Packaging and posting a film to us

·    Please include your name and address with your film.  This may seem obvious, but we receive quite a few orders with only a film in an envelope, and so far we’ve been lucky in being able to track down every order.  A covering letter is perfect or even just a short note.  Contact details such as an email address and telephone number (a landline number if possible) are a great help.

·    There is no need to include any return packing material, such as prepaid postage bags, envelopes, or address labels.  We have our own methods of packaging to keep your photographs safe in transit.

·    Use a padded envelope such as a small Jiffy Bag.  Ordinary paper envelopes are definitely not suitable. We've sadly had rolls of film arrive crushed and ruined when sent like this, and it can't really be blamed on the postmen. 

·    Write your return address on the back of the package - a good security measure.

·    Please try not to use staples in packaging.  They can and do damage film or negatives, paperwork, and also our hands!

·    Please try not to put stickers or address labels on the film roll or canister itself, this can obscure written information about the type and age of the film, which is important to us in determining the best processing procedure.  A good alternative is to use a 35mm “film pot” or wrap the roll in aluminium foil, and then place an address label on the outside of that.

·    The Post Office now charges by size as well as weight, and many rolls of film are thicker than the regulation 2.5cm.  If sending a roll of film, we recommend a visit to the Post Office to check you have paid the correct postage.  The Royal Mail charges us the underpaid postage plus £1 fee each time, so mistakes can be costly.

Service Times

·    Remember that at the moment service times can be long for obscure and very old films.  We aren’t a ‘one-hour’ photolab, we take our time if necessary and handle every order with a very high level of individual attention.  By all means contact us to find out how things are going, but please don’t jump to conclusions and send us aggressive emails or letters - there is nothing more dispiriting, and after all, we’re trying to do our best for you.

·    We had big problems in 2005 and 2006 with a number of our trusted suppliers closing down.  Some of the methods and components we rely on haven’t been used in Photography since the time of WWII, and as the industry races ill-advisedly towards Digital Photography, we have had to spent much time just sourcing what we need to operate.  This has caused some horrendous delays and some rarer film types have been subject to a very long wait.  We’re in a much better position now and caught up a lot in 2007.   We’re a bit behind schedule again since relocating offices so the message is still: “Bear with us!”

What you will receive back

·    We return all orders in board-backed envelopes, or sandwiched between stiffeners inside a padded envelope.  Disc or 126 films and reprints are returned in 9”x7” packages, easily fit into a letterbox.  Processed old film is sleeved in proper heavy-duty archival sleeving (good extra protection for films that we like to add as part of the service), this is folded along a seam and returned in 10”x8” board-backed envelopes.  Bear in mind these sometimes may not fit through a letterbox.  Prints are returned in a standard wallet, and CD-Roms in a small sleeve with a soft fabric inner.  We recommend you make a new copy of standard CDs every 3-5 years in order to safeguard the digital images from disc deterioration.

·    An important added benefit of ordering the full Digital Printing service is that we archive all digital scan files for a time.  This means if anything is lost in the post, we can reprint the images for you.  This also means you can order reprints from your favourite recovered images, just by making a telephone call or sending an email to us.

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