Guide to Starting a Business - Photo and Document Restorer

Description of Job

• Scan and digitize old black-and-white or color photographs.
• Scan and digitize old documents such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, and diplomas.
• Apply advanced computer software effects to restore color, improve contrast, remove scratches, and fill in holes.
• Edit or crop images as requested.
• Print new digital images and store edited files on disk for archival purposes.

The Need

In case of fire or natural disaster, almost all of us would (1) see to the safety of family members, (2) rescue cats and dogs, and (3) grab the photo albums. In many ways, the photos we accumulate are the most important remembrances of our lives.

That said, we almost all have a closetful of family treasures, at best gathering dust, at worst moldering away.

Photos have a life span of as little as 10 years—less if they are exposed to sun or extreme humidity. They’ll last longer if stored in sealed boxes at controlled levels of heat and humidity.

Older color prints fade away more rapidly than those produced in more recent years using improved papers and finishes.

Many people retain only the prints, having long ago lost or misplaced the negatives. Negatives themselves, if stored in high humidity or heat, can become damaged and unusable in ordinary photo processing.

The job of the photo and document restorer is to use modern digital tools to scan images and documents and restore them to their original—or better than original—condition. The images can be reprinted using modern methods, and the edited digital files can be stored on CD or DVD for future use.

Challenges

The most critical task is to catch the images before they fade away to nothingness. The process of photo repair and restoration is nondestructive—it does not damage the original; you should use reasonable precautions in handling them, though, such as lintless cotton gloves and archival storage boxes.

You’ll need to learn to use your computer hardware and software tools to their full extent and in an efficient manner.

You will have custody of irreplaceable family treasures and must use all reasonable efforts to safeguard them from loss or damage.

Know the Territory

Almost everyone has precious photos, but relatively few have the skill and time to convert them to digital form and store them for the ages.

You’ll be in competition with national companies that sell their services over the Internet or resell through major photo store chains. Your sales pitch should emphasize your local availability and custom services.

You’ll scan images and store them on disks. A color scan of an 8- by 10-inch photo at high resolution can require as much as 400 megabytes of storage space; reducing resolution slightly, to 600 dots per inch (dpi), yields a file of about 103 megabytes. Black-and-white images are smaller, about one-third the size of color images.

Once an image is scanned and stored on disk, you’ll first use advanced software to adjust the color and contrast, sharpen details, remove scratches, and fill holes. Then you may be called on to do some editing to crop the image, to digitally remove background trees and signs that seem to be growing out of people’s heads, or to delete strangers (or old boyfriends or girlfriends) from otherwise acceptable pictures.

Completed images stored on a hard disk can then be transmitted over the Internet to a professional processor who will produce high-quality photographic prints. The images can also be printed locally using high-quality inkjet printers; such images can be done quickly and are of high quality, although they may not last as long as a photographic copy. The client also receives a CD or DVD containing a copy of the edited file; the disk may also contain an electronic photo album that displays the edited files on a television or computer.

How to Get Started

Begin by becoming an expert on photo scanning and restoration. The investment is not huge if you already have a capable personal computer.

There are many books about photo restoration using software such as Adobe Photoshop. You can take courses over the Internet or at community schools. Adobe also conducts its own series of traveling classes.

Promote your availability with ads and flyers at community centers, in senior centers, and through religious organizations. Seek cooperative arrangements with area photo labs and picture framers.

Up-front Expenses

You’ll need a PC with an abundance of memory and storage; we recommend at least 512 megabytes of RAM and at least 40 gigabytes of hard disk storage space. Purchase a high-resolution flatbed scanner for photos; even better is a drum scanner, although prices for these devices can run into the thousands of dollars.

Your PC should also include a CD-R or DVD-R burner and high-speed broadband access to the Internet for uploading files to service bureaus for photograph printing. You should also have a photo-quality printer to produce prints using ink-jet technology.

In addition, you’ll need professional-quality photo editing software; the industry leader is Adobe Photoshop, which has some special-purpose add-in modules that help perform tasks such as isolating a single person or a small detail from a crowded image.

If you need to purchase all of the equipment, plan on spending $2,500 to $3,500. (Adobe software alone costs about $750 to $1,000.)

Additional costs include advertising and promotion.

How Much to Charge

Billing is done on an hourly basis, plus the cost of the disks and the prints you produce. You can add a reasonable markup to the cost of photos produced by service bureaus based on the files you have created. You should offer clients an estimate of the amount of time that will be required for restoration. Add charges for pickup and delivery. Working with a professional picture framer, you can offer to deliver finished photos mounted in frames; seek a discount from the framer and charge your client standard retail rates, or add a reasonable markup.

Legal and Insurance

Special notes: In dealing with your client’s property, seek to limit your liability for damage or loss to the actual replacement value of items in your possession.

You should protect yourself against claims for sentimental value or loss of use.