PAPER
Digitizing Your Bound Books & Documents
Handwritten notes, old yearbooks, journals, newspaper clippings, and other documents connect us to our history in a very tangible and meaningful way, allowing us to see the past through the eyes of those that recorded it “as it happened.”
Handwritten notes, old yearbooks, journals, newspaper clippings, and other documents connect us to our history in a very tangible and meaningful way, allowing us to see the past through the eyes of those that recorded it “as it happened.”
Bring The Past To The Present
Almost anything printed on paper can paint a picture of the way our family, community, state, or country existed at almost any time in history and provide clues that can unlock the past. They provide a “snapshot of time” that gives you invaluable insight into the people, places, events, and accounts that can inform your perspective of your family’s history. If your irreplaceable paper documents and records would happen to be destroyed that history is gone forever.
By digitizing the documents and adding them to your own digital archive you can give these precious documents a new life. With a "My History Archive" you will have a practical way to explore and discover pieces of your past that were not easily accessible before. Our associates regularly archive document types ranging in age from a few days, a few years, or even 300 years ago. Our document conversion services encompass a wide range of scanning options including:
Digitizing Your Bound Books
You can digitize your books for only $.50 per page
There is a tremendous amount of history bound between the covers of books. It is found in: Yearbooks, Scrapbooks, Family History Research, Annuals, Bound Archival Libers, Family Bibles, Diaries, Personal Journals, Printed Literature, Record Books, Manuscripts, Directories, Ledgers, Visitor Books, Bound Research, Large Programs, and much more.
We scan your books at the best resolution we feel appropriate depending on the detail on the page, and if either grayscale or color scanning is required. Our base resolution for most books is 300 DPI, however, we occasionally capture scans at 400 DPI or 600 DPI if the materials contain a large number of intricate drawings, or if the handwriting is small or barely legible due to fading.
Documents Of All Sizes
You can digitize documents up to 8.5" X 14" for only $0.15 a page
Our team has extensive experience in digitizing the history recorded on paper in collections that contain:
Church Records, Newsletters, Genealogical Research, Recipe Cards, Immigration Records, Military Records, Postcards, Vital Statistics, Bulletins, Public Announcements, Government Papers, Transcripts, Census Records, Children’s Drawings, Heritage Collections, Birth Records, Death Certificates, Marriage Documents, Divorce Records, Articles, Newspaper Clippings, Letters, Greeting Cards, Memorabilia, Awards, and much more.
The resolution we will scan your standard-sized documents is dependent on the type and condition of the materials you send us. Generally, black and white documents with clear and defined text will be captured at 200 DPI, or at 300 DPI if more definition and contrast are required.
If it is a picture, drawing, or a document that contains photos or illustrations, we may scan them with a resolution of at least 600 DPI. For badly faded handwriting, or deteriorating paper has caused the text to become difficult to read, we occasionally will scan them with a resolution of as much as 1200 DPI. Both 600 and 1200 DPI allow for enlargement and reprinting of these more detailed documents without an issue.
Oversized Documents
You can digitize your oversized documents that measure between 11"x17" and 17"x22" for only $1 per scan
Scanning your oversized documents is not something that is simple to do yourself, and since it is not possible to digitize them on your home scanner, oftentimes things like family trees, maps, abstracts, land records, regional circulars, and lineage charts remain untouched.
You can’t connect with the history they might contain if they are collecting dust on a shelf, or locked in a file cabinet. We will scan your very large or oversized documents and create high-quality images of the originals, allowing you to save, explore, and share them at any time, from anywhere.
We digitize most oversized documents at a lower scanning resolution. 200 DPI for these large materials is our recommendation. The reproduction value when printed doesn’t dramatically change due to the original size.
Photographs larger than 8” X 10”, intricate drawings, artwork, and posters are sometimes digitized at 300, 400, or even 600 DPI, and will be evaluated to see if they would benefit from a higher resolution.
Based on the document type, we will scan them in black and white, color, or grayscale to create a digital image that represents the best quality achievable for legibility, OCR, and recreation of the source material.
Large Format Documents
You can digitize your large format documents that measure between 22"x34" and 34"x48" for only $10 per scan
You may not think you would digitize the old newspapers, large maps, homemade signs, blueprints, or plans you may have laying around the house, but you would be surprised. You have kept them for a reason.
They too are part of your history. Fortunately, we have both the technology and the expertise to capture the history of these very large documents as a digital image that you can keep forever, without taking up space around the house.
Generally, we digitize very large documents at a 200 DPI resolution. It represents the best balance in readability, image quality, and file size. 200 DPI is usually sufficient for most very large documents, as you likely won’t be enlarging a document that is already oversized, to begin with.
The exceptions to this would be highly detailed posters or artwork that might benefit from more resolution. On these materials, we will evaluate them, and possibly scan them in a higher resolution, up to and including 600 DPI.
Based on the document type, we will scan them in black and white, color, or grayscale to create a digital image that represents the best quality achievable for legibility, OCR, and recreation of the source material.
About The Process
All books, documents, and fragile papers are evaluated and processed to assure proper care and accurate conversion. Excessively fragile materials may require additional attention from our associates. If special handling is required, we will consult with you on how to proceed, as extra charges may apply. Your documents will be indexed according to the instructions you have provided on the identifier worksheet you have downloaded from HistoryIsEverything.com.
The indexing associates the necessary information with the digitized materials to enable categorizing, browsing and identifying your documents. After the files are indexed, we use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to allow for search functionality so that you can explore and access your past via a "My History Archive", which literally puts your personal history at your fingertips. Once the project has been completed, your materials will be returned to the way we received them.
All aspects of our scanning, quality control, and data entry processes are performed in our facility, and both it and our data center are located in the United States. At no time will your physical collection or digital files be sent out of the US, and we do not use any 3rd party or offshore resources like some digitization companies rely on.
Based on the document type, we will scan them in black and white, color, or grayscale to create a digital image that represents the best quality achievable for legibility, OCR, and recreation of the source material. Your documents will be prepared for scanning by carefully flattening bent corners, smoothing creases, reordering documents as necessary, ensuring the orientation is correct, and noting any exceptions.
All books, documents, and fragile papers are evaluated and processed to assure proper care and accurate conversion. Excessively fragile materials may require additional attention from our associates. If special handling is required, we will consult with you on how to proceed, as extra charges may apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do I Have To Label Each Document Individually?
It is completely up to you. The archive can be as detailed or as simple as you would like to make it. If you would like us to scan batches of items with the same title or description, we make that simple too. Just add the identifier label to the grouping photos and add a single title to your spreadsheet.
Any item in that grouping will share the same title and associated data but scanned in sequential order. The files will be appended with a page, photo, or video number.
For instance: A group of photos from a family trip to Florida may be labeled as “Our Trip To Orlando, June 1977, Photo 1”, “Our Trip To Orlando, June 1977, Photo 2”, etc.
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What Document Sizes Can I Digitize?
- Paper (Up to 8.5” X 14”)
- Bound Book
- Any Document Requiring Flatbed Scanning
- Wide Format Paper
- Up To 17” X 18”
- Up To 17” X 22”
- Up To 18” X 24”
- Up To 34” X 44”
- Up To 24” X 36”
- Up To 36” X 48”
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What Type Of File Will You Send Me?
You can request either a JPEG or TIFF, and additional image formats will be created and used for viewing online
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Do I Own My Digital Images?
Yes, this is your history, and you retain all ownership rights. We will not sell, use, or feature your digital files without your expressed written consent.
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Can I Edit My Photos From My DVD, USB, or Hard drive?
Of course. These are your images to do with them as you see fit. They are not copy protected and can be edited with whatever software you have available.
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How Can I Access My Digital Documents?
You can access your digital archive from anywhere you can connect to the internet via your own "My History Archive". You will be able to explore the past on Apple devices like the iPhone or iPad, Android-based phones and tablets, Kindle Fires, computers running Windows, Macs, Chromebooks, and streaming devices for your TV.
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How Many Documents Is A "My History Archive" limited to?
As many as you want to add! There is no limit to the amount of history you can add or the size of your collection.
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Can I Share My History With Others?
Yes. We have created tools that allow you to share your digital files, or clip portions of articles or photos for use in social media posts, blogs, or to email or share over a text. You also have the ability to create a Discoveries gallery that will allow you to create collections that you can send a link to the files you have curated through tagging.
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Is There A Backup Of My Archive?
As part of your "My History Archive" subscription, we will maintain backups of your digital collections on our secure servers. You may request a copy of your archive be sent to you in the event your DVD, HDD, or flash drive has been lost or damaged. You will only be charged for the replacement media.
Your Past May Fade From Memory
By creating a digital copy of the recorded accounts of your history, you capture the past in a format that is not susceptible to the same risk factors as your analog collection. If you don’t digitize the documents and recordings, you risk losing everything to the passage of time.
When you digitize your collection, not only will it help you preserve the original materials when you make them available online it will also allow you to share your collection, and connect others to your history as well. After all, your History Is Everything
Bring Your Past To The Present
Old books, letters, journals, yearbooks, and family history research documents contain bits and pieces of your past. When viewed collectively, they tell a story of who you are and where you came from. Without a doubt, you have a stash of family photos or albums taking up space on a bookshelf or hidden away in a hope chest. Somewhere, someone in your family has a box of old photos, negatives, or slides collecting dust in a closet.
There might be a storage box tucked away in your basement that holds a scrapbook of newspaper clippings of your high school athletic achievements, and maybe a yearbook or two.
You might possibly have a small shoebox of grandma’s index cards with her recipes written out in her own handwriting. Letters, military records, family genealogy records, old concert tickets, a showbill from your first play, home movies...all excerpts of your history, recorded in countless formats, stored out of sight in the nooks and crannies of your home.
Each piece of this personal history provides a clue as to what makes you, you. Each piece offers insight into the people, places, and events that shaped your life, your family, and your community.
Shipping & Packing Tips
We will send you sturdy boxes and prepaid return shipping labels once you place your order online. You will also receive a copy of your order, identifying labels, and instructions on matching your identifier labels to the identifier worksheet.
Why You Can Trust Us
History Is Everything is a division of Advantage Archives, a trusted partner of libraries, museums, educational institutions, government agencies, non-profit organizations, historical societies, and genealogical organizations across the United States, providing free access to historical content, including 110M newspaper pages and documents, dating as far back as 17th century.
We make these valuable collections free to access by the community through an online digital archive platform: The Community History Archives. historical documents that were previously limited in their availability.
This is YOUR History
Preserve It!
The history documented in the pictures, papers, slides, negatives, and recordings you have accumulated over the years represents your personal history. You may not realize it, but that history is fading away a little bit each day. Your photos, home movies, documents, and slides are losing their color, beginning to become brittle, and losing the battle in the war against time. By creating a digital copy of the recorded accounts of your history, you capture the past in a format that is not susceptible to the same risk factors as your analog collection.
Archive It!
The "My History Archive" is an online hosting, search platform, and access tools that power your archive, transforming your collection of files into an archive that can be explored for new discoveries, or for reliving old memories. You can share what you discover with others, and connect with your past in a way you could not with a box of old photos, a scrapbook of clippings, or a DVD of pictures. As more people create open "My History Archive"s a network of free genealogical tools will emerge, allowing for “crowdsourcing” of your family history research.
Share It!
Family history does not need to be locked behind a paywall or exclusively available via a prohibitively expensive subscription service. This is YOUR history, and you can share it with anyone you choose, at any time, and on any device. You can also explore, clip, and share information you find on any "My History Archive" that an owner has made available to use as a free resource for others, or leverage the hundreds of free Community History Archives created by libraries, genealogical societies, heritage centers, and other institutions across the country.
Your History Is Too Important Not To Protect
As part of your subscription to your "My History Archive", we will maintain backups of your digital collections on our secure servers. You may request a copy of your archive be sent to you in the event your DVD, HDD, the flash drive has been lost or damaged.
You will only be charged for the replacement media. You can also make as many duplicates as you would like of the DVD or flash drive, so you can make extra backups or create a copy to share with family and friends.
Your History, Your Way
At no charge, we will provide your choice of either a set of DVDs or an 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB USB flash drive containing your complete archive, allowing you to view the images or videos on your DVD player, or upload them to your favorite photo management cloud service. We also offer an optional 500GB or 1TB USB hard drives that can be purchased for larger collections.
Contact Us
Do you have any questions? We’re here to help. Our Customer Advocates are standing by to answer any questions you may have. We’re looking forward to connecting with you!
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Continue To Grow Your Archive
Your personal history isn’t doesn’t begin or end with a single document, book, or the research that was put into developing a family tree. Your history has been recorded in countless formats over the years, from letters, photos, and video, to old family recipes, journals, and newspaper clippings. Not only is it impractical to organize and access your physical original materials, handling them too often leads to damage and eventually, loss. Photos can tear, fade, or discolor. Videos and film can become brittle and crack or break, it is easy to scratch, and plastic cassettes are not as durable as you might think. Paper is fragile, making it vulnerable, and at risk of being lost to the ravages of time.
The originals should be stored properly for safekeeping and handled as little as possible. Fortunately, preserving the original materials does not mean you can’t have access to them. On the contrary, you have the option of making them more accessible than ever before. By digitizing your past, and creating a "My History Archive", you will be able to explore, view, and share your collection from anywhere in the world, at any time, using an Apple iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet, computer, Mac, Chromebook, or even a smart TV.
We can archive:
Printed Photos, Slides, Photo Negatives, Scrapbooks, Family History Books, Yearbooks, Journals, Diaries, Family Trees, Genealogical Research, Annuals, Census Records, Local History Books, Programs, Cookbooks, Newsletters, Record Books, Ledgers, Meeting Minutes, Directories, Manuscripts, Visitor Books, Muster Rolls, Documents, Marriage Certificates, Birth Announcements, Obituaries, Death Notices, Children’s Artwork, Postcards, Church Records, Correspondence, Handouts, Recipe Cards, Newspapers, Clippings, Memorabilia, Military Records, Drawings, Awards, Index Cards, Maps, Meeting Minutes, Heritage Collections, Property Records, Abstracts, Schedules, Bulletins, Immigration Records, Public Announcements, Transcripts, Oral Histories, Greeting Cards, Home Movies, Microfilm, Digital Photos...
...and almost anything else you can think of!
Additionally, you can leverage the hundreds of free Community History Archives created by libraries, genealogical societies, heritage centers, and other institutions across the country. We have made it simple to clip articles or other sections of documents and add them to your "My History Archive" with just a few clicks. You can also explore, clip, and share information you find on any "My History Archive" that an owner has made available to use as a free resource for others.