out, get scanned individually on the fast scanner, and come back to you with the album and every photo accounted for. Taking an album apart always costs less than scanning it whole. $3.70 a page at 100 or more.
Oversized Pages, $11.50 per page
Large scrapbook pages bigger than the scanner bed, captured in sections and stitched into one seamless image. $11 a page at 100 or more.
Individual Crops, 55 cents per photo
An optional add-on to page scanning: I crop each photo off its page and save it as its own separate file, so single pictures are easy to find and share.
Three Ways I Digitize Photo Albums
Every album is different. These are the three ways I work, chosen for the condition of the album, your budget, and how you want the memories kept. Whichever one we pick, the album and every photo in it comes back to you.
Scan Album Pages As-Is
Best for: Scrapbook-style albums, handwritten notes, captions, and visual layouts. I scan the entire page intact, preserving the original context, including writing, decorations, and photo placement, exactly as it exists today.
Photos Lifted Out
Best for: albums where the photos lift out easily and you want the lower price. I take the photos out, scan them individually, and everything comes back to you. It costs a lot less and gives cleaner, higher resolution images, which suits big legacy albums. I never do this without asking you first.
Sticky and Magnetic Pages
Best for: Sticky, self-adhesive, or plastic-overlay albums. These are the riskiest to handle. I use slow, controlled techniques, often scanning pages intact, to avoid tearing or image loss. If removal is unsafe, I won't force it.
A Careful, Album-First Approach
I don't treat albums like loose photos, because they aren't. Before I scan anything I look at the album type, the page material, the state of the adhesive, and whether the photos are stable. Most albums are best scanned page by page with the album still bound. A few are already failing, and the photos are safer out than in. I tell you which one yours is and what I recommend, and nothing comes out of an album without your approval. When the job is done, the album and every photo in it goes home with you.
Asked Often
Do I get my photo albums back?
Yes, always. Your albums come back to you in the same condition they arrived, usually within a week or two. They never leave my Colwood workshop, nothing is mailed away, and nothing is thrown out. At pickup you get your albums plus your digital files on a private download link, or on a USB drive if you would rather have one.
Do you have to take my album apart to scan it?
No. Most albums are scanned page by page with the album still bound, so nothing is disturbed and the layout and handwriting come with the photos. Lifting the photos out is only worth considering when an album is already failing, it costs less when it is the right call, and I never do it without asking you first.
Does scanning damage the photos?
No. A scan is a photograph of your photograph. Nothing is cut, trimmed, peeled, or altered, and the digital copy does not replace the original. Your album stays yours and goes back on the shelf. The pictures inside it are simply safe now from the album itself.
How much does album scanning cost?
Scanning pages right in the album is $6.30 per page ($5.80 at 100 or more), and everything on the page comes with it — captions, layouts, handwriting. If the album is coming apart anyway, I can take it apart and scan the photos individually at $4.20 per page ($3.70 at 100 or more) — taking an album apart always costs less than scanning it whole. Oversized scrapbook pages are $11.50 per page, and for 55 cents a photo I can crop each picture off its page into its own file. Every job starts with a free estimate, so you will know the exact cost before I touch a single page.
Will you remove photos from the album?
Only if the album is already failing, and only with your approval. Every photo comes back to you with the album. Most albums are better scanned page by page with the album still bound, and I'll tell you which yours is and why.
What about sticky magnetic albums?
I can work with them. These are the trickiest to handle and I won't rush them. I'll let you know what's possible before starting.
Can you preserve the handwriting and captions on the pages?
Yes. Page-by-page scanning captures everything on the page, including handwritten labels, dates, and decorations, exactly as it appears in the album.
What if photos are stuck to the page?
I can scan through sleeves or scan the full page safely.
How long does it take?
A standard album of 40-60 pages is typically part of a 1-2 week project. I'll give you a timeline at drop-off.
What My Clients Say
“I found a tape of my grandmother telling family stories from the 80s. I was terrified to play it. Dave handled it so carefully and the digital audio file he sent me is a treasure my whole family now has. The fact that I could just drop it off in Colwood was a huge relief.”
Transparent pricing. Every job guaranteed.
Every job starts with a free estimate. See typical costs before you commit, and if anything isn't right when I'm done, I'll fix it at no charge.
Your albums go home. The memories go everywhere.
Book a drop-off in Colwood and I'll look at every album and tell you exactly what I recommend before I touch anything. The digital copies are a backup, not a replacement. You keep everything.