Digitizing family photos yourself can be surprisingly satisfying—and if you do it with the right scanner settings and storage plan, you’ll end up with an archive you can actually trust for decades. This DIY guide walks you through the best home scanning setups, what DPI to use (without creating massive, pointless files), and exactly how to store your scans securely using a simple, proven backup strategy.
If you scan your own photos, you get:
Full control over quality (color, cropping, dust removal)
No shipping risk (lost or damaged originals)
Better organization from day one (folders, filenames, metadata)
And you can scan in phases—one box at a time.
Best for: loose prints, fragile photos, odd sizes
Why: consistent quality, gentle handling, good color depth
Look for:
True optical resolution (not “interpolated” marketing numbers)
Good dynamic range (helps with faded prints and shadows)
Dust/scratch removal features (often infrared-based, mainly for film)
Popular flatbed lines (as categories): Epson Perfection-style photo flatbeds and Canon CanoScan-style flatbeds.
Best for: large stacks of prints that are in good condition
Why: speed and convenience
Tradeoffs:
May struggle with curled, delicate, or textured prints
Often less control over color accuracy than a flatbed
Tip: if you’re scanning hundreds or thousands of 4x6 prints, sheet-fed can be a huge time saver—but keep a flatbed around for “special” photos.
Best for: 35mm slides, negatives, some medium format
Why: film holds far more detail than most prints
For film, you’ll usually scan at much higher DPI than prints (details below), and you’ll want a scanner designed for film rather than a document scanner.
You’ll see “DPI” and “PPI” used interchangeably in consumer scanning guides. In practice for home scanning workflows, most scanner software uses DPI as the setting you choose.
A widely used baseline recommendation for typical photo prints (like 4x6 and 5x7) is 300 DPI/PPI, and you should go higher if you plan to enlarge prints later. ()
A practical rule set:
300 DPI = great for preserving and reprinting at original size ()
600 DPI = better for archiving, cropping, and future-proofing; often recommended for smaller originals and enlargement ()
1200 DPI = rarely necessary for standard prints (big files), but can help if you expect heavy cropping or you’re scanning very small originals (like tiny wallet photos)
4x6 and 5x7 prints: scan 300 DPI (use 600 DPI if you might enlarge) ()
Smaller prints (wallet size): scan 600 DPI (or higher if you’ll crop aggressively)
Large prints (8x10): scan 300 DPI ()
Slides/negatives (35mm): scan around 2000+ DPI range (film needs higher DPI to capture detail) ()
Some guidance for archival digitization explicitly warns against scanning at a low setting and “interpolating” to higher resolution later—because you don’t actually gain detail. ()
In your scanner software, prioritize optical resolution and ignore “enhanced” or “interpolated” numbers.
Scan color photos in 24-bit color (typical “Color” setting)
Scan black-and-white prints in grayscale unless there’s tinting or notes you want preserved
If you want the safest long-term archive, keep two versions:
Master archive files: TIFF (lossless, larger)
Everyday sharing files: JPEG (smaller, easy to share)
Archival digitization guidance from major institutions commonly uses uncompressed TIFF as a preservation format. ()
If TIFF feels like overkill for your situation, you can still do a strong DIY workflow by scanning to high-quality JPEG and keeping excellent backups. The backup strategy matters as much as the format.
Handle by edges
Use a microfiber cloth and gentle air blower (skip harsh cleaners)
Remove dust before scanning—dust becomes “permanent” in your file if you don’t
Use preview scan → crop → scan final. This saves time and storage.
Pick one structure and stick to it. Two simple options:
Option 1: By family + time
Photos/
1980s/
1990s/
2000s/
Unknown Date/
Option 2: By event
Photos/
1998-06_Jane-Graduation/
2004-12_Christmas/
2010-07_Family-Reunion/
Use something like:
YYYY-MM-DD_Event_People_001.tif
1998-06_Jane_Graduation_003.jpg
If you don’t know the exact date:
1998-00_... or UnknownDate_...
If your tool supports it, add:
names of people
location
event notes
This makes searching dramatically easier years from now.
Here’s the big truth: scanning is only half the job. If you scan everything perfectly but store it in one place, you still risk losing it.
A simple best practice is the 3-2-1 backup strategy:
3 copies of your files
on 2 different types of storage
with 1 copy offsite ()
This protects against:
drive failure
theft
fire/flood
accidental deletion
ransomware
Copy #1 (working copy): your computer
Copy #2 (local backup): external SSD/HDD (or a NAS)
Copy #3 (offsite): cloud backup or cloud storage
Use an external drive that’s dedicated to “Photo Archive”
Enable automatic backups (Time Machine on Mac, Windows File History, or a backup app)
Keep the drive unplugged when not backing up (reduces risk from power events and malware)
Cloud storage (Drive-like) is great for access and sharing
Cloud backup is designed for long-term protection and recovery
Either can be your “offsite” copy—just make sure you can restore everything easily.
If you want your archive to be very secure:
Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA/2FA) for every cloud account
Use a password manager + unique passwords
Consider end-to-end encryption tools or encrypted archives for your most sensitive folders
Review sharing permissions (especially if you share albums)
Sort one batch (e.g., 50–200 photos)
Scan using your chosen DPI settings
Quick check: focus, crop, orientation
Save masters (TIFF) and/or high-quality JPEGs
Organize + rename right away
Back up immediately (local + cloud)
Move to the next batch
Consistency beats intensity. Doing a little weekly gets you to the finish line.
Scanning everything at maximum DPI “just in case” (giant files, slow workflow)
Relying on only one copy of your archive
Using cloud sharing links as “backup”
Not naming/organizing files until “later” (later rarely comes)
For most 4x6 and 5x7 prints, 300 DPI is a solid baseline. If you want flexibility to enlarge or crop later, 400–600 DPI is often recommended. ()
If you want an archival “master,” TIFF is commonly used in preservation workflows. ()
JPEG is fine for sharing and smaller files—just make sure your backups are excellent.
Use the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, two storage types, one offsite. ()
If you’re building a family archive, the real goal isn’t just “scanned files.” It’s a system where:
photos are organized
family context is preserved
sharing is easy (and permissioned)
backups are automatic
That’s exactly the gap many families hit after they finish scanning: the photos end up scattered across drives, phones, and cloud folders.
If you want a platform designed specifically for family memory organization and collaboration, Memrico is built to keep digitized photos safe, searchable, and shareable—with family-friendly permissions and modern organization tools.