550 Billion Photos

Yesterday, NPR’s “All Things Considered” had a story about companies that scan photos into digital formats. One company president was curious about how many analog photos (printed on paper) are in the U.S., sitting in boxes in basements and attics, and he came up with the figure 550 billion. As the story emphasizes, most photos are not in archival boxes and albums and they are deteriorating.

We have resources on this site if you are interested in tackling your own scanning project, even if it’s 10 photos at a time. For our clients, we scan the photos that will be used in their movies, and if they want we can give them all the digital files of the photos on a hard drive. We also recommend archival products for storing your photos safely, and help our clients make those transfers from the dreaded shoebox. Let us know if you want help or advice about your photo project.

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