Image Restoration Center Blog Logo

Scancafe Reviews: Should You Trust Them?

scancafe reviews

If you’re looking to revive your old dusty family photos without dragging yourself through the mud of hand scanning, outsourcing a photo scanning service is the best option. From a ton of different photo scanning services available, it is best to order from a company that does a better job, such as Scancafe. Having scanned over 60 million photos, Scancafe is one of the top leading photo scanning services right now!

But why Scancafe, you may ask. Read this Scancafe review to discover what makes Scancafe stand out from the crowd.

a before after of a colorized photo restoration

We’re Not Like ‘Other’ Photo Restoration Services.

Take into account that, unlike other photo restoration services, we don’t just fix the obvious problems and throw a filter over everything – we comb through your images pixel-by-pixel to repair damage & create a perfect restoration of your prints!

Photo Scanning Quality

At Scancafe, quality is a priority. All your paper pictures are scanned using the best Epson 4490s printer, and if you need your slides and negatives restored, they have the Nikon Super CoolScan 5000 & 9000 for that. They process all your photography at 600 DPI and in JPG file formats.

While scanning photos is a gruesome task involving dust cleaning and color correction to bring life to your faded images, Scancafe simplifies this process for you with their efficient review process and quality scanning service.

Delivery Time

scancafe reviews

Depending on how soon you need your photos digitized, Scancafe offers you two options between classic and premium service. 

The classic service will only cost you 29cents per a 7 x 12mm high-resolution scan, including 35mm negatives and slide scanning. If you’re lucky to be ordering a scanning service when they’re running a promo, you will get up to a 60% Scancafe discount depending on the available coupons. The downside of the classic service is that you’ll have to deal with a longer turnaround time of up to a month because this involves shipping your photos to India, particularly Bangalore, where their physical warehouse is located. 

Their premium service has a quicker turnaround of at least ten business days, but you’ll have to sacrifice extra money. This service costs 35cents a scan, an additional 8 cents from their classic option. 

With their recent San Francisco scanning center, you’ll sleep well knowing your precious old photos are well kept in a fireproof room with controlled temperatures, guaranteeing no damage to them. Scancafe’s reliable security makes it impossible for any unauthorized personnel to access your original photos because the only way into the building is through an electronic badge scan at the door. When your high-resolution images are ready, they will be shipped express to your door.

So if you’re eager to view your digitized pictures sooner, feel free to order with their premium service.

Scancafe Prices

scancafe pricing

If you decide to go on a hunting journey for the most affordable scanning service, you’ll discover that Scancafe tops that list. In a world where other scanning services charge as high as 90cents per photo scan, Scancafe can digitally convert thousands of photos for as low as 29cents per photo, a much lower price than your local scanning service. If you’re looking for a video or movie digitization service, Scancafe does it at an affordable price.

Another exciting thing about Scancafe payment plans is that you only pay for the photos you’d like to keep. You can log onto their website to view your revived photos and delete up to 19% of the scans you dislike. This is cost-effective as you’ll only pay for the scans you love afterwards.

However, with the “you get what you pay for” phrase surfacing everywhere online, you might be skeptical about ordering from low-priced scanning services. But with ScanCafe’s best prices coupled up with their exquisite scanning method, outstanding image quality, and the stringent protection of your original photos, you need not be!

Efficient Photo Scanning And Delivery Service

The company has reliable delivery guys that offer door-to-door package delivery. With their advanced tracking system and barcoded packaging boxes, the company quickly follows up on the photographs in transit. 

Every order is monitored on video as it is opened, tallied, and weighed, and one workstation manages all aspects of the processing, including 35mm photographs, prints and slides. Once shipped for delivery, you’ll be updated via email on the shipment status of your photos. 

Upon arrival, you can find packaging instructions on Scancafe’s website. They recommend storing images and negatives in sealed plastic bags such as a Ziploc bag to keep moisture at bay.

Scan In Your Preferred Sequence

If you want your photographs scanned in a particular sequence, Scancafe allows you to combine them and write numbers on the back to indicate the order you’d like them scanned. If you plan to scan your whole family’s photos, you can send in your complete photo album for a small additional fee.

Do The Editing Yourself

scancafe reviews 2022

If you have excellent photo editing skills, you can request Scancafe to scan your photos and leave any color correction editing to you. You can later do advanced editing and cropping on your scanned images through the Pro-resolution option that scans up to 1200dpi for photos and 3000dpi for your slides and negatives. 

Although this costs an additional 10 cents per photo, it wouldn’t bother you if you’re an editing enthusiast.

Downsides Of Scancafe

Polaroid Scans

It is possible to request that Polaroid scans be made without trimming the white border. Trimming and cropping are issues that arise when antique images from the 1960s with that beautiful white border that gives them that natural look is cut. That might not be what you’re looking for. 

However, there is an alternative on the page during the ordering process called “optional scanning remarks,” where you may designate whether or not you wish to retain the border. There is no additional cost for this!

A large Number Of Strips

If you have a strip of negatives, you cannot trim and send individual frames. You have to send in the whole strip. The only remedy is to remove the scans of the frames you don’t want during the preview process; unfortunately, this is aggravating when you have many scanned negatives because Scancafe allows up to 19% deletion of scans.

Patience

Patience is a must, particularly with their basic service. It takes three weeks for you to get a chance to preview your photos online. After selecting the one you like, it’ll take another couple of weeks before the paper pictures are entirely digitized and the mini DV formats delivered to your door. 

On the other hand, if you choose to go for the premium bulk scanning service with a quicker turnaround of your black and white negatives, you’ll need to pay more money.

Scancafe Complaints

Of all Scancafe reviews in 2022, one of the common issues that users have stated is artifacting. This happens when the image is undergoing scratch and dust removal.

The good thing is that with Scancafe photo scanning, as you peruse, sort, and delete the photos you dislike, you can request a re-work on your affected photos during your preview process. 

Most customers have also noted that the red-eye removal process is average and needs improvement. Since Scancafe uses a hand removal method to correct the red-eye on photos, they should switch to using an automated algorithm that efficiently and effortlessly corrects this issue.

Final Thoughts

scancafe reviews

ScanCafe is an excellent option for high-quality paper photos scanned at a low cost. According to the Scancafe website, if you want a low price and are ready to wait for your scans, go with their primary service, which most clients pick. But if you need your old photographs sooner, the increased minor Scancafe prices for rapid bulk scanning service are justified since it remains cheaper than most scanning providers.

a before after of a colorized photo restoration

We’re Not Like ‘Other’ Photo Restoration Services.

Take into account that, unlike other photo restoration services, we don’t just fix the obvious problems and throw a filter over everything – we comb through your images pixel-by-pixel to repair damage & create a perfect restoration of your prints!

share this post