Before starting a whole box of family photographs, choose three prints. A crisp portrait, a faded group photo, and a print with a handwritten note let you judge settings before you commit to the collection. First record the print as it is, then make a copy your family can easily open.

Prepare the print

Work on a clean, dry surface and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning the scanner glass. Avoid forcing a fragile print flat. If removing a photo from an album page could damage it, begin by recording the whole page.

Choose dimensions in a preview

Leave the edges visible and see whether small details are clear. A 10 × 15 cm print scanned at 600 ppi produces roughly 2360 × 3540 pixels. Treat that as a starting point. The print’s detail, the scanner’s optical limits, and your intended use determine whether a higher setting helps.

Give three files different jobs

Keep the first scan as a high-quality master. A lossless TIFF or PNG may suit your editor. Correct scratches and colour in a separate copy. Export a smaller JPEG from the restored version when you need it on a phone. Return to the initial scan for a different restoration later.

Match notes to the correct photo

Scan the reverse if it contains names, a place, or a date. Give the two files a common identifier and keep a short description beside them. Record a range when the date is uncertain. Open your first three photos on another device and back them up before scanning the remaining prints.

Test a small set before scanning the whole box

Take a matte portrait, a glossy group photo and a small print with handwriting on the back. They reveal different problems. Fine detail in the matte print can show whether a higher resolution helps. Reflections and dust on a glossy photo may become more visible in the dark areas of the scan. Give front and back scans of the small print the same reference number. Capture the whole object, including the edges, before making any crop. A note or a stamp outside the frame may matter as much as the picture. If you decide to correct a faded print, keep the original scan apart from the edit. One file records what you have, while the other records your interpretation. When you do not know the year or the name of a person, leave a note such as “approximate” or “unknown”. Someone else in the family may be able to compare it with a labelled copy later. Review the test files before choosing settings for the rest.

Keep separate copies for the archive and for sharing

Open your archive scan on a larger screen and check the eyes in a portrait or the smallest letters in a handwritten note. Export a smaller copy and check those areas again on a phone. A file for the family chat may not need every archival note you recorded. Include the reference number in its name so a relative can identify the print when correcting a date or a name. At the end of a scanning session, put scanned and unscanned prints in separate places and write down where you stopped. Two similar envelopes are easy to confuse, even on the same day. Before the next session, reopen a few files from your backup on a separate drive. Finding the front and back of one numbered print together is a particularly useful test. Leave a short explanation at the top of the archive folder so the next person can locate the masters. Note which range of numbers came from which envelope, and which ones still need identification.