FAQ - Photo Express

Developing and Scanning FAQ

What is developing? Can I just get my film developed without prints or scans?

Developing is the chemical means by which photographic film is treated after exposure to produce a negativeimage. This processing transforms the light sensitive negative strip, into a strip with visible images, making the strip insensitive to light and able to be processed further in other ways (prints and scans etc).

You can choose to just get your film strip developed and the negatives sent back to you. This can be done by having your negatives cut into strips of 4 or strips of 6 when you have them returned to you (please specify), or you can choose to have the strip rolled up and put in a plastic tub, but this will increase the postage costs to small parcel sizing (see postal FAQs).

Do you develop B&W/E6/Medium Format/110/126/Disc Films?

We can cross process E6. and there is no extra cost for this but please specify on your order form that you require this service, in order that we don't colour correct your E6 film.

We do not process any of the other types of films listed currently, although we can develop B&W C41 35mm films (Ilford XP2). We may look to process 110 film in the future, if so, we will update our website and prices to reflect this.

I have found some old films. Will they be ok to develop, and will I be charged if they are blank?

This will depend on how and where they were stored. There will probably be some discolouration, but this can sometimes be corrected when scanned. We don't charge if the film is blank. We develop plenty of films up to 30 years old, people are often very surprised at what is on them.

To what format do you write images and what is the file size?

JPEG format. 35mm films are scanned to approximately 2040 ppi x 3070 ppi as standard, giving an opened file size of around 18mb per image, and APS films to approximately 1394 ppi x 2444 ppi , giving an opened file size of around 10.3mb per image.

This has a maximum print size of approximately 20.4”x30.7” if printed at 100 ppi.

Please note: Jpeg's are compressed files and the file sizes quoted are for the opened files. As with all jpeg images, your computer viewing software will normally show the compressed file size, which is smaller than the open file, as you hover your mouse over the image. When opened individually the image file size will show the full uncompressed size of around 18mb for 35mm scans.

For questions regarding dpi/ppi we recommend this excellent website: http://www.dpiphoto.eu/dpi.htm

Can you scan to a higher resolution?

We can also offer a High-Resolution scan for 35mm films and negatives of approximately 4000 x 6000 ppi which gives an opened file size of 69mb per image. Higher resolution scans do not improve quality of image, they just enable the image to be printed at a much larger size if required.

For APS films the High-Resolution is approximately 2700 x 4700 giving an opened file size of 37mb per image.

This has a maximum print size of approximately 40”x60” if printed at 100 ppi.

Can you scan in TIFF format? What does this mean?

Yes. The cost is an extra £5.00 per film. Tiff stands for stands for Tag Image File Format, and is a near to lossless form of file compression, which means they can be edited multiple times, and are larger files than most that don’t lose much image quality after editing.

Can you scan previously developed films to CD/USB/Dropbox?

Yes. If your negatives have been developed and cut into strips, then for our standard resolution scans for 35mm negs, the cost is £9.50 per 40 images, and for APS films the cost is £3.50 per film regardless of length. Please notewe cannot print or scan from single cut negatives (one frame per strip)

Do you scan/print from already developed B&W 35mm negatives?

Yes we do. If the negative is in one long strip, then the price is the same as for colour negatives for both printing and scanning. If your negative is cut into strips of 4 or 6, then the price is the cost of cut negatives, which for scans at our standard resolution scans is £9.50 per 40 images, and for prints it is dependent on size of print, please see our price list for “Full set reprints 24 exp from cut negs” or “Full set reprints 36 exp from cut negs”

Payment FAQ

How do I pay?

There are three ways to pay:

You can choose to pay via Paypal Invoice. Once we have completed the work, we will send you the invoice to your email address that you have provided on your order form. Please monitor your inbox for it's arrival. As soon as you have paid the invoice, we will send your work out to you.

You can tick on your order form to pay over the phone, and we will ring you once the work is done with the correct total and take your card details over the phone.

Or finally you can choose to pay via cheque, please remember to include any return postage costs. If your cheque is incorrect by less than £5, we may send you a credit note to use with your next order. If it is incorrect by more than £5, we will ring you to take payment over the phone, and then return your cheque to you with the rest of your order.

Please note - we do NOT accept Postal Orders as payment

Postal FAQ

Do you supply mailing envelopes?

No. We are a small lab offering a very personalised service. Just put your order into strong packaging and download, print and complete our order form. Or, if you don't have access to a printer, please use the order form as a guide to write a note on an A4 piece of paper, and include this in your parcel to us.

It is worth noting that most orders sent to us through the Royal Mail, either films, or disposable cameras, will be classed as parcels due to shape. If in doubt of what postage should be applied, please seek advice at your local post office.

How much is return postage and packing?

Most of our post is returned to you as a large letter, meaning it will fit through your letterbox.

First Class postage and packing is just £3.00 per order.

If you require Recorded Delivery (trackable), the cost is £4.50 per order.

If you require Royal Mail Special Delivery the cost is £10.00 per order. This service is tracked, signed for, and guaranteed next day delivery.

(These prices are per order, not per film!)

Please note, if the weight of your parcel exceeds 1KG, we may use Evri (previously Hermes) Next Day Delivery (tracked) instead. Also, if your return package exceeds large letter measurements (for example, if we are having to return films to you that we cannot process, like B&W films) then the postage cost will be charged at small parcel rates.

What happens if I put the wrong postage on my parcel to Photo Express?

As mentioned on our ordering by post page, single First and Second-Class letter stamps are for items no thicker than 5mm, so will not be sufficient postage to send us films or disposable cameras due to the thickness of the package.

If you only put a First or Second Class stamp on your parcel and send it to us, this can cause a delay of up to three weeks, whilst Royal Mail re-route it through Sheffield Sorting Office in order for an insufficient postage charge to be put on it. We then have to pay this charge when picking up your parcel from our PO Box. It normally is only a small fee (anywhere up to £3.50 usually)

If we have to pay an insufficient postage charge to collect your parcel, this amount will be added to your total order amount.

Miscellaneous FAQ

I don’t have a printer to print off the order form, can I still send my order?

Yes, no problem, you can either complete your order online and write your order number on a piece of paper to place inside your envelope, or alternatively you can just send an easy to read note with the relevant details and requirements, preferably on a sheet of A4 paper. Please use our order form as a guideline for your note.

Can I come to you to have passport photos taken?

Yes, if you are a local customer we can take and supply you with correct resolution and size Passport and Visa photos for most countries.
You do not need to book, we take passport photos between 10:00-15:30 Monday to Friday.
If you are applying online for a UK passport, you do not need a digital code. We will supply you with the digital copy of the photo to be uploaded with your application.

If your photograph is rejected by the passport office, they will send you an email or letter explaining the reason why. If you bring in this information from the passport office, we will retake your photograph for free.

Frequently asked questions

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