How to Digitize Your Old Photos

This is a very timely article for me. We have raised 4 sons and up until 2001 all of our photos were of the ole paper variety. Fortunately most of them are in albums, so we have a head start on the pocess of organizing and digitizing them. There are, however, many hundreds that are stored away in boxes. Lots of these are not just of our boys but family photos going way back to our parents and our own time as kids. Most of the latter are black and white, but if digitized and stored and organized properly, will make a nice gift to our sons for them to cherish long after, well, you get the idea. (DON'T FORGET TO BACKUP THESE GEMS!)

I had bought a used scanner on Craigslist about 2 years ago, but used it very little, and when I wanted to use it this week, it no longer powers on. I am not sure what the problem is, but expect to be looking for another scanner. I will probably go the used route again. These things are pretty cheap. Mine is a Microtek Scanmate 4800, not a terribly new machine, but it did a very nice job for us the few times we used it. I see the exact same machine on Ebay for around $24 with free shipping, so I am tempted. This time, however, I think I will consider all options, including more modern used equipment and new machines as well.

I didn't mention the fact that this used scanner has a slide attachment so one can digitize the old 2x2 inch slides as well. I have boxes and boxes of slides from my Mother and Father's possessions and I am sure I will find many of those interesting.

Anyway, if you have similar interests, you should find some good advice in this Steve Morgenstern article I found on techlicious.com.

How to Digitize Your Old Photos