Frequently Asked Questions
- General Questions
- Old Movie Film Transfer Questions
- Video and Video Tape Transfer Questions
- Slide and Photo Scanning Questions
- Post Production Questions
- Shipping and Packing Questions
- Groupon Questions
General Questions
- How do I order?
- What if I change my mind about my order?
- What if I have custom instructions for my order?
- What is the best way to "future proof" my film, videos, or slides?
- What is the best way to watch my film, videos, or slides on a TV?
- Can I provide my own external hard drive?
- If I do choose to provide my own hard drive, how do I know what size to send you?
- How long does the service take?
- How much will it cost to transfer my project?
- Will you return my originals?
- Do you have a rush service?
- How long will you store my project at your office?
How do I order?
- Option: 1 You can use our online order form. Our website will present you with an order form that you can fill out and the computer will compute your order estimate and display it in the shopping cart. It will also collect your payment information and the time of ordering. When done, print out the order form to include with your order.
- Option: 2 If you prefer a paper order form, please use our offline pdf order form page which you can download and print out. You have the option of using the computer to fill out the form (and the computer will automatically calculate your estimate) or print the page out and fill it out by hand.
(If you are reading our pdf order forms in Adobe Acrobat version 7 or higher, the forms will automatically compute your order estimate based on the options you input. Please save the document first by right clicking it and choosing "save document as." This will allow you to save the form to your computer)
What if I change my mind about my order?
If your order has already been placed and processed and you wish to cancel your order, there will be a 25% cancellation fee of your total invoice. i.e. the order you place is $100, and you wanted to cancel your order - you would be charged $25 for the cancellation fee.
What if I have custom instructions for my order?
Please indicate any "CUSTOM" instructions in the box provided in the online order form. If you are filling out our offline order form please type or write on page 1 of the order form and include this page along with the rest of your order.
For any custom post production work, please fill out our POST PRODUCTION ORDER FORM. Your exact instructions help us deliver your project the way you want it.
What is the best way to "future proof" my film, videos, or slides?
The best way to future proof your film, video, or slides is to order a hard drive and make a digital copy of it. We provide this optional service for any kind of transfer that you do.
For "movie film" film, you will get the full, un-cropped high definition digital video on the hard drive using lossless compression. (When we transfer to DVD however, we will crop the sprocket holes for you.) Videotapes also have the full quality/full information transferred to the hard drive. Slides, s will be in JPG format on the hard drive unless you specify otherwise.
You can send an external (or internal) hard drive to us and we will upload your project to it for a $20 upload fee. If you do not have one you can conveniently order one from us using our order form and we will put the project on it at no extra charge.
What is the best way to watch my film, videos, or slides on a TV?
At present, the easiest way to do this is to transfer your film, videos and slides to DVD or Blu-ray.
To watch your films and videos using a DVD you will need a DVD player to play the disc. Due to the technical limitation of the DVD you will be limited to 480p.
To watch your films and videos on Blu-ray, you will need a Blu-ray player. You cannot play a Blu-ray in a DVD player. (However you CAN watch a DVD in a Blu-ray player) With Blu-ray, you will be able to watch in full high definition 1080p resolution.
To watch your slides on a TV, you must select a DVD slideshow using our slide scanning order form. This is an additional option and takes additional time to produce. For more information please see our Slide Scanning Order Form
Can I provide my own external hard drive?
You have the option of providing your own hard drive for a fee of $20.00 which covers formatting for PC or Mac and data upload.
It is important to note that hard drives formatted in FAT32 file system have a file size limit of 2.0 GB. If the drive that you send is formatted in FAT32, we will need to reformat. If you have information on the drive that you would like to keep, we can back it up for an additional charge.
If I do choose to provide my own hard drive, how do I know what size to send you?
| Hard Drive Size | Film | Video Tapes | Slides |
| 320 GB | Up to 3,700 ft | Up to 22 hours | Up to 17,400 slides |
| 500 GB | Up to 5,900 ft | Up to 35 hours | Up to 28,800 slides |
| 1 TB | Up to 12,500 ft | Up to 75 hours | Up to 58,800 slides |
| 2 TB | Up to 23,000 ft | Up to 130 hours | Up to 102,000 slides |
For film transfer, we have an online calculator to help you detertime the best estimate for your project
How long does the service take?
Depending on the amount of film included in your project, we normally finish a project within 14-21 business days. If your order needs additional processing and services, the time could be extended by 2 to 4 weeks. If you need immediate service, please check out out "rush service" which is available on our order form.
How much will it cost to transfer my project?
The cost will depend on how much you have to transfer and what services you choose. For film transfer pricing please refer to our pricing page. To see pricing of all our services please download our printable pdf order forms available on our offline order forms page or take a look at our online order form.
Will you return my originals?
All of your originals will be returned to you when we ship your order back to you. (Or when you pick them up if local).
Do you have a rush service?
If you have a deadline that must be met, we have a rush service available. Your order will be put in the front of our queue and will be done as fast as possible. Please call to see if we can do your project within the time frame that you need. For rush pricing please refer to our online or offline order form.
How long will you store my project at your office?
Filmtransfer.com will only store projects ten (10) business days from when the project has been completed.
*If there are special circumstances please see below.
For local customers, after being contacted by the office manager of FilmTransfer.com to let you know the order is completed, you have 10 business days to come to our Northbrook office and pick up your order. If there is an outstanding balance on the account and you have been contacted by the office manager, you have 10 days to pay the balance in full and pick up the order.
For shipping customers, if there is a pending balance on your account you have 10 days from being contacted by the office manager of FilmTransfer.com to pay that balance in full. After which your account will be finalized and your order will be shipped.
If your project is not picked up and/or paid in full after the ten (10) business days of your project being completed then FilmTransfer.com will assess a $10 per week storage charge to your account. The storage charge begins on the 11th business day and cycles every 7 days.
If there are special circumstances that do not allow you to pick up your order in that amount of time, please call FilmTransfer.com, 800-557-3508, and we will discuss it with you.