35mm Slide & Strip Scanning

We use bespoke, specialist flatbed scanners and also 35mm slidesnap scanners for 35mm slides, which are mounted, allowing us to capture the film in its physical state and for us to make manual adjustments. We also use a film strip scanner for film strips and these are not mounted. The equipment allows us to place the absolute minimum of pressure on the material and mitigate against any chance of damage. We can scan any size in a variety of DPI and creating a variety of output formats. We will generally produce image files between 1200ppi and 4000ppi in TIFF and JPEG formats, although we can produce other file formats. Images can be produced in full colour or greyscale and we can enhance or graphically restore them too.

All files are captured by our highly trained digitisation technicians using overhead, daylight balanced, non-heat producing lighting, or other equipment like the Epson, Slidesnap, or Film Strip scanner before undergoing a formal quality assurance checking procedure. During the image capture process, we can create a folder structure to keep the project organised and incorporate metadata into the filenames; such as the date they were taken or what equipment was used to capture them. The final step in the process is the delivery of your electronic files by hard drive.

As standard, TWA survey all material prior to any digitisation project being carried out to ensure that it can withstand the scanning process. If there is evidence of fragility, brittleness, and/or mould, or any other signs of damage to your 35mm slides or film strips, then recommendations will be made for how to repair and stabilise the content appropriately.

There are many things that need to be taken into consideration when costing your digitisation project, such as:

• Condition
• Scale of the collection
• Slides and strips needing to be removed from and replaced into envelopes
• Any cleaning required

Consequently, it’s impossible to give a definitive answer as to cost, but you can get a rough estimate using our digitisation calculator.

The decision to capture in colour or greyscale must be made by you and will be motivated by the ulltimate aims of your digitisation project. Greyscale is appropriate for preservation purposes and general access whereas colour will offer the truest representation of your items, and is advised for the likes of exhibitions, displays and research websites.