Archive for July, 2012

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Storage Methods for Digital Images

Monday, July 30th, 2012

The Positive and Negative Attributes of Storing Images in Different Formats

Disc vs. Hard drive vs. Cloud

Mostly, everyone has enjoyed the efficiency and affordability that digital photography has caused. It is easier than ever to shoot a huge number of photos and immediately know how they will turn out via the built-in play-back screen that all digital cameras come equipped with. However, as all digital photographers know, once your photo collection has reached a considerable size, the daunting task of how and where to store them rears its ugly head. With so many different options for storing digital images, it is hard to figure out which one is truly the best for your needs.  The following is a basic breakdown of the three main methods of storing digital images:

1)      Hard Drive Storage

Most digital photographers think of using this method first and it is probably the most common.  After initially taking your photographs the next step is to transfer them onto your computer so that you may store, edit, and share them. In addition to your computer’s internal hard drive, many of us keep backup copies on external hard drives as well. The best part about hard drive storage is the ability to hold a large amount of photos on one device. The low cost per gigabyte of space also makes hard drive storage very attractive. However, the big downside to hard drives is that they are indeed physical, mechanical devices, which means they are susceptible to a multitude of mechanical mishaps. Hard drives are prone to natural wear and tear over time and could eventually become corrupted.


2)      CD/DVD Storage

Nearly, every computer today comes equipped with a built-in CD or DVD reader and writer, which gives you the ability to create your own CDs and store your digital images on them. The advantages of using a CD/DVD to store your digital images are: they’re easily accessible to anyone who has a computer, they can hold up to thousands of images, and they are inexpensive. However, CD/DVDs are pretty fragile and will likely become outdated technology within a decade. CD discs are already losing popularity to DVDs because of their increased storage capabilities. While DVDs can hold more memory than CDs, the introduction of Blu Ray discs has brought up questions about how much longer DVDs will be in use.

3)      Cloud Storage

Many digital photographers have recently used “cloud” techniques for storing their images. Cloud storage consists of using a certain program or online site to store your images online, as an external source. The biggest advantage of using cloud storage is that it provides a backup of all of your images that can easily be found online through any internet-ready device, in case your computer’s memory crashes. The other advantages lie within your ability to access your images nearly anywhere, as long as internet is available. One of the main concerns about using cloud storage comes from the speed at which you can upload an image. Using a cloud to store your digital images

can take nearly triple the time it does to save the same images onto a CD or hard drive. Also, unlike the other two storage options mentioned, cloud storage is not particularly cheap and tends to cost more according to the quantity of images you upload per month.



So, when it comes to storing you digital images, it is best to know all of your options and weigh the costs vs. the benefits. I personally use hard drive storage as well as cloud storage, but everyone has different digital image needs and preference, that just happened to fit mine. Ultimately, you want to make sure your important images and other digital files are stored on multiple devices, in more than one location. Having backup storage will protect you from losing your materials to a hard drive error, scratched disc, or other unforeseen problem. I hope this guide will help you through the pitfalls of digital image storage. Good luck!

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We Care About Customer Service at ScanDigtial

Thursday, July 26th, 2012

The Safety and Security of Our Services are Unparalleled

We Pride Ourselves in Making Our Customers’ Experience The Best it Can Possibly Be

At ScanDigital, we adhere to the belief that our customers come first. Customer care and satisfaction is of the utmost importance to us and we do everything we possibly can to guarantee that our customers have a positive experience every time they use our service. The safety and security of their priceless possessions will always be handled with great care.

Our customer satisfaction team consists of a diverse, friendly, knowledgeable and outgoing group of individuals whose sole purpose is to help make your experience an easy, enjoyable, and safe one. Each one of our sales representatives utilizes a hands-on approach and is able to answer, virtually, any inquiry you may have, all the while guaranteeing the privacy and safety of your information and digital media.



It is important to us that we build a personal relationship with each customer we encounter.  Gaining our customers’ trust is essential because we are handling their personal, one of a kind material.  Our staff is trained to process every order, and handle different materials, as if they were their own.  Our customer service team is taught to speak with customers, and treat them as if they were a friend.  It is this close, personal approach that sets apart ScanDigital from the other digitization services in the industry.

Here is what our team had to say about working with our customers:

“Every day I meet new, interesting, and amazing customers,” –Danny

“I appreciate and enjoy helping people on a daily basis,” –Justin

“We all appreciate the customer loyalty and I love interacting with them,” –Tagui

“I enjoy making the ScanDigital experience a positive one,” –Taylor

“It is extremely rewarding to help customers with a service as personal as this.” – Nicole

Once again, a big thank you from the ScanDigital staff for using our services and taking time out of your day to read our blog!

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Posted in Photo Scanning, ScanDigital, negative scanning, photos | No Comments »

What You Can Do With Digital Images

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

This Article Provides Insight and Different Suggestions/Uses That You May Have Have for Digital Images and Digitally Scanned Photographs

With the recent influx of different digital image editing and sharing technologies, such as the increasingly popular photo-sharing application Instagram, the prevalence and number of digital images being utilized is at an all-time high. Every day, more and more digital images are being produced, shared, and stored.

However, as the interest and production of digital images increase, their value seems to decrease due to the sheer number of images being used and shared; digital images have become highly commoditized. Many are struggling with how to make use of their digital images in a way that correctly displays its personal value. Sharing them with friends and family who will enjoy them on social sites like Facebook and Pinterest are becoming the “in” thing. But there are other ways to enjoy your old photographs and digital memories.


Recently, people have been so focused with online sharing, that they overlook the multitude of other possibilities that exist. By photo imposing a scanned photograph onto different, mundane, objects that we use every day you can create a unique, individualized product. For instance, by placing a picture of your son in his little league uniform on your favorite coffee mug you can make every morning a bit more enjoyable.

By using a calendar with all of your favorite family photographs you can provide yourself with a fun, personal way to remember your grandmother’s birthday. You can digitally scan a photo and have it printed onto nearly any product or clothing item you can think of: hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, iPod cases etc. The best part about using digital imaging is the versatility it provides when creating a product because an object with a photo on it can be appropriate for nearly every occasion. Whether it be a company retreat, family reunion, wedding anniversary, or a birthday, you virtually cannot go wrong with giving something with a personal scanned photograph on it.

As we become increasingly inundated in digital media and technologies, it is important to remember the value of actually owning and interacting with physical objects. Though practically everything we do or own is indirectly a product of these technologies, products utilizing digital memories seem to bridge the gap between using technology and creating something with true value.

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Posted in Photo Scanning, photos | 1 Comment »

Your service was perfect!

Friday, July 20th, 2012

We follow up with every customer because we care. We truly want to hear about as many customer experiences as possible to assure we’re doing our job right. If there’s ever any issue, we address it immediately. Most of the time however, we hear from customers overjoyed to have their memories preserved and thankful the process was so easy. On behalf of the ScanDigital team, I’d like to say “Thank You” to our amazing customers. We’re truly flattered to know you are happy and honored to have been trusted with your family’s precious memories.
If you’d like to hear more from our customers, you are welcome to visit our Testimonial page. If you have any questions or would just like to chat, you can always find us here on Twitter and Facebook, by email at info@scandigital.com or by phone at 888.333.2808. Hope to hear from you soon!



“I found my first experience with [ScanDigital] exceeded my expectations! Things you are doing well: your process is organized and easy; great communication throughout [the] process; and, most importantly, loved the option to immediately download the quality converted [slide] images in addition to receiving the CD/DVD backup!” – Shirley (Evansville, IN)

“Your service was perfect! You are very proactive with your attention to the customer; I appreciated the email updates and status reports. I will certainly highly recommend your business to my friends!” – Harold (Buffalo Grove, IL)

“I had a very positive experience with ScanDigital thanks. My father had given me all of his old slides from the 1950’s to 1970’s when he moved into a retirement residence; now I’m able to use them in creative ways and am working on an album for him as an upcoming gift! I would definitely recommend your services to others.” – Karen (Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada)

“I liked the price and convenience and [I would recommend ScanDigital] for general archival quality [work]!” – Ron (Redondo Beach, CA)

“I had a lot of material converted at ScanDigital and…so far, I am SOOOOO PLEASED with it! We [had] not been able to view those videos for years due to the camera breaking down and with one [order], I got my family & history back: my now teen and adult children as young kids, my husband and I 20 years younger, and those special people who are no longer with us! I would definitely consider using you again; very professional through and through!” – Mara (Sunnyvale, CA)

“I have used your service for my home movies several times! I am extremely happy that I can make copies myself as I have movies from the 1930s and 40s!” – Connie (Racine, WI)

“I was very pleased with the service I received from ScanDigital! No complaints…it was everything I had hoped for!” – Betty (Fairview, NC)

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The New Do-it-Yourself Mentality Proves to Be Beneficial For Young Photographers and Artists

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Emergence of Self-Made “Collectives” Are a New Trend Worth Paying Attention To

Photographers, Painters, and Musicians are Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands

A new breed of creative people is emerging from today’s youth. Groups of multi-talented creative types are banding together under a common name, referred to as a collective or crew, and promoting themselves by highlighting each other’s talents. One defining feature of these collectives are that they are usually self-funded, and rely strictly on their own guerilla advertising techniques to promote themselves. Instead of hiring an ad agency, many of these collectives invest in vinyl stickers and cheap posters which they illegally plaster all over street signs and bus benches to make their name or logo well-known. Another technique that these collectives utilize is self-promotion through different internet platforms. Every social media site is fair game when it comes to self-promotion; Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Flickr, MySpace, Google. Nearly every social media site, has become inundated with media created by these collectives with the sole intent of self-promotion.

The collective known as “Oddfuture” is a group consisting of young musicians, artists, and photographers. Oddfuture has quickly become the focal point of a huge amount of media attention and has recently been met with a lot of financial success. This large group of kids, based out of Los Angeles, adequately depict the successful formula when forming a collective: they used every type of internet self-promotion available (with an emphasis on YouTube videos), consist of a huge variety of kids with different talents (rappers, graphic designers, photographers etc.), and put all of the money they made back into their advertising. Some of the break-out stars of Oddfuture include the front man, rapper Tyler The Creator, Earl (who has been considered to be one of the best lyrical rappers of our time), and Julian Berman, their main photographer. Berman’s work has recently been on the covers of magazines such as Billboard and XXL. Additionally, Berman has recently created a highly sought after photography book titled, Golf Wang which revolves around the documentation of the Oddfuture Kids.

Another crew that has recently been met with a lot of success and praise is known as “The Seventh Letter.” The Seventh Letter consists of a large quantity of artists who practice different mediums, in the visual arts, and attribute most of their recognition to the use of graffiti. Nearly, every single artist in The Seventh Letter has a background in the practice of graffiti writing and has made a name for themselves by relentlessly painting their names and logos across the world. Some of the most notable members of The Seventh Letter include:  Jason Williams (more commonly known as Revok) who has painted graffiti murals around the world and has helped to create graphic designs for some of today’s most popular brands such as LRG and Krew, the heavily influential cartoonist and graffiti artists known as Dabs and Myla, and photographer/photojournalist KC Ortiz who has recently received an award for his photography.

One commonality among collectives is their emphasis on relentless self-promotion and dependency on media in order to gain recognition. With the success of collectives such as Oddfuture and The Seventh Letter, more and more kids are adhering to the do-it-yourself mentality of creating upstart companies and crews to gain financially and become well-known.

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