How Much Does It Cost to Scan 100, 500 or 1,000 Photos?

The cost to scan a photo collection depends on how many images you have, the resolution you choose and whether the originals need special handling. For standard loose prints scanned at 600 dpi, Family Media Transfer's base price is $0.99 per photo. The examples below show how our volume discounts change the estimated scanning total.

What do 100, 500 or 1,000 photo scans cost?

These are scanning-only examples, excluding shipping, tax, physical drives and optional work. Shopify rounds the discount on each photo to the cent, so the result may differ from applying a percentage once to the entire subtotal. Prices and selected options should be checked in your estimate.

Estimate the cost of your photo collection. A rough count is enough to begin.

Which details can change the price?

Start by separating the type of original from the scanning option. A loose snapshot, a photograph fixed to an album page and a large framed portrait may all need different handling. Slides and negatives are different services, even when they show the same family event.

• Resolution: FMT offers 600, 1200 and 2400 dpi options for prints. Compare the options against how you plan to use the files rather than choosing by the largest number alone.
• Size: oversized prints are priced separately from ordinary loose photographs.
• Albums and condition: tell us about stuck photographs, fragile pages or unusual materials before assuming the loose-print examples apply.
• Restoration: repairing a damaged image is a different task from scanning it. Ask about correction or restoration when describing your collection.
• Delivery: consider whether you want an optional physical drive as well as digital files.

You can compare the available options on our services and prices page.

Can photos and tapes count toward the same volume discount?

Yes. Eligible digitizing services can count toward the same volume threshold. The current tiers are 10% at $300, 17% at $750, 25% at $1,500 and 32% at $3,000 of eligible services before discount. The highest qualifying tier applies. Kits, physical drives, shipping and other add-ons are separate, and volume offers do not stack with other promotions.

If your box also contains slides, movie reels or tapes, include them in the estimate so you can compare the whole project. You do not need to add work you do not want just to reach a discount.

What if I have albums instead of loose photos?

Leave photographs in place if they resist removal. Before choosing a service, clarify whether you want individual image files, a record of each complete page, captions or some combination. Those are different deliverables, and the right approach depends on the album.

A few pictures of the closed album and representative pages can help us discuss the next step. Ask about your albums before taking them apart or treating each page as a standard loose print.

Do I need an exact count before starting?

No. Count manageable groups and keep meaningful sets together. For example, ten groups of approximately fifty prints suggest a collection of about five hundred. Mark that as an estimate rather than spending hours creating a precise inventory before you have chosen a budget.

Customers pay when placing an order. We recount the media when it arrives and may adjust the invoice if the actual count differs. Discuss special handling before committing to a project that cannot be priced as ordinary scans.

How should I compare photo scanning estimates?

Compare the same quantity, source material, resolution and delivery options. Ask whether an offer includes the handling your collection needs and how your originals come back. A low starting price is only useful if you can tell what your particular collection will cost.

For help planning a Minneapolis drop-off or mail-in project, see our photo scanning service, or build your estimate.