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Get Digital

Updated

Why go to the trouble of “getting digital”? Aside from being a catchy phrase, there are some very good reasons:

  • Protection. If you have the only copy of a photo or letter and it’s lost in a flood, fire or move, it’s gone. A digital copy can be backed up and shared.
  • Sharing. Relatives can see your records from anywhere, and you can attach them to your online family tree.
  • Searching. A scanned document with readable text can be searched in seconds. No more flipping through boxes.
  • Less wear on originals. Once it’s scanned, you can put the fragile original away safely.

Ways to digitize

Your phone

Your phone is probably the easiest scanner you own. On an iPhone, the Notes and Files apps have a built-in “Scan Documents” option. On Android, the Google Drive app has a Scan button. Both straighten the page, sharpen it and save a PDF. Phone scans are perfect for letters, certificates and anything you find while visiting relatives.

A flatbed scanner

For photos, a flatbed scanner still gives the best results. It doesn’t need to be expensive; most all-in-one printers have one built in.

A document scanner with a feeder

If you have stacks of loose pages, a scanner with an automatic feeder can scan 50 pages at a time while you do something else. Never feed old photos or fragile papers through one, though.

Libraries, FamilySearch Centers and print shops

Many public libraries and FamilySearch Centers have scanners you can use for free, sometimes with help. Print shops will scan documents for you for a fee.

Scanning services

Old videotapes, film reels, slides and negatives need special equipment. Services such as Legacybox digitize them for you. Your local library may also have a digitizing station for these.

Settings that will last

  • Photos: scan at 600 dpi or more (1200 dpi for small photos and slides you might want to enlarge). Save as JPEG at the highest quality, or TIFF if you have the space.
  • Documents: 300 dpi is plenty. Save as PDF.
  • Turn on OCR (text recognition) for typed documents if your scanner or app offers it. It makes the text searchable.
  • Scan the back too if a photo has writing on it. Those notes are often the only clue to who’s in the picture.
Tip

Clean the scanner glass first, and handle old photos by the edges. If photos are stuck in an old “magnetic” album, scan the whole page rather than forcing them out.

What to scan first

You don’t have to do it all at once. Start with what would hurt most to lose:

  1. One-of-a-kind items: letters, journals, family Bibles and photos no one else has
  2. Anything fragile or fading
  3. Items you’ve borrowed and need to return
  4. Everything else, a little at a time

Save each scan straight into the right person’s folder from Lesson 1. In the next lesson, we’ll cover how to name those files so you can find them again, and how to back them up.