Common Questions

We can process any mounted slide measuring 50x50mm, this includes 35mm which is by far the most popular format, but also includes Super35mm, 127, 126, 110 and half frame. 
We only scan slides which are mounted in 50mm slides, not film strips or loose negatives.

For normal orders we usually have about 3-4 weeks of work awaiting processing. Small orders are processed in a separate queue which would typically be 7-14 days. If you have an urgent need-by date, just let us know on the order form or when we confirm receipt of the slides.
For emergency orders, we can scan slides within hours of receipt and get images back to you over the internet. If you have a very urgent order just contact us so we can discuss the optimum approach.

Yes we do return the slides. They will be repacked into the box exactly as you sent them to us. If you prefer, you can ask us to dispose of the slides when you have confirmed receipt of the digital copies to us.

Yes, we include a bulk discount within the quote calculation so that the more slides you have the cheaper the price per slide is.

Yes! We are confident that you will be impressed. Send us 5-6 slides or so, we will scan them and email you the images. We will return your sample slides free of charge. Our address can be found on the Contact page.

We will email you an invoice when the scanning is complete and the slides are ready to post. We accept direct bank transfer, credit/debit cards online or over the phone.

If you prefer to pay by cheque, just send this in with the slides. Cheques should be payable to:
THE SLIDE CONVERTER LIMITED

The order form allows selection of any combination of these methods for receiving the digital images:

DVD
Our DVD's will play on a normal set-top DVD player, or on a computer DVD drive, where the disc will contain the jpeg image files. For use with a DVD/TV setup, when you insert the disc the DVD player will recognise that it contains image files (rather than a movie) and will offer to show the images as a silent slideshow. You can skip and pause the images using your DVD players remote control. Please note that set-top DVD players scale down the image quality on the disc to DVD resolution which is well below even HD quality let alone 4K or 8K. Whereas, inserting a USB stick into the TV, in any "smart TV", will display full HD or 4K resolution. In our view its far better to use a USB stick in the TV than using a DVD. 
The DVD is possibly useful as a backup disc but these days most people have their photos backed up in the cloud or other devices.

USB stick
The USB stick and images stored on it, are 100% compatible will all computers (Mac/Windows). The stick should also fit into most TVs made after 2005, just check your TV manual or look just behind the screen on the lower left-hand side for a USB socket.

Internet gallery
We can supply your images in the form an internet download link. The link stays active for 1 year days to allow time to download the images. You can share the link with anyone else you want to have access to the images. The gallery also allows you to order high quality prints of all sizes and many other print items. It is vital that you take a backup of your images during the 90 day period id you have not also ordered a copy on USB stick or DVD.

On larger collections, its sometimes preferable to split the collection into named folders to make finding images easier.
If you select this option on the order form, we'll send some additional instructions asking you to insert the provided numbered slips of paper wherever you want a new folder. Then follow this with an email to us listing the slip number and the folder name you would like us to use.
To keep the cost of this option reasonable, we need the folder names to be typed into an email rather than sent to us in paper form.
You will be able to move images and rename folders as required on your computer should you want to.

Yes, this is an important requirement for most people and one of the main reasons we decided to go to the extra cost of sending every customer our own packing boxes and instructions. After scanning the slides will be placed back in the boxes in exactly the same position as you placed them.

Your slides are scanned so that the resulting image is around 5000 pixels wide by 3500. That is around 17 megapixels in digital photography terminology.
Perfectly exposed slide film is generally accepted to be equivalent to between 10 megapixels (Kodachrome) and 15 megapixels (Fuji Velvia) so we are scanning at a higher resolution than the film itself.
Of course, the quality of the image is much more than just the resolution and that's why we check and adjust the exposure and colour on slides which are too light, dark or have got colour casts such as purple or red due to aging of the chemicals and dyes.  We are dependent on the quality of the original image but we do obtain the best image possible, which in many cases is enhanced beyond what you would see in the projected image. There are a few correction examples on our home page.

The JPEG format which we supply as standard is universal in its use on computing devices (e.g PC or Mac) and across the internet, all social media platforms, all printers and all image editing software. We are happy to supply other image formats if needed though.

Yes. The slide path through our scanner includes a cleaning stage which removes dust and debris using carbon fibre anti-static filaments, followed by air cleaning. This process removes dust which is not physically stuck to the film itself. 
We do not use digital dust removal e.g Nikon Digital ICE. The reason for this is simply that it is widely acknowledged that the digital approach leads to an overall softening of the image which affects the entire picture. The physical dust removal is so effective that typically no dust is noticed in the vast majority of pictures. If you had a special use for a particular image and noticed a dust spot, it would be easy to remove this spot using an image editor. This would retain the benefit of the sharper image on the 99.99% of the image which is not affected by dust.

We are the only company we are aware of that is able to retain this information!  Its done on a project basis which we are happy to discuss and is tailored to the aims and the media.  Just contact us if you believe this is relevant, as you will appreciate, it's not a simple task but we can do everything from double scanning to capture the full slide including the mount, to handwriting recogntion on the notes, text, objects and landmarks in the image (using AI). 

We can supply any format including TIFF.
In our opinion JPEG has the best compatibility with websites, social networks, image editing software, phones, tablets, PC or Mac. High Quality JPEGs offer superb quality for the filesize because they use compression to shrink the file size.  A tiny 10% compression can more than half the filesize.  We can provide JPEGs with 0% compression which is a compromise if yu do not want to go fully down the TIF route.  
TIFF format is more often used in commercial printing and professional editing, it requires more advanced editing software and more computer resources. Tiff files are very large and the space requirements mount up if you have a large number of them. A DVD can be filled by as few as 100 images. Zooming in on our JPEG images and comparing with TIFF there is no preceptible difference between a 7mb JPEG and and a 30mb TIFF image but you could see a difference if performing extensive editing with multiple save/edit again cycles. 

A great way to determine if you need TIFs is, if the collection is just for your own use, what do you do with your current photos?  If you use a full frame DSLR and edit everything from RAW then its likely TIFs are for you and you already knew that before your read this:-)   If you are still not sure, it probably means you will be delighted with the regular JPG's

We’re based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The packing kit that we post out includes a pre-printed address label for us at this address: The Slide Converter Unit A14, Seedbed Business Centre Vanguard Way Southend-on-Sea Essex SS3 9QY NB Our previous address at SS3 9JX is still active so parcels and letters sent to the old address will be received as normal

Yes, thats no problem our reception is open 8.30am to 5pm Monday - Friday.  We also have an alternative address for weekends and out of hours. Please contact us before making a journey.
Our address is:
The Slide Converter Unit A14, Seedbed Business Centre Vanguard Way Southend-on-Sea Essex SS3 9QY

1. Packaging:
We suggest having the free packing box for all but the smallest orders.  A guide would be anything over 60 slides can go in our box but we are flexible with this number becuase you are in the best position to decide how they need to be packed.  If you do want to send us a large number in your own packaging just give us a call or email and we'll work out together the best way forwards.
2. Portrait / Landscape orientation when packing: We include more detailed instructions on this in the package we send out. In brief, the slides should be packed in their "natural orientation", thats exactly as they would go into a projector - Portrait images should have the long edge on the side and landscape pictures with the long edge along the bottom.  Our scan area is large enough to accomode the slides in portrait or landscape.  NB Slides in projector cassettes will be upside-down, its fine to send us the whole collection or large runs of slides upside-down, we can correct these as a batch operation.
3. Correctly "flipping" slides! (the emulsion side) You may or may not be aware that slides have a so called “emulsion side”, most slide photographers would be very aware of this. When scanning your slides its ideal of the whole collection is packed with the emulsion side facing consistently the same way on every slide.  Our convention is to have the view-from side (the shiny, non-emulsion side facing away as you pack.  Tghis is the way they would have been placed into the projector so its often the most natual way.  If your slides are all packed the other way arounf (emulsion facing you) we can still scan them and flip them around in one batchg operation.  So consistency in packing is important. 

If you are not the photographer, you will fortunately most likely find that the whole collection is already ordered with the emulsion side facing consistently in one direction. The packing box we send includes some tips on determining the emulsion side for different makes of slide, so you can double check as you pack and of course we will do our best to correct any which are the wrong way around.

Ultimately, any image found to be incorrect can be easily corrected in just about any photo editing app, or by contacting us.

Our recommended postal services, all available from any post office, are:

For Parcels up to 20KG
    The inexpensive “Royal Mail 1st/2nd class Small or Medium parcel service” has been 100% reliable to date.   However, all Post Offices now offer "TRACKED 24/48", which is tracked in the same way as the much more expensive Special Delivery but is less than a pound more than sending normal untracked small or Medium parcel.   So our recommendation covering nearly all orders is TRACKED 24 or TRACKED 48 from any post office.

For parcels over 20kg or IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE SLIDES COLLECTED
Parcelforce 48 is the cheaper option for parcels and is available at the Post Office too. This is a fully tracked service. If you order Parcelforce online you can request a collection to save you going to the post office.
Order Parcelforce Online

For smaller orders or sample requests being sent in you own packaging. Envelopes LESS than 5mm thick
    1st/2nd class letter post or Special Delivery if you prefer a tracked service.

Packets up to 25mm(1") thick
         Large Letter 1st or 2nd or again, Tracked 24/48 if you prefer a tracked service.