Source: https://restorebunny.com/guides/choose-scan-service-and-restoration-scope/ # Choose a Scanning Service and Restoration Scope Before Paying Separate a scanning-service quote from digital restoration costs. Specify unedited masters, sample delivery and a selected repair scope. Family photo projects4 min readUpdated 11 October 2026 ## Try it on your own photo Repair a copy of your photo, then compare faces and details with the original. [Restore my photo]()1 credit per successful photo ยท Account required[See credit packs]() Quick answer ## The short version Separate safe digitisation from digital repair in a service quote. Ask for unedited master files and a sample delivery before committing the collection. You can then trial RestoreBunny on selected copies, or purchase agreed manual retouching from a provider when the photos need selective control. ## Define this purchase decision A quote saying scan and restore can bundle handling, capture, automatic enhancement, retouching and prints. Those are different deliverables. Before comparing prices, specify which originals will travel, which need specialist handling and whether the service returns an unedited master for every item. An enhanced-only delivery leaves you without a clean reference for later review. RestoreBunny works on digital uploads and does not receive physical albums or scan them for you. A scanning service can therefore be a complementary purchase, but it is not interchangeable with buying restoration credits. Make the capture decision first when the originals are unavailable or unsuitable for your own equipment. ## Worked decision example Worked example: a family has sixty stable loose prints and two fragile bound albums. The quote worksheet splits those into a loose-print capture job and a specialist album assessment. It requests sixty unedited master files, a file list and three representative sample captures. Digital restoration is scoped afterward for only eighteen selected photos. If the family already has six credits, eighteen first restoration attempts create a twelve-credit shortfall before extras. Scanning charges remain a separate quoted cost; this article does not invent a per-scan price. Buying a 100-credit pack may cover digital work, but it does nothing to decide whether the fragile albums can safely be opened. ## Complete the decision worksheet - Capture quote: count objects and sides, state whether full edges and album context matter, and ask about safe handling and return reconciliation. - File quote: request actual formats, dimensions, naming and unedited versus enhanced versions. Clarify whether a gallery preview is accompanied by downloadable files. - Repair quote: ask whether enhancement is automatic or individually reviewed and whether selective revisions are included. Keep physical conservation outside a vague digital-restoration line item. - Pilot: approve sample captures before bulk scanning, then test selected digital copies with your restoration acceptance rules. Neither sample is a guarantee for every unusual item. ## Resolve the buyer objections Would it be easier to let the scanner enhance everything? It may be convenient, but convenience does not establish whether faces, texture or handwriting remain faithful. Request the unedited files even if you also buy enhanced versions. That lets you change the editing approach without recapturing the whole archive. Does a mailed album need a digital repair package immediately? Only if you already know the desired scope and can review the terms. Some items may need no restoration at their viewing size. Others may require a human editor or a conservator. Avoid treating a large archive count as automatic demand for one paid repair per item. ## Keep a useful decision record Compare sample deliveries as files, not only as preview galleries. Match each sample to the returned original, verify the entire intended edge and open the master at its actual dimensions. Note whether colour, contrast or sharpening has already been applied, because an enhanced master can make later AI comparison ambiguous. Ask how the provider names reverse-side captures and retains the connection to album pages. A quote that supplies both unedited capture and optional edited delivery lets you defer restoration scope without losing flexibility. If a sample misses important detail or the provider cannot explain its output, settle that capture issue before buying digital repair for the full collection. ## Choose the next action Choose scan-only plus a bounded AI pilot when you need dependable capture and can review the resulting copies yourself. Choose additional manual retouching when the written scope demands controlled edits and approval proofs. Ask the provider for its current quote and service conditions rather than comparing unsourced online price ranges. When the master delivery is reconciled, start the selected RestoreBunny trial, review it and then check current credit packs. Save sources separately from edited files, with a simple index showing which object produced each file. You should be able to finish either purchasing route without losing the capture masters. ## FAQs Can I mail my photographs to RestoreBunny? The supported workflow described here is online processing of digital uploads, not a physical scanning or postal restoration service. Should the scanning quote include untouched files? Request them explicitly. They provide the source reference for future digital edits and family review. Do all scanned photos need paid restoration? No. Select images whose intended viewing use benefits from repair, and trial the method before extending the scope. ## Sources Preservation and technical guidance reviewed for this article. - RestoreBunny: [Current credit-pack pricing]() - RestoreBunny: [Credits, outputs and privacy FAQ]() - RestoreBunny: [Credit purchase and technical issue policy]() - RestoreBunny: [Image processing and retention policy]() - U.S. National Archives: [Digitising family papers and photographs safely]() ## Related - [Prepare Photos for a Scanning Service: Inventory and Handoff]() - [Restore a Photo Album with RestoreBunny: Credits, Settings and Downloads]() - [Review supported photo restoration]() - [Start an eligible restoration trial]() - [Check current credit-pack terms]() - [Use the family archive handoff worksheets]() ## Ready to restore your photos? Upload an image, choose your settings, and preview results with a before/after slider. [Restore my photo]()[View Pricing]() RestoreBunny Team Photo workflow editors Guides follow our [editorial policy]() for sourcing, product claims, AI limitations, updates, and corrections.