Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains an ever-growing list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Can't see your question in the list? Please get in touch.

• 1. What is Scandango?

  Scandango is a new photo scanning service – designed to be easy to use, high quality and affordable.

• 2. Why the name?

  Well... we like it! We played around with several names for our new baby, and then almost by accident we landed on Scandango and in the same instant we knew that we had cracked it. We think it’s fun. If we were advertising creatives, sprawled over leather sofas tapping pencils on our teeth we might be able to fob you off with a big spiel about the name being a portmanteau word formed from ‘Scanned And Go,’ but we wouldn’t do that to you.

• 3. How does Scandango work?

  It’s simplicity itself...

  • 1. You get a shoebox of your old photographs and send them to us
  • 2. We scan the photographs
  • 3. We burn* the scanned photographs to disc (and store them online if you wish)
  • 4. We return your shoebox of photographs and the disc of scanned photographs back to you

  * Don't worry! That's just what the transfer process is called, anytime we use computer jargon like this and you are unsure then please just get in touch and we will try and cut through the cyber babble :)

• 4. Is there a limit to the number of photographs?

  As a rough guide, a shoebox will hold approximately 1000 photographs. In order to make the service easier for you the customer, we have done away with the concept of fixed price number ranges, all they are likely to do is annoy you as you count through all your photographs.

• 5. Does it have to be a shoebox?

  No, it can be a box or container of a similar size. We chose a shoebox as most people have one somewhere in their house, and often use such a box to store photographs. We are working on the premise that a shoebox will hold approximately 1000 photographs; you could use a bigger box like a boot box but we think we are offering a pretty good deal so we respectfully ask that you do not abuse this service.

• 6. What if I don’t have enough photographs to fill a shoebox?

  We aren’t tyrants; there are options available to you. We recently rolled out a half shoebox range of services to solve this very problem. In all cases if you have questions like this we advise you to get in touch to discuss what your needs are. We have considered, and will consider smaller orders at a reduced price (to be mutually agreed). Another possible option would be to combine your order with a friend or family member to fill a box.

• 7. I have some photographs that are quite small and some photographs that are bigger than A4, is this a problem?

  The Scandango service is optimised for standard sized photographs 6”x4” and the usual variations around that size. The minimum size photograph we can scan is 2.5”x2.5” and the largest size we can scan is the width of an A4 piece of paper (21cm).

  In time we will be adding A3 scanning to our service, if this is of interest to you please get in touch.

  We are able to scan photographs of any size, however if they exceed the dimensions listed above then we have to scan them by hand and this will incur a higher fee.

• 8. Can I send you photo albums?

  Currently Scandango cannot accept photographs in photo albums. There are a few reasons for this:

  • 1. We cannot accept responsibility for damage caused to photographs by removing them from their albums
  • 2. Photo albums increase the weight of your order which in turn will increase the cost of shipping
  • 3. Our prices are so reasonable because we have implemented an efficient process to scanning your photographs. If we had to factor in the time it takes to remove photographs from albums, scan them and return them to the album – the cost of the service would likely become excessive.
• 9. Do I need to do anything to prepare my photographs?

  The scanning technology we use at Scandango is state-of-the-art, and even if we say so ourselves, we are pretty savvy when it comes to scanning. That said, there are a few things you can do to help us. Our service is as automated as possible, in order to keep costs down and maximise the amount of photographs we can scan for you please consider the following points:

  • 1. No photo albums
  • 2. No Blu-Tak, sticky tape or similar adhesive on the photograph
  • 3. Photographs that are on thick card will not go through our main scanner
  • 4. Photographs that are excessively dusty, dirty or marked will not be scanned as they are likely to damage our sensitive scanning equipment and ruin the quality of the scan
• 10. My photographs are fragile will they be okay?

  We genuinely can’t answer that without seeing the problematic photos. Generally we like to be cautious and avoid using our primary scanning equipment for photographs that are likely to get damaged. We have other scanners available that may allow us to scan your photograph, if this is of interest to you please get in touch.

• 11. My photographs are badly creased / damaged will they be okay?

  If the photo is creased you will get a scan of a creased photo. If it is too badly creased or too badly damaged we won’t put it though our primary scanner as there is a risk it would get even more damaged.

• 12. Some of my photographs are a little risqué, is this a problem?

  Without this descending into a Monty Python sketch, we can and will scan your risqué photos if you want us to. Our service is discrete and almost entirely automated. There is no extra charge for this service. Currently Scandango will not be able to host images of a pornographic nature online, and obviously we cannot and will not scan anything that is illegal.

• 13. How long does the process take?

  That depends on how many photographs you have supplied, if there is any preparatory work needed (to be discussed with you) and the quality you select for your scan. Our current lead time is 7-10 working days from us receiving the ordered photographs to you receiving your photographs back with your brand new, shiny, scanned photo disc.

  Emergency/rush jobs are possible – please get in touch to discuss your needs.

• 14. What is the quality like?

  Our standard scan quality is 300dpi – this is more than adequate for most people and will allow you to print the photograph out at the same size as it was scanned and retain the quality. If you want to print the photograph out at a larger size than the original you should consider a 600dpi or 1200dpi scan (this is more expensive though).

  A final thought on this – your computer effectively shows images at 72dpi so 300dpi really is more than sufficient for most people’s needs.

• 15. What does dpi mean?

  DP/dpi stands for dots per inch. The more dots of information in an image, the more detail it contains. You can read more about dpi here.

• 16. Why is it more expensive for a higher dpi?

  Photographs scanned at a higher dpi (dots per inch) take considerably longer than photographs scanned at 300dpi. In the case of a 1200dpi scan it is approximately 4 times longer. The math boffins out there shouldn’t take too long working out why that might be the case!

• 17. How do I get my photographs to you, and how do you return them?

  At the moment, until we iron out a few bumps with shipping, we are primarily focussing on hand delivered shoeboxes, through either yourself or a mutually trusted intermediary.

  You can post or courier your photographs to us, but we have to stress that we can take no responsibility for items lost in transit.

  We use only the best, and high street trusted courier services... TNT, Fed Ex, City Link etc.
  

• 18. What is Special Delivery?

  Special Delivery is a service provided by the Royal Mail. It is a guaranteed and insured service and... it’s ace!

• 19. Would my photographs be covered by Special Delivery insurance?

  No, unfortunately not. In the extremely unlikely situation that Royal Mail Special Delivery loses your parcel it is likely you would only get the cost of the postage back, that would be all. We have researched this point a lot as it is a core aspect of our business. Your photographs are your memories and they are priceless and irreplaceable (though scanning them is a good way of keeping the essence!). Unfortunately photographs have no monetary value so they can't be insured.

  We continue to research this and look for ways to ensure the protection of your photographs, if we find a company or service that will offer more protection to our customers then we will use it.
  

• 20. Can I source my own courier?

  Of course! Please let us know who you want to use.

• 21. There are marks on some of my scans – why is this?

  The scanner we use at Scandango is amazing, real state-of-the-art stuff. It is so sensitive that it can pick up a mark on a photo that can easily have been overlooked. Almost every time we have seen an unusual mark on a scan, closer inspection of the original photograph has revealed a mark was already present.

  We regularly clean our scanner to ensure no foreign matter or debris builds up and affects the quality of our scan. However, technology is temperamental and every now and then, even the best equipment can go awry and produce less than perfect results.

  If you believe your scanned images are marked or are unhappy with the quality, we will do everything in our power to fix them or rescan them for you.

• 22. Do you retouch the photographs?

  No. We can retouch photographs if you want though. Please get in touch to discuss your needs.

• 23. Is the Scandango website secure?

  Yes it is. Is it 100% guaranteed totally secure? No, nothing online should ever make such bold claims. You only have to read the papers and watch the news to see that professional hackers still manage to penetrate the securest of places for fun and to cause chaos.

  Our Scandango website is built on the Shopify platform and is subsequently protected by their own highly developed security protocols. In essence when it comes to you guys making an order from our site you are effectively protected by the same technology and processes that online banks use to keep your bank accounts secure.

  We would not sell anything on a site that we ourselves would question the security of.

  for the more technical minded of you out there, Shopify outline their security policy on their website, the pertinent bit reads:

  SSL Encryption
  Every Shopify store has an industry standard 128 Bit SSL encrypted checkout to protect private data. Shopify ensures that your customers' information and your order data is hidden from prying eyes both during and after transactions.

• 24. Will my images come back in order or will they be random?

  Good question! That's down to you. If you provide the images in order and request that they remain so, you will have your images returned in order. We would ask that you pack your photos carefully, a few of our customers unfortunately failed to do this which meant we received a box of jumbled photos.

  We can either put your images in specific folders, or we can put them all in one large folder, again in both instances these can be arranged in any order you specify.

• 25. How does your shipping insurance work?

  We are confident in the couriers we use, very confident. If we weren't we wouldn't be offering to pay out £200 should your photo package go missing in transit (terms and conditions apply).

  No courier will offer insurance for photographs because they are deemed financially worthless. It is because no courier is prepared to do this that we have decided we will; we understand that whilst photos may be worthless they are also priceless.

  Nothing can replace lost photographs (we know this from personal experience which is why we created Scandango). £200 is never going to replace the photo of your great uncle with his trousers full of ferrets, but we hope you'll agree it is a good gesture. 

  We are quietly confident though that we will never need to give you £200 because our couriers' track record is so solid. 

  In order to qualify for the £200 compensation you must meet all of the following criteria:
  1) You must be a Scandango customer
  2) You must have purchased a minimum of 1 half shoebox photo scanning service. This offer does not apply to the free tester package or our non-photo scanning services and extras.
  3) You must have purchased 'Basic Shipping'. Compensation does not apply for pre-arranged drop-off and collection or Premium Shipping and Premium Shipping - light.
  4) Use a Scandango approved courier, assigned to you by Scandango. 
  5) You or a trusted and accountable person must be present to hand over the photographs to our courier and similarly must be present to take receipt of them when they are returned. Instructing the courier to collect from an unmonitored location or asking the courier to leave the package in a bin or somewhere unmonitored will invalidate your £200 claim.
  6) You must make available all appropriate documentation for the tracking of your photo package.

• 26. What are your shipping methods?

  We offer three basic methods of shipping. Pre-arranged, Basic and Premium / Premium - Light

  Pre-arranged
  There is currently no charge for this service as you will be bringing your photos to us and collecting them when they are ready. This is the cheapest option but it is also the slowest service as we do not visit our satellite premises on a daily basis.

  We have kept the price of our service as cheap as possible to offer the best value to all customers. If you are local to one of our areas contact us for further details.

  The areas we currently offer this service are in and around:

  • Leeds
  • Sheffield
  • Truro

  Please note, as of 17th of February 2012 Scandango will no longer be offering a regular London collection. We will still collect from London but it will be considerably less frequently while we review our base in this area. If you need a London collection please get in touch.
  

  Basic
  Basic shipping costs £20 for United Kingdom, if you are outside of United Kingdom please get in touch and we can give you a quote. Regrettably the price is fixed for both the full box and half box options (selectable below). Basic shipping generally takes between 3-5 business days.

  We use trusted well established couriers for shipping (DHL, TNT, Parcel Force, Yodel, City Link & Fed Ex). All of these companies have an excellent track record and as such we are confident your photos will be safe, however please note the disclaimer below. 
  

  If you select basic shipping we will contact you and arrange a time and location (home address or work address etc.) for collection of your photo package. After your photos have been scanned we will contact you again to arrange a time for your photo package to be delivered.

  We offer free £200 insurance with this shipping option (terms and conditions apply), see FAQ No. 25.

  Premium and Premium - Light
  Please note that our Premium shipping service only applies to your photo package being posted back to you after we have scanned your photos. You are responsible for the cost (and method) of getting your photo package sent to us.

  Premium shipping costs £23 for a full shoebox. If you choose the half shoebox option and you can keep the total weight of your package under 2kg then you can select Premium shipping (light) which costs £9. The advantage of our Premium shipping service is the speed in which we can turnaround your order.
  

  We recommend you package up your photos securely and take them to the Post Office and use Royal Mail Special Delivery service. If your package is 2-10kg (an average shoebox of photos weighs approximately 5kg) then this will cost £22.70. If you are sending us a half shoebox of photos and can keep the total weight of the package below 2kg then this will cost you £9.
  

  Royal Mail Special Delivery is a guaranteed next day delivery service (before 1pm). As with the large reputable courier companies, it is possible to track your photo package at all stages until it is delivered.

  We will then receive your photo package the following day allowing a faster turnaround of your photos!