13 Strategic Ways Businesses Can Use Coupon Codes

13 Strategic Ways Businesses Can Use Coupon Codes

Savvy business owners are finding ways to leverage discounts to track customers, build affiliate relationships and more. A panel of successful young entrepreneurs shares the strategies that are actually working. Here's what they had to say:

7.  Customize and Learn

Many businesses make the mistake of simply using coupons to increase conversions. The bigger opportunity is to utilize them to also learn more about your customers' behavior along the way. Create unique codes to be used through a variety of channels, create custom codes for partners and then test different discount formats to maximize conversions based on real data.

- Anderson Schoenrock, ScanDigital

From 3 Weeks Behind Schedule to 1100% Growth

From 3 Weeks Behind Schedule To 1100% Growth - Interview With ScanDigital Founder Anderson Schoenrock

Even as a child, I remember looking through my parents’ photo albums regularly to get a glimpse into what their lives were like before I was born. There were photos of my parents as children, photos of when they were still dating, their wedding, and their first apartment together. Even then, the images as objects struck me as a powerful language printed on small pieces of paper.

Those photographs as well as countless VHS tapes my father recorded of family gatherings are still in my parents’ house still in the analogue format. However, what would be more convenient is those images and videos converted digitally so that they could be easily viewed on our family’s laptops and devices This way the content would be digitally archived and we would no longer put wear and tear on the analogue format which has a finite lifespan.

Luckily, there’s a Los Angeles based startup, ScanDigital, which specializes in preserving and converting prints, negatives, and videos from analogue to digital. It’s as simple as sending them your prints, negatives, and videos so that they can take care of the rest. It’s an excellent solution for archiving and especially for allowing you to take a second look at those memories without having to drag out old boxes, albums, or having to break out and plug in a VCR.

To read more, visit KillerStartups.

Why I Chose Entrepreneurship

Why I Chose Entrepreneurship Over the Security of Investment Banking

It was 11 p.m. on September 10, 2001 and, as I made my way down the elevator from the 26^th floor of 3 World Financial Center to a town car waiting to take me home, I enjoyed a feeling of accomplishment. I was three months into my employment as an investment banking analyst at Lehman Brothers and ready to conquer the world. Life was good.

That feeling faded fairly quickly the next morning. Before I left for work, I received a call from my parents telling me to turn on the TV. From my apartment, I sat and saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center, and then watched as the towers collapsed on top of my office building.

The events of that morning, as well as the subsequent months working in the aftermath of 9/11, shaped and molded my view of how I wanted to spend my life professionally. The days flew by as an analyst and I started questioning whether I should blindly accept the i-banking culture, which instilled that you were part of an elite circle and privileged to be working such a prestigious firm. The more and more acquainted with the senior members of our group, the more I realized how trapped many of them felt. Many were miserable, but found themselves bound to the firm by big bonuses that fueled their lavish lifestyles. About six months into my two-year contract, I made a pact with myself that I would not become one of them.

To read more, visit Forbes.

Ex-Investment Banker Pursues a Business Idea

LA Startup Spotlight: Anderson Schoenrock, CEO of ScanDigital

Tips for Marketing on a Shoe-String Budget

Tips for Marketing on a Shoe-String Budget

Small-business owner Jose Rodriguez of Arizona asks: I have no money for marketing my restaurant. Other than social media, what is your best low cost marketing idea that I can utilize to get the word out?

The following answers come from members of The Young Entrepreneur Council, a nonprofit founded in New York in 2010 that focuses on international initiatives that include entrepreneurship education, advocacy, mentorship programs and events, scholarships, and health-care for young entrepreneurs. E-mail your questions about best practices for starting up and/or managing a small business to smbs@foxbusiness.com.

No. 6: Use your food as currency

From: Anderson Schoenrock of ScanDigital

As a restaurant on a shoestring budget, use free food to draw in repeat business. Maybe offer a free appetizer on a return visit. Better yet, offer something that requires the customer to bring a friend. Create a situation where people have incentive to bring their friends and then focus on giving those customers the best experience possible.

To read more, visit Fox Business Small Business.

Young Entrepreneur Council: What's The Best Way To Increase The Size Of Your Network?

Young Entrepreneur Council: What's The Best Way To Increase The Size Of Your Network?

Q: What is the best way to increase the size of my network? How can I get myself and my brand in front of people?--Christina Montgomery, FL

A: Put In The Extra Time

8 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Get More Out of Twitter

8 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Get More Out of Twitter

To tweet or not to tweet. That is the question on many business owners’ minds.

For some, Twitter has proven to be a powerful way to engage customers and build a community. For others, tweeting has been nothing but a useless time suck. The fact is, most small business owners have no concept about how to use Twitter effectively. Many entrepreneurs simply produce and promote useless spam, while others over extend and over engage.

In order to teach business owners how to benefit from this tool, I asked a panel of successful young entrepreneurs how their entrepreneurial brethren can utilize Twitter to their advantage rather than to their dismay.

6. Provide Relevant Information

Twitter is a brilliant tool to push information out to your customers and fans, but it is important to remember that Twitter is not about self-promotion. Be sure you’re engaging your customer base and starting a dialogue. Create genuine interaction and work to distribute information relevant to your customers. Using this approach will help you harness the power of Twitter.

- Anderson Schoenrock

Twitter: Scan Digital

To read full article, visit Mashable

5 Things to Know About Making Your First Hires

5 Things to Know About Making Your First Hires

The Question: I’ve never hired an employee before, and now my business demands that I hire several. How do I minimize the number of hires who don’t work out? – Jim Hathwater, MI

1. Find the round peg

“As an entrepreneur, your job is to be a constant promoter, but often I see business owners make the mistake of hyping a position too much during the interview. The result is that they try to push a square peg in a round hole. Instead, use the interview as an opportunity to set clear expectations of the job and then work to find someone who is qualified and excited to fill that particular role.” — Anderson Schoenrock (@ScanDigital), co-founder of ScanDigital

To read more, visit BNET

HOW TO: Get the Most From a Small Business Social Media Presence

HOW TO: Get the Most From a Small Business Social Media Presence

Today’s reality is that your business needs to be on social media, but the mere existence of your business on sites like Facebook and Twitter doesn’t guarantee a single sale, or even a single referral. In order for businesses to succeed in the social media space, they need to be properly educated on what works and what doesn’t. More importantly, business owners need to have realistic goals about what they’ll get out of social media.

When the right tools are used effectively with the right motives in mind, social media can have a huge impact on small business marketing and customer service efforts. You just have to understand how to properly determine and assess the return on investment you’re looking for.

I asked a panel of successful Gen Y entrepreneurs how small businesses can go about getting the most out of their social media marketing and how they can convert more of their existing social media followers into paying customers. Here are their responses.

2. Foster Genuine Interactions

“First, you may want to rethink how you are viewing social media. If you’re looking for an immediate pop in revenue, you’re likely to give up quickly on social media and completely miss the larger opportunity it provides. Of course the broader goal of all marketing is to generate sales; however, if you show up on Facebook and Twitter simply to promote your product or service it is likely you’ll be ignored. Social media is about genuine interaction and building relationships. By fostering relationships, social media becomes an incredibly powerful tool. Provide interesting content that will generate buzz, provide helpful hints and unique discounts that are only available on Facebook or Twitter. Customers will appreciate the ability to participate in a dialogue directly with your brand and these interactions will show up on customers’ news feeds. The resulting brand exposure and word-of-mouth will ultimately pay dividends in the form of new customers.”

- Anderson Schoenrock, co-founder of ScanDigital

To read the full article, visit Mashable

How to Market on the Cheap

How to Market on the Cheap

Q. I just launched a hole-in-the-wall candy store near my college campus and I have very little money for marketing. My customers are primarily groups of college students walking around campus between classes or after a night out with friends. What tools or tips can you offer me to increase store traffic and get people talking about my brand?
—Joe, Syracuse, N.Y.

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council , an advocacy group that works to overcome youth unemployment by teaching young people how to build successful companies. The council's members include Generation Y entrepreneurs and experts in a variety of fields.

A. Turn your cash-strapped budget into an advantage.
My first course of action would be to focus my marketing on efforts that entice repeat visits. We've all seen the "club card" concept where your tenth visit results in a free item. These "clubs" are prevalent because they achieve results—the consumer works toward that free item and the merchant is thrilled to give up something after booking nine visits. You could also try a referral program—if the margins allow it, you could give something free to loyal customers that bring friends to the shop. Social media is another low-cost way to market your products. Location-based check-in services such as Foursquare (and now Facebook Places) provide merchants the opportunity to let customers do the marketing by announcing to the world they're in your shop. Another route would be to work with a daily deal site such as Groupon (or any of its competitors) to provide a highly discounted coupon. If you can pass along a significant discount and acquire a new customer on a near break-even basis, you'll be well on your way to running a successful store with many repeat customers.
 —Anderson Schoenrock (@AndersonSD), co-founder of ScanDigital

Read the full Wall Street Journal article online here.

Should Your Company Use Groupon to Increase Sales?

Should Your Company Use Groupon to Increase Sales?

Groupon, the wildly successful online daily coupon company, recently offered a $25 coupon for $50 worth of merchandise at The Gap. The deal was so popular that it crashed Groupon’s servers, attracted 445,000 buyers, and earned Groupon and the Gap more than $11 million in revenue (Groupon is being cagey about its cut, but the company typically takes 50% of the revenue on any given deal.) Such is the power and growing popularity of Groupon and an ever-increasing number of smaller competitors (including LivingSocial, GiltCity, Jasmere, BuyWithMe, and Tippr), which operate under similar terms and typically work with small, local companies. The idea is to increase traffic and revenue by offering deep discounts at retailers, restaurants, spas, and the like. So should your company be using an online coupon service? Maybe and maybe not. Here are two companies that had vastly different experiences.

ScanDigital, a company that digitizes photos, slides, and home movies, ran its first deal on Groupon last November and CEO Anderson Schoenrock is a huge fan. “We’ve run deals in 55 markets,” says Schoenrock, who notes that ScanDigital has more that doubled its size in the last nine months, largely due to new customers acquired from Groupon. “It has been a significant game changer,” he says. The company offered $100 worth of scanning for $40. Schoenrock concedes that “after a deep discount and Groupon’s cut, we struggle to make much, if any money on each Groupon,” but he insists that the service is an excellent customer acquisition tool. “We know that our customers will place repeat orders and generate word of mouth business for us. In our case, if we can gain a new customer through Groupon on a close to breakeven basis, then this is a huge win for us.” But that’s not true for every business. For some, social coupon companies like Groupon are just too much of a good thing.

To read the full article, visit BNET here.

Groupon's $11 million Gap day: A business winner or loser?

Groupon's $11 Million Gap Day: A Business Winner or Loser?

 Before I say anything about Groupon’s $11 million day last week, I should note that my wife was among the 445,000 shoppers who coughed up $25 for a voucher that will let her buy $50 worth of stuff at the Gap.

That was the deal of the day on Thursday, the first nationwide deal for the Chicago-based Groupon, which has been expanding across the nation - and now internationally - with what has largely been targeted local discounts.

Who doesn’t love a half-off sale? In my house, it’s still back-to-school season and $25 in savings is $25 in savings. So I’m a happy dad. And I can’t imagine anyone at Groupon is sad about the way this all turned out. After all, the Chicago-based company, not even two years old, has received a fair amount of publicity in the past few days.

But digital marketing consultant Augustine Fou, quoted in a Mashable post, says this is loser of a deal for an large-scale national advertiser like the Gap unless the company is taking the losses on the deal out of a marketing or advertising budget. The reasoning: the $11 million in transactions for the day is actually $11 million in losses because, at $50, the revenue should have been $22 million and Groupon still gets its cut, too.

Talk about glass half-empty, huh? Technically, Fou is right - if you assume that every one of those 445,000 would otherwise walk in the door of a Gap store and spend at least $50. But that would be a bad assumption, right? Many of those discount shoppers might have never been inclined to walk into a Gap store. Many might have walked in, shuffled through a couple of racks and went off to spend $25 or $50 elsewhere.

Off the top of my head, I can come up with at least a handful of reasons why this is a good deal for the Gap and probably many other advertisers, both large and small.

• Cash-in-hand: As with gift cards, a Groupon customer has already spent the money. Someone - whether it’s Groupon or The Gap - has it in-hand, theoretically making interest on it until the customer redeems it.

• Word of Mouth: When people hear about a big sale, they immediately tell their friends. I know I saw the deal being spread across Facebook and Twitter that day.

• Extra spending: I can almost guarantee you that my wife will take my teen daughter into The Gap and spend more than $50. In fact, they’ll probably end up spending $75. My wife will explain to me how she saved me money because I really got $75 worth of stuff for $50, which I was probably going to spend anyway. (This is why I don’t go school shopping with wife and daughter.)

• Free advertising: The Gap’s name was in headlines alongside Groupon’s name. And a big “$11 million” in bold never hurts either.

• Exposure: Sure, the Gap is already a big name but small customers can grab the attention of potential new customers and turn them into repeat customers.

That’s already worked for me with one company, Los Angeles-based ScanDigital, which converts old reel-to-reel movies, among other things, into digital formats. About a month ago, I spotted a Groupon for $100 worth of services for $40 and jumped on it. (I bought two.)

I sent off 12 priceless 8mm home movies that date back nearly 50 years to be converted into digital formats. They were just returned this weekend and I was very happy with the service. Now, I’m looking forward to using the second voucher on some old camcorder tapes that have recorded memories of first crawls, first steps and first birthdays.

And a good friend of mine, who has boxes of old films, tapes and so on, has been looking for a referral of a place that can be trusted with his family’s memories.

Sure, going the route of a Groupon deal cost ScanDigital $60 on my order (actually $120 for the two vouchers I bought.) But, I did end up spending far more than $100 and the company gained a repeat customer and a referral. In the end, I’d say the $60 was worth it.

Read the full ZDNet article online here.

Protect Your Priceless Photos

Protect Your Priceless Photos
Don't do it yourself. Let a scanning company digitize your pics. It's cheap and easy as can be.

1. Scan 'Em
Home scanning of the average photo collection can take up to 100 hours. Hiring a bulk scanning company is more efficient, says photography expert Jeff Sedlik of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Some photo shops offer the service; mail-order companies include ScanDigital (888-333-2808; scandigital.com). Ideally, for safety, have pics scanned in the U.S.- not overseas.

Picture This

Picture This

A Safe, Reasonably Priced Solution For Digitizing Your Old Photos And VHS Tapes

Unless you were born after the creation the Mosaic browser odds are you have old photos and VHS tapes that need to be digitized to be of any use to humanity.

Those without endless amounts of time and patience (or a scanner) should consider outsourcing the task to Scan Digital, a video and film conversion service based in California.

As a first step you ship them your old photos, videos and film reels. There’s $10 charge for two-way shipping (once paid you can print the UPS shipping labels).

Because these are one of kind objects they offer a service called “Essential Tracker,” so you can be sure your goods are safe during transit.

They’ll sort everything out and get to work. This includes cropping, color correcting and removing dust, blemishes and red eye (and, of course, the actual digitizing).

A week later they’ll mail back the originals along with DVDs that contain all your old memories. They'll also create an online gallery, which makes it easy to share (and provides a back up in case you lose the DVDs).

Photos start at 48 cents (for a 300 dpi version). Videos (including VHS, mini DV and even Betamax) are $19.95 per cassette. And film transfer costs 28 cents per foot.

But, of course, being able to share that long lost footage of you in your college-era punk band on Facebook is priceless.

To view the original feature, visit Netted

Time Management by the Very Time-Challenged

PRIORITIZE

Mike Mothner's $10 million, 50-person search engine marketing company, Wpromote, had been operating for six years when he decided to launch ScanDigital, a photo and home movie transfer company, in 2007. Partly because he'd enlisted a partner to work with him in his new endeavor, he mistakenly thought starting the second business would be easier than launching the first had been. "I underestimated what it would take," the El Segundo (Calif.)-based entrepreneur says. "In the beginning, if anybody e-mailed or popped up on instant messenger, I responded and dealt with it. But it became overwhelming, and we needed to give it some structure."

Now problems that don't need a fast fix are tabled until the weekly lunch with Andrew Schoenrock, Mothner's partner at ScanDigital, which has grown to become an 18-employee, $1.8 million company. To manage incessant and distracting calls, Mothner uses software called PhoneTag, which converts voicemails into e-mails and then sends them directly to his in-box, where they become his "to-do" list. "I'm far more efficient by e-mail," explains Mothner, who receives upward of 300 e-mails each day and sends out about 75. "Now, I can turn even a short call into a 15-second e-mail response."

But before an e-mail gets even 15 seconds, Mothner mentally gives it a priority from one (immediate) to five (least important), based on how critical it is and how long it will take him to deal with it. Those that rate a one he deals with first and moves on to those of lesser priority. "It's about resource management, whether it's money or time," he says, "it's something you have to be vigilantly aware of."

To see the full article, visit BusinessWeek

Calling in the Pros

Memento Remodelers

Just as your appliances and fixtures need occasional updates, so do your family mementos. Converting original documents, tapes, photos, slides and even videos or home movies to digital formation will preserve their content and allow you to share them easily.

The equipment required to digitize most of your family memories is available for tech-savvy DIYers. But price or lack of expertise keeps many people from using digital conversion tools such as scanners, slide converters and special software.

ScanDigital is one of many companies that provide high-quality scans of your old photos, documents, album pages, videos and films (including 8mm, Super8, and 16mm). ScanDigital caters specifically to family historians, providing secure shipping, careful handling, state-of-the-art digitization, light photo restoration, on-line file storage and speedy return of precious family mementos.

Digitization services usually don’t take long; ScanDigital turns most orders within one week (two for videos). The completed product is generally a CD or DVD, thought digitizers can print photos on request. ScanDigital also hosts your files online so you can share them with others, order prints, upload additional images, and create customized photo books or slide shows form them. Don’t worry about your privacy- ScanDigital uses a secure server that’s not publicly accessible (you access your account with a password).

Giveaways

ScanDigital offers a great resource for safe online photo and video storage, with the added advantage of being able to share them quickly with friends and family, plus you can have them turned into printed products to treasure.

Outsource Your Photo Scanning Projects

A third-party scanning service can help you migrate old photos from the shoe box to the computer.

How many of your photographs are you not enjoying because they are lost in dust-covered shoe boxes under the bed? Trapped in those cardboard containers are snapshots from family reunions, birthday parties, weddings, vacations, and, sometimes most importantly, the simple moments in life. They might be stored away but that doesn't mean they're not deteriorating--colors can fade and shift over time.

The good news is that scanning can help rescue and revive those treasures from the days of analog. The bad news is that digitizing those old photographs yourself can be a formidable task. Scanning and retouching each photo, slide, or negative would take an untold amount of your time and energy. Thankfully, there are now professional scanning services that will do all the tedious work for you. I tested three different scanning services to see how they stacked up.

The test subjects

I placed orders with these three scanning companies: ScanDigital.com, DigMyPics.com, and ScanCafe.com. All three services have similar approaches to customer service, and each successfully completed the orders I placed, delivering scans and returning the original materials to me in good condition. However, the services did have varying strengths and weaknesses in the following areas: placing the order, ongoing communication, turnaround time, scan and retouching quality, after-order support, and pricing.

For each service tested, I prepared a package that contained 15 images covering the three main kinds of standard color media: five 35mm slides, five 4-by-6-inch prints, and five 35mm negatives. Test packages are a good way to go when considering a new scanning service. The financial investment is relatively low, and you can minimize your risk by sending images that you have duplicates of. If everything goes well, then you can send off larger quantities with some assurance of a positive experience.

To judge product quality, I ordered the highest resolution scan each service offered. The test files were opened directly from the shipped DVD into Adobe Photoshop CS4. I printed images on 13-by-19-inch paper from a Hewlett-Packard Photosmart Pro B8850 printer. The resolution was set for 300 pixels per inch (ppi), which yielded an image size of 17.8 by 12 inches. No image adjustments were applied. In the print dialog box, I let the printer manage the colors. I used original HP ink and HP glossy paper.

Organizing and packaging photos

The first step in outsourcing your scanning is to gather all of the pictures you want to preserve. They may be stashed away in different areas of the house, storage spaces, or in the hands of friends or relatives. You don’t need to limit your collection to standard-size prints, slides, and negatives. Most scanning services will also accept less-common media, including APS film, medium and large format prints and slides, transparencies, scrapbook pages, and disk negatives. Each company provides a list of their accepted formats online.

For the most part the sites recommend sorting your images by keeping prints, slides, and negatives bundled with like kind. In other words, don’t toss a mix of media into a box and expect the service to sort it out for you. If your prints are in albums or slides in carousels and you don’t want to take them out, that’s OK. For a slight surcharge, the scanning company can remove, scan, and return your prints and slides to their rightful place.

The better you label your materials, the quicker the company can process them. I put negatives and slides in Print File sleeves to protect them and included my name on each sleeve. I put prints together in a manila envelope with my name on it. (Some companies request that you put your slides in boxes instead of sleeves.) If you want your images to be separated into groups, divide and label each batch clearly. The final scans will be sorted and named accordingly.

Finally, I put the envelopes and sleeves into a sturdy box and mailed it off. My materials from each service were all returned to me in my original packaging, and they were in good shape.

Placing the order

Placing your order online with a scanning service is a fairly straightforward process. Typically, you create an account and then let the service know a little bit about the type of media you want scanned, how many items of each type will be in the order, the resolution at which you want them scanned, and the type of digital media you’d like in return.

You can have your scanned photos burned on a CD or DVD, stored online, or saved on an external hard drive. I like to get my images on DVD and have the option to download them online too. The DVD serves as a nice archive, and it will play on all of my Macs. The online files are convenient for quick downloading.

Of the services I tested, ScanDigital had the easiest ordering process. I was presented with a short series of decisions that were easy to understand, such as the pricing plan, shipping method, and digital format for final scans. The easiest way to ship materials with ScanDigital is via UPS. There is a $10 upfront charge for two-way shipping, and once you pay it, you can print out a UPS shipping label.

The online order form was slightly more intimidating with DigMyPics. I had more decisions to make about the digitizing process with this service. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but DigMyPics does seem more geared toward photographers who have specific preferences about scanning resolution, while ScanDigital didn’t require much upfront knowledge about the scanning process.

Ordering from ScanCafe was more like ordering from ScanDigital--clear and straightforward. All three sites have a terrific How It Works page that includes information about the scanning process, tips on how to pack your shipment, and answers to FAQs.

Of the three, ScanDigital and ScanCafe have a slight edge for ease of ordering.

To read the full review, visit MacWorld.

Now What?

Q: Can I convert photo negatives straight to digital?

A: Yes, you can. You needn’t develop your negatives before scanning the images. And once you have the digital files, you can use photo-editing software to touch up the pictures, share them via e-mail and put them on a photo-sharing Web site. You can do it yourself or send the negatives out to be scanned commercially. If you don’t mind sending your stash away to be digitized, many scanning services operate via mail. ScanDigital charges 58 cents per 35mm negative and 68 cents for slides scanned at 2,000 dpi, or you can send a batch of 250 items for a flat fee of $179.95.

To read the full article, see here: Family Tree Cover, Article

Got an hour? Organize Your Photos.

Organize Your Photos
Edit your snapshots in six easy steps- then show them off

1. Gather all your loose pictures.
2. Decide how to sort them.
3. Figure out a time limit.
4. Sift and purge.
5. Pick your favorites.
6. Update photos in frames.

PRESERVE OLD PHOTOS
Mail them to ScanDigital.com and they’ll scan, archive and load delicate pics onto a DVD or external hard drive.

To see the full article, see here: InStyle Cover, Page 1, Page 2

Maxed Out!

Though it holds all the sex appeal of a frying pan, a terabyte may very well be the most romantic gift you could present to your dearest one this year, a year when many American consumers have finally reached the capacity limits of their home computer hard drives. Anyone who’s experience that come-to-Jesus moment when it looks like the old laptop in finally crashing will treasure those 1,00 gigs of back-up memory as a safe resting place for the irreplaceable images and videos they’ve spent years creating and collecting, bit by digital bit.

Backing up material ‘in the cloud’ (online-based storage) continued to be a growing category as well, despite consumer reticence that resulted from a few online storage companies going out of business over the last two years. Vendors like ScanDigital.com, whose business has grown 250 percent from March ’08 to March ’09, have had success offering customers a combination of online storage and hardware.

“We offer online storage for free and try to justify the cost by selling [image] products,” say ScanDigital CEO, Anderson Schoenrock, who reports that requests for transferring video or scanned photos onto hard drives instead of DVDs have gone way up in the last six-to-eight months. ‘It’s a better way to go, the hard drives…they have their digital files accessible right away. We’re selling a 160 gig [Western Digital], USB-powered drive for $100 and other terabyte drives for film and video. We sell the drives at a market rate, which is always changing.”

To read the full article, see here: Cover, Page 1, Page 2

Back to Life: Restoring Old Photos

Printed photos fade over time, and the emulsion on slides and negatives can dry our and deteriorate. If you’ve been storing your pictures in shoeboxes, albums, or frames, there is a good chance your precious photographic memories are faded or damaged. Don’t lose hope- technology can easily bring your old photos back to life.

Scan
Scanning printed photos, slides or negatives digitizes the images, converting them to files that can be stored on a computer, CD, DVD, or memory card. Once the conversion has been made, you can organize, enhance, preserve, and share your images. Fortunately, there are many options for scanning, and some don’t even require you to purchase any equipment!

Personal Scanners:
From multifunction printer to dedicated film scanners, there are many scanning options to choose from. Some scanners even let you scan images without a computer. Be sure to install the driver CD that comes with your scanner to ensure it will function properly with your computer. Scan your photos at high resolution (300 dpi or higher), even if you don’t plan on printing them right away. Why? Even though computer monitors display at only 72 to 96 ppi, most printers produce around 300 dpi for a sharp print. You can always make a copy of a high-resolution image for on-screen display, but you can’t increase the resolution of an existing image to print! (Note: Print resolution is referred to in dpi- dots per inch, whereas monitor resolution is expressed in ppi- pixels per inch.)

Online Scanning Services:
A Web search yields a variety of scanning services. I recently used ScanDigital.com to scan and clean up my old photos, and had a great experience (Fig. 2). Just send them your old prints, slides, or negatives (they also accept videotape and other old film mediums) via a trackable shipping service like UPS or FedEx. ScanDigital does an excellent job scanning, cleaning, and adjusting images, and the results had good color, contrast, and detail. The scanned images can then be viewed and downloaded online, and they are also stored on CD, which is sent back to you with your originals. See the full article below.

See the full Create & Decorate article here.

To see an electronic version see here:
Create & Decorate June Cover
Create & Decorate Article: page 1, page 2, page 3

Picture Perfect- Anderson Schoenrock Interview

Preserving memories in the digital age isn't always easy. After all, most of us did not grow with digital cameras or camcorders capturing out first steps. As technology continues to evolve, our parents now have stacks of old photos and family videos collecting dust. It was precisely this predicament that spurned Anderson Schoenrock and his buddy Mike Mothner to launch one of the smartest companies of the future, ScanDigital. In an effort to increase the longevity of your most precious moments, ScanDigital is a service where customers can send in their photos, slides and videos and have them digitized to ensure their protection. We think Mom would appreciate having those adorable (and embarrassing) baby pics all the more accessible. Schoenrock took a moment to tell us more.

See the full Saturday Night Magazine article here.

See the electronic copy here:
Saturday Night Magazine Cover
Saturday Night Magazine Article

Slideshows Made Easy

Slideshows Made Easy

Slideshows have become a rehearsal-dinner staple, but if laziness or lack of computer skills has been holding you back, the services of ScanDigital.com will be mighty helpful. Send the company your old photos, as well as digital photo files and momentos, and in less than a week you'll receive a custom DVD slideshow set to the music of your choice. $100 for up to 250 photos.

See the electronic copy here:
Brides Cover, Brides Article

Photo Scanning Web Services Save Time, But How Much?

Photo Scanning Web Services Save Time, But How Much?
By Jose Fermoso


If you’ve wanted to scan thousands of family picture prints at a time but never had the time to go through with it, a couple of services are available to do the job on your behalf. ScanDigital and ScanMyPhotos.com both take pictures that you send through snail mail and get back to you in digital versions that you can store in the cloud, safely.

ScanDigital’s service scans your photos at 48 cents per print (at 300 dpi) or for 68 cents (at 600 dpi) to an online server where you can download or share them with others. Once they’re done, they’ll send you back DVDs of the digital pictures and all of the originals. According to the company, you receive task progress emails through the process.

But are these services any better than buying a good scanner and just doing it yourself?

At the beginning of the year, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to scan thousands of photo prints on behalf of my older relatives. I thought it was important to insure their memories (which are also my own) against disasters like earthquakes, theft, and flooding. But one hour after I started scanning prints of the first box out of 15, (with a high-quality flatbed), I just quit. I realized this was going to take forever.

I’d scanned 16 pictures, which seemed like a lot to me (maybe that’s a pathetic number for scanning pros, but I was trying to be perfect with the framing). I figured that if there were 2,000 pictures in the boxes, it would take me over 156 hours to complete the task. Rats.

Since that’s way too much, I’m probably going to use ScanDigital to get them in order. Even if takes me a full afternoon to ship them, I figure I will save a week’s worth of hours, at least. 150 big ones. It’s not going to be cheap to pay for the service, but nothing is more expensive than wasted time.

To read the entire article, visit Wired's Gadget Lab.

ScanDigital scans your old photos so you don't have to

ScanDigital scans your old ohotos so you don't have to
By Christopher Null

My wife's going to hate this post, but the hard truth is that she's got a packrat complex and won't throw anything away. That means that, in addition to mountains of old yearbooks, moldy keepsakes, and clothes that don't fit, we are also the proud owners of boxes and boxes of photographs snapped in the 25 years or so before the digital age allowed us to get by without the Foto Lab.

Thousands of photos in hardcopy format are not of much use aside from collecting dust (and they eventually decay into sludge), so I figured we'd kill two birds with one stone: Let's scan the photos and get rid of the old prints.

Now taking pictures is fun. Scanning them? Boring as hell, and often complicated when you have to correct for color problems (which is most of the time).

Enter ScanDigital. Very simply, ScanDigital does all that scanning work for you. You mail them your photos, they do the scan and cleanup, then they put your pics online for download or sharing (shots are not public unless you choose to make them so) and send you a CD or DVD with the scanned shots when you get back the originals.

The whole process takes two to three weeks from mailing out the pics to getting them back (I did this over the holidays, so it's hard to judge exactly), and ScanDigital emails you every step of the way with progress reports.

Overall I was very pleased with the service. Photos are rotated to the correct orientation, dust and scratches were generally fixed up, and the price -- 48 cents per print for 300dpi scanning -- isn't bad. You can pay more for 600dpi (68 cents each), and slides and negatives can be scanned at up to 4000dpi for not much more money, too. ScanDigital also does movie film, videotape, and even scrapbook pages.

Overall, ScanDigital is a good value and offers good quality in the finished product, saving you countless hours of truly tedious work. And yes, there are numerous other services like this out there, many of which receive equally positive reports.

If you've got loads of prints sitting around, you might consider using one of them to digitize them soon... just in case the pics turn into a "toxic soup."

Alas, in the end, ScanDigital did nothing to end the packratting: Rather than junk the old prints, now we have both the digital scans and the old prints, too.

To read the full article, see Yahoo! Tech.

Dreading Taxes? Let Shoeboxed Do Some Of The Legwork

Dreading Taxes? Let Shoeboxed Do Some Of The Legwork

With tax season rapidly approaching, the prospect of digging through receipts for business expenses and tax deductions is looming large. Shoeboxed, a site that helps manage your purchases by scanning your receipts and posting them to the web, is looking to make the process a little easier.

We last covered the site back in November 2007, when it experimented with a social shopping feature that the company abandoned after about a week. Now it’s concentrating on helping users mange their receipts online. To get started, users mail in their receipts which Shoeboxed then scans and enters into its web-based software (the company can handle multiple receipts at once, with an estimated wait time of 2-3 days to get a boxful online). The site also recently began accepting business cards. The service runs around $10/month, with more expensive plans for heavy users (over 50 receipts a month).

Once the receipts are online, users can easily assign them into different catagories (for example, labeling which ones are company expenditures). Mint does something similar, but it only lists your transactions based on their location, and you can’t see an itemized list of what you’ve purchased. Of course, Shoeboxed is only useful if you’re diligent about sending in your receipts - if you’re the kind of person who loses them frequently, it won’t do you much good.

The company has forged a deal with TaxACT, a popular online tax filing company that will be promoting Shoeboxed as an effective way to minimize sifting through paperwork. It also just announced a partnership with ScanDigital, a company that converts media like photos slides to digital formats (the two companies will cross-promote eachothers’ services).

See the complete article here.

Cool Service- Snap Saver

Cool Service- Snap Saver

Slide shows are becoming increasingly important at weddings- showing who you were and how you grew up. But who has the time to scan all of those old snapshots and organize then onto a DVD? That's why we love ScanDigital. The process couldn't be easier: Just select your favorite images, be they prints, slides, negatives or even video, and mail them off to the company in their special packaging. They'll scan everything, retouching as needed (alas, they can't do anything about those bad hairstyles in high school!), and post them in an online gallery you can share with friends. Finally, they'll send your images back, along with a slide-show DVD played to the music of your choice. Customizable extras include preloaded digital photo frames and copies for your guests. From $99.95.

See the electronic copy here: Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Cover, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Article

Three Photo-Organizing Solutions

Easy Fix: Three Photo-Organizing Solutions

1. Archival Storage Boxes

2. Traditional Albums

3. Online Services

Sites like Snapfish.com and Shutterfly.com let you create printed photo books (like this one). Have only hard copies? ScanDigital.com will scan and color-correct the shots, then send them back to you on a disc.

See the electronic copy here: Real Simple Cover, Real Simple Article

Secrets of a Digital Mom

Secrets of a Digital Mom

Today's technology -- software, free Web apps, a few choice gadgets -- can whip your household into shape and leave you with less clutter and time to spare. Really!

Why Technology Can Help You
Technology is supposed to help us get organized, communicate more effectively, eliminate paper, and store huge amounts of information on tiny devices. So why is the house a shambles? Oh, that would be the rat's nest of wires in the living room, the video games in the family room, and the chargers all over the place. Yet despite the potential for tech to create mess, I'm obsessed -- because as the working mom of two tweens, I love anything that helps me take care of my family, meet my obligations, and simplify my life. If that sounds good to you too, follow me from room to room and I'll show you some geeky ways to manage clutter, get rid of stray papers, and streamline household operations. Sometimes a purchase is in order, but often a free Web site or service can do the trick.

In the Living Room
A home entertainment center creates its own special brand of chaos: speaker wire, DVDs, old home movies, an absurd number of remote controls. Here's how to eliminate or stash it all.

I got rid of a huge stack of CDs, a snarl of speaker wire, and several stereo components by installing the Sonos Wireless Music System (sonos.com, starting at $999). Admittedly, it's a big-ticket item -- but if you're considering buying a music system and wiring the house for sound, this is terrific. Not only did the Sonos cut down substantially on the number of components I have, but since it's a wireless, all-house solution, I can now send music to the kitchen if I choose. And this product seamlessly taps into satellite radio (sirius.com, $168 a year; xm.com, from $8 to $15 a month), the music stored on all the computers on our wireless network, and music subscription sites Rhapsody.com (plans range from free to $15 a month) and Napster.com (starting at $13 a month).

Thanks to the many different video cameras I've owned over the years, I had a mismatched stack of tapes in my entertainment center, plus boxes of old photos and negatives. I shipped everything off to ScanDigital.com to be put on my choice of CDs, DVDs, or a hard drive. Prices vary; a starter package -- 100 photos, negatives, or slides -- is $90.

"Where's the remote?" This simple question used to spark constant battles in my house. Now all three are nestled in the clever Remote Control Book (kangaroomstorage.com, $25). Closed, it looks like a leather-bound tome; flip open to reveal a trio of storage spots.

I know I can save electricity by turning off the power strip when we're not using the TV or stereo, but alas -- although I care about our power bill (and the earth!), I rarely bothered to flip the switch because it meant crawling around on the floor to find it. The Belkin Conserve (belkin.com, 8-outlet model, $50) gives me a remote control for this task so all I have to do is click.

Complete article featured in 'A Room-by-Room Tech Makeover for Your Home.' See it here.

50 Best Web Sites for Your Wedding

50 Best Web Sites for Your Wedding

39. ScanDigital.com
Do you have photos collecting dust in boxes or albums? Send them to this company, which will professionally scan and digitize them, crop and color-correct them, then archive the images and creat online slideshows for you to show at your rehearsal dinner or reception. Scan up to 100 photos for $90.
What we really love: for just $10 more, the site will send you packaging to ensure your photos get there safely.

See the complete list below or here on their website.

1. AdornBrides.com
This site takes the notion of “something borrowed” to another level, offering high-end jewelry rentals: A gorgeous $9,800 multitiered diamond necklace, for example, is rentable for just $360. Pieces arrive two days before the wedding, leaving just enough time for a last-minute dress rehearsal. What we really love: A style consultant is available by phone or e-mail to help you pick the right jewels to complement your dress.

2. BlueNile.com
As the largest online jewelry retailer, this site not only offers a huge selection of engagement rings and bands at budget-friendly prices, but it's also very user-friendly, especially for jewelry novices. (See the Education page for useful tips on the four Cs and grading information.) What we really love: The Build Your Own Ring tool, which allows you to choose your setting, accents and the diamond itself (at all sorts of price points, from just over $200 to $2 million plus).

3. JenniferBehr.com
If Behr's gorgeous hair accessories look familiar, chances are you saw some of her designs on Gossip Girl (Leighton Meester's character, Blair Waldorf, wore Behr's patent orchid headband in the season one finale). Click on the bridal collection for exquisite silk satin, beaded and antique metallic lace styles—they're chic and modern but still manage to have a beloved heirloom feel. What we really love: If you don't see exactly what you want, Behr, a former hair accessory designer at Frederic Fekkai, will work with you to create a custom piece.

4. Care.com
This subscription-based site is a resource you can recommend to guests who can't take along their trusted babysitters to your out-of-town wedding. The extensive child-care directory, as profiled in The New York Times and on the Today show, provides city-by-city listings plus background checks, qualifications and certificates for any caregiver in its database. What we really love: No long-term commitment needed: For $25, subscribe for just a month (sitters range from $5 to $50 per hour).

5. Bachelorette.com
Everything you need for your girls' night out can be found here, from the traditionally kitschy (penis straws, male blow-up dolls) to the more reserved (hot pink paper products, girly card games). There are even preassembled party kits, which include invites, banners and games. What we really love: The free recipes for cocktails, like Between the Sheets (a blend of brandy, Triple Sec and light rum) and other dirty-sounding drinks.

6. BeautyHabit.com
A great stop for cult favorites like Biologique Recherche Paris and Dr. Sebagh, this site also offers a stellar selection of fragrances by Calypso Christiane Celle and Diptyque (and luxe, soothing candles, too). What we really love: For $15 you can have up to six product samples sent to your home, perfect for testing new brands.

7. Bubbleandlo.typepad.com
Makeup artist Laura Nadeau offers insider tips for impeccable application, hair removal, and facials and other wedding-prep treatments. She breaks down which products to use and which to avoid on your wedding day (e.g., foundations that will melt off on a summer afternoon). What we really love: Her videos; she walks you through the application with clear instructions.

8. Ulta.com
From foundations to nail polish to body cleansers, Ulta carries a staggering number of brands, including Estée Lauder, Givenchy and Stila, not to mention some drugstore varieties, too. Don't miss the impressive selection of travel-sized products, ideal for wedding-day touch-ups or a honeymoon carry-on. What we really love: Entire ingredient lists are provided for most products—a blessing for allergy sufferers.

9. MindyWeiss.com
Having planned weddings for Heidi Klum and Seal, Brooke Shields and, most recently, Ellen and Portia, Mindy (a 2005 MB Trendsetter) happily shares her quick and easy tips on this fun, upbeat blog. She takes you through the planning process step-by-step and even posts snapshots of memorable centerpieces or table settings. What we really love: The Gifts and Goodies section (found by clicking on Mindy's E-store): a well-edited collection of chic bridal party presents and favors, such as hand-poured candles and golf flasks for the boys.

10. Sparkliatti.com
Penned by sought-after wedding coordinator and 2004 MB Trendsetter Sasha Souza, this blog touches on everything-crafty projects, cocktail recipes, cake dilemmas and registry tips—in a friendly, honest voice. What we really love: The Ask Sasha page, where readers' questions are fielded in detailed posts. Consider it free advice from one of the industry's best.

11. StyleMePretty.com
Seeing how other brides planned their dream weddings is a great source of inspiration, and this blog shows you every detail, from ceremony to after-party. Abby Larson posts photos from brides, planners and wedding photographers so you can view plenty of unique touches, from candid shots of the bridesmaids getting dressed to detailed pictures of table settings. What we really love: The Color Palettes and Inspiration Boards pages, which can help pinpoint a wedding theme or color scheme.

12. WeddingBee.com
This blog, launched in 2006 by bride-to-be Bee Kim, is now updated daily by 20 real brides across the United States and Canada, so there's always something new to read, from DIY ideas to product reviews and antidotes to wedding-planning stress. What we really love: Message boards are categorized by city and state so you can easily chat with local brides.

13. BabyCakesNYC.com
By the looks of its adorably quaint site, you'd never guess this bake shop is in NYC. Luckily, it ships its famous sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan cakes and cupcakes anywhere—so it's a great option for vegan or vegetarian couples or those who want to avoid potential food allergies at their wedding. The goods are all-organic and all-natural, and taste heavenly. Popular choices include the cinnamon buns, cookie sandwiches and double chocolate crumb cake. What we really love: You can click on any treat to see its ingredients and nutrition facts.

14. PatchNYC.com
This NYC-based boutique, known for its hip accessories, also offers intricate, handcrafted cake toppers. (See the site's Custom Wedding section for examples.) Pieces start at $500 and require at least four months' lead time. What we really love: Each one-of-a-kind topper is created to truly reflect the spirit of the bride and groom, in outfits, hair colors or mannerisms.

15. ThatsMyTopper.com
Traditional cake toppers aren't for everyone—so if you hope to put your personalities on display, you'll want to look here first. You can shop by style (new and trendy, whimsical), meaning (faith-based, ethnic) or theme (beach, garden, country and western). What we really love: The Embrace Cake Topper: This sleek interpretation of a couple hugging is ideal for wedding cakes with a minimalist design.

16. AdvantageBridal.com
Finding the best accessories for your ceremony is simple with this site, where you can pick up luxe satin ring pillows and unity candles, lace and customizable aisle runners, and colorful ribbons for bouquets and sashes. Check out the CD selection, which includes great classical music compilations you might use for your processional. What we really love: The extensive variety of monogrammable items (sashes, pillows, flower-girl totes and more).

17. GoodShop.com
This newly launched site is an online travel shopping mall that donates up to 30 percent of each purchase to the charity of your choice. More than 500 sites participate, including Expedia.com, Hotels.com and Travelocity .com, and benefit groups like the ASPCA and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Prices are the same as on other travel sites; the only difference is that a portion of the purchase here goes to a good cause. What we really love: The service extends beyond travel. You'll also find clothing stores, flower shops and jewelry vendors.

18. JustGive.org
Couples can create a registry on a customized Web page that supports their favorite charities. JustGive has a database of more than 1 million to choose from; we haven't seen such a high number anywhere else. What we really love: The site can assist with other donation efforts, such as volunteering on your honeymoon.

19. ForYourParty.com
DIY brides will appreciate the easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for customizing coasters, table cards and place settings. You can choose from dozens of different imprint colors, fonts and motifs. What we really love: For just $3, you can receive five samples to make sure the shades you've selected are in sync with the colors of your wedding scheme. The $3 is refunded once you place your order.

20. Pingg.com
E-mail able invitations for the engagement party or rehearsal dinner are becoming more commonplace; the problem is, most look like an e-mail. Enter this stylish site, which lets you design more sophisticated online invites using personal photos or works from established or up-and-coming artists. It also simplifies RSVPs: Guests can click on a link to submit their response. What we really love: Photo options for wedding-themed invites include edgy shots of rings and chic floral arrangements.

21. GiveFavors.com
Not only do we adore this site's edible offerings (candies, cookies, coffee, teas), but we're also smitten with the candles, place-card holders and bottle stoppers because of their fabulous designs and reasonable prices. You'll find creative packaging as well, like mint tins and embroidered gift bags, and a percentage of all sales goes to charity. What we really love: The free favor-finding service. Fill out a form on the site, and you'll receive suggestions within 24 hours.

22. KateAspen.com
Stylish and elegant favors on this site include scented soaps, monogrammed votive candles and ceramic honey pots. For something more playful and flirty, visit the Bridal Shower Favors section, where monogrammed manicure kits, themed luggage tags and more than 180 other fun takeaways are on display. What we really love: The premade welcome baskets (in a range of sizes), organized by theme or style.

23. OneGirlCookies.com
This site's old-fashioned mini whoopie pies make fun and tasty wedding favors. There are also chocolates, cupcakes and cookies (hazelnut with chocolate-cinnamon ganache!) that can be packaged to match your color scheme or theme. What we really love: The customized Cookie Bar offering—a surefire hit at parties.

24. 1800Flowers.com
You don't have to go to a high-end floral designer or a pricey boutique to find fabulous centerpieces, bouquets or even boutonnieres. There's a huge selection here, including a stunning assortment by renowned floral designers like Jane Carroll and Preston Bailey. What we really love: The Same-Day option—in case of any last-minute emergencies.

25. Etsy.com
MB Advisory Panel members turn to this site for original party decor items, such as driftwood candleholders or antique-ish table runners. Etsy also acts as a virtual crafts show, featuring treasures such as beaded hairpins or one-of-a-kind vintage pearl headpieces. Because the items are not mass-produced, you're truly getting a special, unique piece. What we really love: The Alchemy page, where buyers can post requests for custom handmade objects and sellers bid on the opportunity to make them, ensuring you get what you want.

26. JamaliGarden.com
This site, for the company of the same name based in NYC's flower district, is popular among brides and wedding designers for its selection of beautiful flower pots, candles and lanterns. Smaller accents, such as seashells and coral, are other great finds. What we really love: The Wedding and Party section, which offers faux flower petals and elegant stone runners for the ceremony aisle or a pathway at the reception.

27. PearlRiver.com
At this online version of the Chinese department store in NYC, DIY brides load up on paper goods, such as tea-dyed stationery, as well as decorative lanterns, paper fans and parasols, all with a distinctly exotic feel. What we really love: The Kitchenware section, where you can find inexpensive but chic coasters, napkin rings and bamboo woven table runners you can use at your reception and after.

28. APlusRStore.com
This LA-based design boutique, opened three years ago by a former film editor and a style and pop culture journalist, is stocked with cool gifts from all over the world, from agate coasters to tiny desktop speakers. What we really love: The $25 and Under page (in the Gifting section), with presents like wooden postcards on which you can carve your own message.

29. NearByNow.com
A virtual personal shopper, this innovative site helps you find attendant gifts locally-and reserves them for you. Plug in what you're looking for (makeup bag, silver bracelet, necktie, etc.), and you'll get a page or more of all the options available at stores in your area, along with the prices. Click on “Is it in stock?” to swiftly put it on hold. What we really love: Sale info on products you're seeking can be texted to your cell phone, so you can snatch up wedding items for yourself and others as they're discounted.

30. Earth911.com
Party responsibly by first visiting this site, which delivers information on recycling programs in your area. Just type in any item (plastic soda bottles, glass champagne bottles), and you'll learn where and how to arrange their disposal at a local recycling center. What we really love: You can even find recycling centers for electronics and other hard-to-classify cast-offs here—an invaluable reference as you combine your things and his into one household.

31. GreenEleganceWeddings.com
This site provides the best options for an elegant yet environmentally sound wedding, from invitations (nonwood fiber, recycled paper) to wedding gowns (made of natural, earth-friendly fabrics) to honeymoons (green hotels). What we really love: The DIY eco-conscious favor ideas.

32. TerraPass.com
The Wedding Carbon Footprint Calculator on this site estimates how much carbon dioxide your event will likely produce, based on driving and flight tabulations and typical energy used during a reception. You can then offset your emissions through TerraPass by funding clean energy and carbon-reduction projects. What we really love: The green store, which offers rechargable batteries, portable power packs and the like.

33. BagBorrowOrSteal.com
If you're looking for a great designer bag for the big day but don't need (or want) it around forever, consider renting one at this site, which has recently gained a big following and was even referenced in the Sex and the City movie. You can join for just one month ($10) to get the members' price (you'll save 20 percent), or borrow as a guest. What we really love: The option to buy any bag you end up loving.

34. CalorieKing.com
This site offers healthy recipes, food diaries and portion-control guides to help you achieve your wedding-day weight. If you join the CalorieKing club ($7 per month), you'll get a diet plan, 24/7 support from an online community and tools to track your progress. What we really love: The calculators. Plug in a number of calories, and you'll learn the amount of time needed to spend working out to burn them off; or type in the number of minutes you've worked out and find out how many calories you've burned.

35. WeightWatchers.com
For just $17 per month (after the $47 sign-up fee), you'll have full access to the site and all its useful tools, including the Points Tracker, which helps monitor your daily food intake, and charts that chronicle your weight loss. The program posts more than 1,500 delicious, calorie-conscious recipes as well as tips for when you hit the grocery store (only buy what's on your shopping list!). What we really love: The video fitness demos, which allow you to practice those tricky moves before you get to the gym.

36. Gigmasters.com
This online booking site helps you find bands and DJs in your area who specialize in all kinds of music, from country to jazz. Search by the type of music, watch a video of a live performance by the artists, then e-mail the ones you like most to arrange interviews. What we really love: Days prior to the reception, a checklist that contains information like the date, time, dress code, etc., will be e-mailed to you and the band or DJ, so there's no room for mishaps.

37. Slacker.com
This Web site can help you create your reception playlist by allowing you to first build a personalized radio station. The library has more than 10,000 stations, categorized by artist. And, unlike other similar sites, Slacker hardly repeats songs, and the music you love is saved in the site's database, not your hard drive, so you can access tunes anywhere. What we really love: You can ban songs or artists, so there's no chance of hearing them again. Ever.

38. Animoto.com
At this new site, you can easily make a wedding video slideshow your friends and family will actually want to watch. Simply upload photos, choose music, and in minutes, you'll get an edgy, professional-looking video. (The site was created by guys who worked in film and music editing for MTV and VH1!) What we really love: It costs only $3 per full-length video or $30 per year for unlimited videos.

39. ScanDigital.com
Do you have photos collecting dust in boxes or albums? Send them to this company, which will professionally scan and digitize them, crop and color-correct them, then archive the images and create online slideshows for you to show at your rehearsal dinner or reception. Scan up to 100 photos for $90. What we really love: For just $10 more, the site will send you packaging to ensure your photos get there safely.

40. Couture.Zappos.com
At this haute-shoe haven, brides can forgo the traditional white wedding style and splurge on shoes that'll get noticed (and be worn long after the big day), such as champagne-colored, beaded Giuseppe Zanotti Design peep-toes or strappy metallic styles from Badgley Mischka. What we really love: There's free shipping and returns, plus a 365-day return policy.

41. Piperlime.com
In-the-know shoe-shoppers flock to this site for its huge assortment of reasonably priced heels, which are always on-trend. Brides browse the evening-shoe assortment by size, color, heel height and more to find the perfect style for their gown. What we really love: The rotating panel of celebrity guest stylists (from wedding planner Mindy Weiss to Hollywood stylist Rachel Zoe).

42. Minted.com
For custom or high-end invitations by Dauphine Press, Ceci New York and Prentiss Douthit, this site has you covered. It also offers three ranges of calligraphy, depending on budget and style; prices start at $1.75 per invite. What we really love: The search engine: Browse by paper weight, printing type, exclusive brands, new designs or editors' picks.

43. Wedding.Orders.com
For a massive selection of save-the-dates and invitations, visit this site, which offers more than 1,000 styles. Thanks to the clearly defined categories (search by theme, color palette or price), it's easy to find what you're looking for. What we really love: The proposal stories from brides across the country.

44. Hopstop.com
Getting around can be tough for out-of-town guests, so before they arrive, turn them on to Hopstop. Here you can enter an address and instantly get the best, most reliable directions by car, train, subway or bus-even taxi (it will calculate your cab fare)—for eight major cities or regions in the U.S., including Boston, New York and San Francisco. What we really love: The itinerary feature, which enables you to add and organize destinations for your trip.

45. KeepYouSafe.com
Think of this site as an online safe deposit box. When you're on your honeymoon, you can store copies of your passport, birth certificate and credit cards here for easy access in case of emergency. The site is super-secure—it uses the same encryption technology as the U.S. military—and has been endorsed by publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Fodor's. What we really love: The service is free and accessible anywhere worldwide if you have an Internet connection and a Web browser.

46. Orbitz.com
This popular pick offers a Beach Finder tool to help you select a resort tailored to your specifications, plus a Price Assurance feature: If you book a flight or hotel stay through the site, and a week or two later the price goes down and someone else pays less on Orbitz, you'll get a refund (between $5 and $250) for the difference. What we really love: You don't have to vigorously check prices; Orbitz will. And it'll automatically mail you a check. No calls or e-mails required.

47. VibeAgent.com
You'll save big money on your honeymoon if you stop here first. It's the ultimate search engine for tracking down hotel deals—comparing rates from more than 20 sites and 120,000 hotels worldwide—based on personalized criteria (beach, spa, rustic). What we really love: You can set up a profile to organize your itinerary and browse reports from others who have traveled to the same places, for firsthand advice.

48. Facebook.com
Everyone knows this social-networking site, but are you aware that it's also a great organizational tool? You can create wedding photo albums to share with your list of friends; use the registry manager to arrange links to your gift registries; and post news on your Wedding Wall (think of it as a bulletin board for all things wedding-related). What we really love: You can build your wedding Web site through your Facebook page and create fun quizzes for friends to vote on your party plans.

49. SimpleSeating.com
This straightforward site makes planning your reception tables a breeze. There's no software to install and no application updates to fuss over or widgets to deal with—just simple drag-and-drop tools to create a well-organized plan. The service is free for up to 50 guests, and the Basic package will help you seat up to 350 guests for just $20. What we really love: You can also track RSVPs and meal preferences here.

50. SmartyPig.com
This sleek and easy-to-use site melds financial planning with social networking. Create a free account to start saving toward a monetary goal (the band, honeymoon) by setting up a recurring deposit. If you opt to make your goal public, family and friends can post contributions as gifts. What we really love: This site allows you to earn 3.9-percent (subject to change) interest on your original savings goal. Once you reach that target amount, you can transfer the funds to a MasterCard debit card or put the cash on a gift card for a partnered retailer, such as Sandals or Macy's, which will add up to 5 percent more.

And finally...the thought that counts

And finally...the thought that counts

Daily Prizes

Daily Prizes

Storing Smiles: December 22-25
8 Readers (2 per day) will each with a $250 gift card from ScanDigital to convert photos, slides, negatives, and home movies into digital format. Value of each, $250.

Supply Closet

Supply Closet

DIY Picture Perfect
ScanDigital will convert old photographs, negatives, and slides to digital format; scandigital.com.

Take Your Past Digital

The Goods

Take Your Past Digital...

....by sending your old prints, negatives, and home movies to ScanDigital.  They'll even load them into a digital photo frame or make a custom DVD slideshow.  (Prices vary; www.scandigital.com)

For the Print Version, click here.

Digital Memories

What's New - Sit back and relax as we bring you all the latest from the world of crafts

Digital Memories
October 2008

ScanDigital offers a service and online photo gallery that specialises in converting scrapbook pages, papercraft projects, prints, negatives, slides, video and reel-to-reel film to digital format, allowing customers to easily preserve, back up and organise their memories.  ScanDigital is perfect for traditional scrapbookers who want to preserve their album pages, show off designs to family and friends through an online gallery, and have copies printed.  For digital scrapbookers, the ScanDigital service is useful for using old photos/negatives/slides in their digital creations.

Visit www.scandigital.com for further details

To View the Print Version, click here.

Saving memories, one picture at a time

Unbeknown to the people of the golden age, photographs of the past continued to hide on bookshelves, in shoeboxes, and within picture albums. Oblivious to this, the memories of the people’s past continued to fade. But one day, a ray of hope entered the old bookshelves, the hidden shoeboxes, and the forgotten picture albums.  There came an entrepreneur, a young innovator, who would take up the quest to save these people’s memories. ScanDigital would convert people’s pictures to digital form.

ScanDigital, an LA area based company started in 2007, does exactly that: they scan old printed photos, optimize them, upload them onto an online gallery, and deliver them back as a CD / DVD. The ScanDigital idea is definitely a useful one. As Anderson Schoenrock (CEO) explains, it could take the average person hours, if not days, to digitally convert her old photos. Essentially anyone who is currently shopping around the internet still has countless old photographs just hidden away somewhere. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these people just do not have the time to start scanning every picture since Uncle Ernie’s 3rd wedding. And that is where ScanDigital comes in.

The ScanDigital service focuses on doing as much as possible, so that the user doesn’t have to. In fact, ScanDigital offers an option in which all the customer needs to do is send the photos in a box; no need to count, pre-sort, or organize images. Once the photos are received, ScanDigital will scan the photos and then touch them up through cropping and color correction in order to get the photos looking as close to the original quality as possible. After this, ScanDigital uploads the refined images onto a custom online gallery. Here, users can share images with friends and family, organize the photos, upload other digital images, and order reprints and other print products using the now well-organized digital images. Finally, ScanDigital puts all the user’s photos onto a CD/DVD and delivers it back at no additional cost. 

In addition to scanning traditional photos, ScanDigital also accepts entire photo albums, slides in carousels, magazines and protective slide display pages, negatives, and video film. Through the film option, ScanDigital will convert old home movies to digital format and put them onto a DVD.

However, the true selling point of the ScanDigital service is its simplicity. With user-friendly interface and a well-communicated tracking system for transactions, ScanDigital attempts to help customers by simply allowing them to understand what they are paying for.

Whoa, Back It Up!

Please click here for a PDF of the article.

Video & Film Conversion

Video and Film Conversion

There is no better way to relive favorite family memories than to watch old home movies. As time goes by, you run the risk of losing your most precious videos and film to decay and damage. Ensure your memories are preserved and around for future generations to enjoy by converting your old home movies to digital format.

ScanDigital, a popular photo transfer service, recently added film and video conversion to their list of offerings. Just send in your photographic and movie materials and they will return the originals along with a newly created digital copy.

ScanDigital specializes in converting prints, negatives, and slides to digital images. This includes the scanning, retouching, burning to disk, posting to their online gallery for sharing and organizing, and creation of photo products. Digital Photo Frames, Slideshows, and other photo products can be made from your images.

“No longer do old reel to reel films and camcorder tapes need to fade away in boxes or dark closets,” said Anderson Schoenrock, ScanDigital CEO and Co-Founder. “With the addition of video conversion services, ScanDigital has created yet another way for consumers to bring their lives and memories into the digital age.”

Photos sent to ScanDigital are scanned and then individually cropped, oriented and color-corrected. The service also removes dust, minor scratches, blemishes and red eyes. The digitized images are returned on CD or DVD along with the originals, usually within a week after the prints or slides are received. Image files are also uploaded to a free online gallery for viewing, sharing and preserving photos long term. You can also upload images directly to your gallery from your camera and computer to unite your new and old images for one seamless photo archive. The service can handle black and white and color photos on printed paper as well as negatives, slides, and photo albums.

The recent addition of Video and Film Conversion services allows users to not only digitize their old photographic materials, but also their home videos and old reel-to-reel film. This includes 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, VHS, VHS-C, BetaMax, Hi8, MiniDV, and Digital 8 materials.

To view the article on Scrapbooking Magazine's website click here.

How To Launch A Successful Start-Up

How To Launch A Sucessful Start-Up

July 2008

ScanDigital Featured in Inc. Magazine's Annual Start-Up.  To see the full article, please click here:

ScanDigital - Inc. Magazine

Reader's Digest - Daily 5

Moving Pictures

See the full article here: Inside Weddings Cover, Inside Weddings Article

Digitize Photos and Music

DIGITIZE PHOTOS AND MUSIC

Play It Again

Declutter by digitizing those stacks of old records, VHS tapes, and snapshots

Not a chance you can part with that VHS holding your high school Brigadoon performance, that mix tape from your first B.F., your mom's Tina Turner records, or those boxes of old family photos. But you can part with the clutter they create. We've found a slew of new gadgets and services that will fit your old analog stuff neatly onto a CD or hard drive. You'll rescue your memories from oblivion--and free up some closet space.

Revive your records

Ion Audio's LP Dock ($250, ion-audio.com) looks like a record player. But plug in your iPod or PC, and the turntable spins the tracks on your LPs into digital files and stores them on your MP3 player or computer. Rather have someone else do the work? Send your platters to the pros at Reclaim Media (reclaimmedia.com), who for about $10 per record will transfer your vinyl to MP3s or CDs and then mail back the whole shebang.

Convert your cassettes

Want "Let's Get Physical" to get digital? Save your Olivia Newton-John tapes and your money with a DIY solution: Insert your cassette into any old tape player, plug one end of a stereo cable (ask the punk at RadioShack to point it out) into its headphone jack, and plug the other end into the microphone jack on your laptop or desktop. Then hit play on the tape player and record in a free audio program, such as Audacity (download it at audacity.sourceforge.net) or GarageBand (standard equipment on most new Macs).

Preserve your pics

Snapshots can't bring back fond memories when they're stuffed in a Nine West box under your bed. Transfer photos, negatives, and slides into your computer with the Epson Perfection V500 scanner ($250, epson.com), which automatically corrects problems like scratches and restores color to faded photos. (Bonus: It works as an all-purpose scanner, too.) Or hire ScanDigital (from 48 cents per photo, scandigital.com). They'll save the results on a disc and post them to an online gallery so you can reminisce and share with family and friends at the click of a mouse. And yes, they mail your precious dinosaurs, er, originals back.

Make over your movies

If you've still got a VCR in storage or on your TV console (really?!), just connect the Pinnacle Video Transfer ($130, pinnaclesys.com)--a black box about the size of a deck of cards--to your VCR and your MP3 player or other hard drive. Press play on the VCR and record on the gadget and it starts converting your movies to MPEG-3-­quality video (in non–geek speak: really freaking good). You can outsource this task, too, either by sending tapes to YesVideo (about $30/tape, yesvideo.com) or dropping them off at one of its partner stores, such as Costco or Walgreens.

Trade moldy media for new electronics

Send your old CDs and DVDs with the original cases and booklets to feedyourplayer.com's South Carolina office, and they'll put the collection's perceived value toward an electronic item of your choice--from iPods to flatscreen TVs. You can get a shiny new 8 GB iPod Touch for 150 CDs.


Last updated: June 16, 2008   Issue date: July/August 2008

Full Article: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/digitize-photos-and-music

Tale of Two Scanners

Tale of Two Scanners

June 2008

To view the full article please click here and download the PDF version of the article:

PMA Magazine

ScanDigital President Interviewed by the Digital Imaging Marketing Association

ScanDigital President, Anderson Schoenrock, Featured on the Digital Imaging Marketing Association's DIMAcast

May 25, 2008

Brian Mundy and Jennifer Kruger of DIMAcast, a nationally syndicated digital imaging focused podcast, discuss the history of ScanDigital, the Company's services and innovative process with Company President Anderson Schoenrock. 

Full audio can be found here:  ScanDigital - DIMACast

A Gadget Gift For Every Mom

A Gadget Gift For Every Mom

May 6, 2008

Photogenic
Preserve your best ham-and-cheese-on-wry moments captured on good old-fashioned film or video. Just send in your photos, slides, negatives or home movies and let Scandigital.com scan them to CD, DVD, or an external hard drive to preserve the memories forever. Two options to pay are available, based either on a digital count of materials or one of their prepaid packages. A free, unlimited photo gallery is included with every account. 

To View the full Mother's Day Gift Guide click here.

BNet's Dog & Pony Show Features ScanDigital Co-Founder

Michael Mothner, Co-founder of ScanDigital and  CEO of Wpromote, a top search marketing firm, which employs integrated search solutions for businesses ranging from start-ups to global corporations. Mothner talks about the value of starting early and diversifying his company.  

If the video does not pre-load, use the following link to view it:  http://www.bnet.com/2422-13721_23-194649.html

ScanDigital President Interviewed for Inside Digital Photo Radio

ScanDigital President, Anderson Schoenrock, Featured on Inside Digital Photo Radio

February 2, 2008

Scott Shepphard of Inside Digital Photo, a nationally syndicated technology radio show, discussed ScanDigital and its innovative services with Company President Anderson Schoenrock. 

Full audio can be found here:  ScanDigital - Inside Digital Photo

ScanDigital Featured in Good Housekeeping's Quick & Simple

ScanDigital President Interviewed for Inside Mac Radio

ScanDigital President, Anderson Schoenrock, Featured on Inside Mac Radio

January 19, 2008

Scott Shepphard of Inside Mac Radio, a nationally syndicated technology radio show, discussed ScanDigital and its innovative services with Company President Anderson Schoenrock. 

Full audio can be found here:  ScanDigital - Inside Mac Radio

About Inside Mac Radio:

Inside Mac Radio s the only broadcast technology talk program dedicated to Apple Mac computing and culture. The original content is produced and distributed by Inside Media Networks. The show airs weekly in key U.S. national markets and is then made available to a global audience, online and as a podcast via Apple’s iTunes.

Business Profile: ScanDigital

Business Profile: ScanDigital

By Eric Michael Stitt (Updated: Thursday, January 17, 2008 10:36 AM PST)

The idea of having old photos scanned into digital form to be preserved and shared online with others has developed into a successful business for college buddies Mike Mothner and Anderson Schoenrock.

Their El Segundo-based business, ScanDigital, takes people's photos, scans them onto a DVD and creates an online photo album so customers no longer have to search for boxes of pictures in the garage, basement or attic anymore. They also won't have to worry about their photos being damaged over time.

Mothner came up with the idea a little more than a year ago when his mother got a digital camera for Christmas. She spoke about all their old photos that weren't digital and how she wished they were.

Mothner quickly realized how convenient it would be to be able to look through those family photos that were buried in a box covered in dust if they were organized in digital form. He also thought if all those photos were in digital form they could be shared throughout the family instead of just stored at his parents' house where only a few people can look at them.

Mike Mothner and Anderson Schoenrock of ScanDigital.

He then spoke with Schoenrock telling him he had the business idea they'd been looking for.

“It snowballed from there,” said Schoenrock, who is president of ScanDigital. “We thought the idea had a lot of potential.”

They started ScanDigital in April and the Web site launched in June. Since then the two have been preserving people's memories the way Mothner had imagined.

ScanDigital works by sending its customer a pre-labeled box with plastic bags, bubble wrap and instructions for how to ship all their photos safely. The customer then ships the box back to ScanDigital, which then begins scanning the photos. Within a week, the customer has their photos on a DVD and online album and their original photos safely returned to them.

Schoenrock and Mothner said sometimes people are wary of shipping their cherished photos, but said there is no need to worry because every box is tracked and labeled so there is no chance of their valuables being lost. For people living in the Los Angeles area, boxes can be brought to ScanDigital's headquarters.

ScanDigital handles anywhere from 300 to 1,500 photos per customer and one time performed a job that included 15,000 photos so no amount of pictures is too much, they said.

Mothner said he experienced the emotions a customer goes through using ScanDigital when his family was looking through old family photos after his grandmother died and they decided to use ScanDigital. He said having the online photo album with pictures labeled and categorized made it so easy for his family to share the memories and reflect on the photos.

“There was an emotional connection,” said Mothner, Co-Founder of ScanDigital. “It gave us a chance to sit around and we really reconnected.”

Schoenrock had a similar experience when his parents sent their slides from a European vacation to ScanDigital. Soon after the job was finished, Schoenrock and his parents, who live in Kansas, were able to look at the pictures together through the online photo album. He said those photos had not been looked at for years, and it gave him and his parents a chance to visit and talk about the memories they had from that trip.

The two agreed having photographs digitized is something everyone should do to preserve their memories,

“It's a great way to enjoy images that are otherwise obsolete,” Schoenrock said.

They added it gives people a chance to reflect on their lives in a way they never could before.

For varied pricing and other information, visit www.scandigital.com.

ScanDigital is located at 209 Richmond St. in El Segundo.

Business Barons Scan Future

Business barons scan future

by Danny Brown

Many people dream of making their first million before they are 30. For lifelong Manhattan Beach local Mike Mothner, 27 and Santa Monica resident Anderson Schoenrock, 28, the dream was already old news when they sat down last spring to collaborate on an empire in the uncharted digital world.

“I was eating Christmas dinner with my family last year when my mom, who had just got her digital camera, asked me how she could get all the old photos into the computer,” recalled Mothner. “The light bulb went off. It would be a time consuming task and I ran upstairs and checked online to see if other people were doing it.”

Mothner pitched the idea of converting photographs, negatives and slides to Schoenrock at a New Year’s party last year.

The two met in 2001 when they were members of Dartmouth College's Psi Upsilon and made vague plans to one day work together. They launched their new company last June.

The start up money for ScanDigital came from Mothner’s Wpromote.com, an online marketing agency that achieved approximately $6 million in revenue in 2007. Inc. 500 ranked Wpromote as the 62nd fastest growing private company in the United States.

Mothner began the company from his dorm room during his freshman year at Dartmouth. During the peak of the dotcom boom, he worked as an intern for Red Point Ventures, reading business plans. This was before Google had become a household word and there was an array of different search engines sprouting up. Reading through the plans, Mothner noticed a pattern: the companies all had websites and needed to find a way to increase their visibility online.

Mothner began programming while a student at Pacific Elementary. When he was 14 he wrote a basic calendar program that was like a simpler version of Microsoft Outlook.

“It got passed around schools and campuses and probably generated about four grand,” Mothner said. “I spent the money on baseball cards and comics — probably not the wisest investment.”

Mothner ran Wpromote throughout college, where he pursued a double major in Computer Science and Economics. For $9.95 a month, the program alerted the different search engines about a new website and indexed it, a process that would otherwise take two days of work. The company caught the eye of people working at Google. The Web conglomerate and Mothner formed a relationship that has since given Mothner a powerful ally in the cyber realm.

“I’ve stayed pretty close with the Google team,” said Mothner. “A few months ago they came down to our office to help train people, and a bit after that I was invited to their office to do a Q and A about the things I liked and disliked about their product. Only three other agencies were invited.”

Mothner was working as the fulltime CEO of his college start-up company when he approached Schoenrock with the idea for ScanDigital.

Schoenrock, who graduating two years before Mothner, had landed an investment banking job on Wall Street. At 25, he and a Wall Street colleague started a boutique real estate firm. The firm completed a number of high profile transactions, including the sale of the Union Bank Plaza Tower in downtown Los Angeles for $143 million. When Mothner approached Schoenrock, the boutique real estate company controlled $600 million of real estate property. But Schoenrock was sensing that the real estate boom was nearing its end.

“I sold my share and the people I worked with went onto a bigger real estate company,” said Schoenrock. “I didn’t have any interest in working for a big company again. I liked starting up companies.” “I recognize the risk of working with friends,” said Mothner, “but if you divide the roles well, then the benefit is going to be better than if we didn’t know each other.”

Within months of its summer launch, the company has experienced an average 25 to 30 percent monthly growth and has increased its staff from 3 to 17. Schoenrock handles the day to day affairs while Mothner works at the strategic level, while addition to continuing to run Wpromote.

“Our growth trajectory has been too rapid to put into numbers,” said Mothner.  Schoenrock agreed. “One of the best lessons I learned on Wall Street was that you can get bogged down if you spend all day with projections. The best thing to do is to focus your energy on building a solid product. If you do that well, then the money will be there.”

During the Malibu fires a 70 year-old lady said she was able to leave her house quickly because ScanDigital had converted nearly 100 of her photo albums onto a few CDs. “Our hope is that in a few years people will say, oh you know what you should do with that box of old photos? You should ScanDigital it,” Schoenrock said. “That’s our hope, to make our company’s name into a verb.”

For more information visit Scandigital.com. ER

ScanDigital Featured on FOX-NY

ScanDigital Featured on FOX-NY's Tech Tips

Brett Larsen reviews Digital Photography on FOX-NY calling ScanDigital "a great idea".

Please use the following link to view the video piece.

FOX NY Tech Tips - Brett Larsen

Scanning Your Memories

ScanDigital Visited By CBS 2-KCAL 9's Tech Team

December 4, 2007

ScanDigital was recently featured on KCAL 9 in Tech Editor Rich DeMuro's segment.  Rich interviewed ScanDigital's President Anderson Schoenrock and followed the team on a delivery in Los Angeles.

To view the video please visit: http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=54330@kcbs.dayport.com

ScanDigital Featured in Kansas City Star's Interactive Thanksgiving

Photo scanning service helps you think outside the box

If you have a bunch of Turkey Day Polaroids and slides stuffed into boxes, it’s time to digitize them.

Professional photo scanning services transfer old photos onto CD or DVD. Included in the price of professional photo scanning is restoration such as cropping, color correction and red-eye removal.

Once photos are scanned, they can be e-mailed or turned into digital albums and slideshows.

Another bonus: Having a pro scan your photos with large-format machines is faster than using a home scanner.

Here’s how to use the service at ScanDigital:

• Put the images in the order you want. You can send loose photos, album pages, negatives and slides.

• Go to scandigital.com to set up an account and place an order. Prices start at 48 cents for each color photo at 300 dpi (dots per inch), the minimum resolution for same-size prints. Minimum resolution for slides and negatives is 2,000 dpi. Higher resolution is also recommended for enlargements.

• Package and ship the photos. Use a sturdy box and wrap images in plastic to protect them from moisture and dust. Print and attach the UPS shipping label addressed to ScanDigital’s headquarters in El Segundo, Calif. Shipping starts at $10.

Images are scanned within about a week. The company puts the photos in an online gallery only you and those you e-mail can access and print. You also receive a CD or DVD of the scanned images and your originals back.

For more information, call 1-888-333-2808. 

| Stacy Downs, sdowns@kcstar.com

ScanDigital Featured in the Daily Union

Junction City Native Anderson Schoenrock Launches ScanDigital
Imaging Company Digitizes, Archives and Revives Print Images

El Segundo, CA (November 13, 2007) Don’t you wish that you could view all of your print photos, from baby pics to prom memories, digitally? Do you ever think of what they would look like if they had the quality of a modern digital camera or if you could pass them along to friends through an online gallery?  Now, thanks to Junction City native Anderson Schoenrock, old memories are coming back to life in digital.

Launched in June of this year, Anderson’s ScanDigital.com scans photos, slides and negatives then individually crops, orients and color-corrects them.  The service also removes dust, minor scratches, blemishes and red eyes. The digitized images are posted to an online gallery for sharing and returned on CD or DVD along with the originals. Prices start at $0.48 for each color photo at 300 dpi, with resolutions up to 4,000 dpi available. 

Anderson’s history of hard work and his family’s entrepreneurial spirit have helped him to make his new venture a quick success, with over 1,000 clients in a short five-month span. After graduating from Dartmouth College, an Ivy League school in New Hampshire, Anderson was offered a prestigious investment-banking job on Wall Street. Two years later, at the age of 24, Anderson embarked on his first entrepreneurial venture when he and a few of his colleagues decided to pioneer their own investment banking firm, Zietsman Realty Partners. After working with Zietsman to broker and structure transactions involving high profile commercial real estate assets such as office towers in downtown Los Angeles and corporate campuses in Silicon Valley, Anderson was eager to launch another business.

Long-time friend, Mike Mothner, approached Anderson with the idea; one Mike’s mother had inspired after receiving a digital camera as a gift. The concept: Converting print images to digital, archiving them on a DVD and in an online gallery, and also enhancing them to the quality of a digital camera image. With the encouragement of his business-savvy family (his parents own Schoenrock Realtors and Kansa Development and his younger brother has been involved in numerous technology opportunities), Anderson and Mike took ScanDigital live in June of 2007.

Although Anderson lives more than 1500 miles from his hometown of Junction City, he continues to visit family and friends there often and when the Greensburg tornado hit, it occurred to him just how useful ScanDigital is to Junction City residents and fellow Kansans.  Family photos lost in a natural disaster cannot be replaced but if they are backed up digitally, they can be preserved, protected and passed on to future generations.

For more information, please visit www.scandigital.com.

ScanDigital Brings Easy Scans

  Ric Manning - Journalist                                        

Easy Scans - November 3, 2007

What to do with those shoeboxes full of photos you've got tucked away in closets and desk drawers? You need to convert them into digital images before they crumble and fade.

You could spend a couple of Saturdays feeding them into a scanner, or put them in an envelope, address it to ScanDigital and mail it on your way to the golf course. In about a week, you'll get your photos back along with a CD or DVD and a link to a gallery on the Web.

The company charges 48 cents each to convert paper photos, 58 cents for 35mm negatives or 68 cents for slides. The finished images are in JPEG format and are of sufficient quality to post online or print from your computer. Higher-resolution images are available at a slightly higher cost.

The wedding photos that I sent to ScanDigital came back undamaged. The digital versions were accurate reproductions of the original prints.

Nevertheless, I was happy with the quality of ScanDigital's work...a whale of a lot easier.

To place an order or for more details, go to http://www.scandigital.com

El Segundo’s ScanDigital Cuts Decay Out of the Picture

El Segundo’s ScanDigital Cuts Decay Out of the Picture

PHOTOGRAPHY: Service transforms photo albums into digitized keepsakes.

ScanDigital can put a lifetime of memories on a computer. Literally.

The El Segundo-based startup most recently scanned 60 years of photographs that had been stored in shoeboxes and albums for a Malibu woman. The total was 15,000 pictures.

“It’s one thing to scan one or a dozen photos at home on your home scanner,” said Anderson Schoenrock, the company’s co-founder. “We scan thousands of photos, negatives and slides with professional-grade scanners and have a team of graphic designers and photographers who touch them up.”

Customers who don’t want to rummage through old albums can simply pack them up and mail them all to the company. If the photos are not permanently glued to the albums, ScanDigital removes the photos, scans them into a computer, retouches them and places the digital files on CDs. The customer gets the album back in its original condition and the disks.

“The idea is to protect your photos from natural decay. It’s about being able to enjoy your photos again and not have them trapped somewhere in a shoebox,” Schoenrock said.

The photos are also uploaded to the company’s free online gallery, which can be shared with friends.

The company charges anywhere between 48 cents to 88 cents per photo, depending on the resolution of the scanned images. Slides and negatives cost more.

ScanDigital deals with mostly L.A. design firms and studios that need to scan production photographs. The company also serves doctors who want to digitize medical slides and architects who need high-end scans of large negatives.

Launched in June, the company of 14 employees is led by Schoenrock and Mike Mothner, also the chief executive of El Segundo-based Wpromote, a search engine marketing startup.

ScanDigital, which is not venture backed, has about 2,000 registered users on its site.

Getting the Digital Picture

Click here to view the news page

Geek Tip: The Easiest Way to Scan All Your Pics

The thought of ever losing my old photos or entire photo albums seriously freaks me out. Although most of my newer pics are digital and saved online, most of my old photos from my 35mm film camera are in various places—putting them at risk if anything was to happen. Well a new company called ScanDigital will take all your photos, albums, negatives and slides and scan them for you so they are all in one safe place. Here’s how it works: Users sign up online, send in their prints with the UPS label provided by ScanDigital. ScanDigital will then create an online gallery and send a CD to you with the digitized and restored images within a few days. How cool is that?!

ScanDigital Scans For Retail Partners

ScanDigital Scans For Retail Partners

By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 10/8/2007

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. — ScanDigital said this month that it was rolling out an affiliate program for retailers to distribute the company's film- and photo-print-scanning services online.

Participating retailers can embed a ScanDigital-branded console on their Web site that would allow consumers to initiate a scanning order, said company president Anderson Schoenrock. Retailers receive 20 percent of the order revenue.

The affiliate program is initially geared toward small "mom and pop" photo specialty stores that have their own Web site, Schoenrock said. Eventually, the program can be scaled to accommodate regional chains, and incorporate an option for private labeling, he added.

ScanDigital launched in June of this year, one of several companies in a growing field offering to transfer film prints and negatives from musty attics and shoebox oblivion to the digital age.

Consumers mail their negatives, slides and photo prints to ScanDigital's California headquarters in prepaid packaging for scanning and image correcting. The images are then posted to a Web site and the photos and negatives are returned to consumers along with a CD or DVD containing the digital files.

Prices vary depending on film format and desired digital file size.

ScanDigital charges $0.48 per print scanned at 300 dpi and up to $0.88 per slide scanned at 4,000 dpi. The company also accepts whole photo albums, which it scans at $0.68 per print at 300 dpi.

Each photo is individually edited, not batch processed, Schoenrock said. The company performs red-eye removal, scratch and dust removal and color correction.

Digitized images are then uploaded to a personal online gallery. The company has partnered with photo printing service Qoop to offer online reprints and photo merchandise. It is this online component that differentiates the service from competitors, Schoenrock said. "This isn't a pure photo-scanning business," he said.

Since the company performs the scanning in California it can turn orders around quicker than competitive scanning services, usually in a week, Schoenrock added.

Schoenrock said he expects to be scanning up to 20,000 to 25,000 photos a week shortly. He estimated that there are 1 trillion prints languishing in shoeboxes, albums and attics across the country.

Photodoto Reviews ScanDigital's Service

ScanDigital Launches Photo Scanning Business

ScanDigital Launches Photo Scanning Services

June 8, 2007

ScanDigital, El Segundo, Calif., announced that it recently launched its services to the public after months of development. ScanDigital is a web-based photo scanning service that converts customers' photos, photo albums, negatives and slides into a digital format.

  Customers begin by creating an account, placing an order and printing an automated shipping label. After gathering photos, slides and negatives, customers organize and package them and ship them to ScanDigital. The company then scans user photos, slides, or negatives. ScanDigital also crops, color corrects, and uploads the photos to the users online gallery. The photos, slides, or negatives are then shipped back to customers, along with a CD/DVD containing all of the now digital images. ScanDigital offers free shipping.

http://www.photomarketing.com/newsletter/ni_Newsline.asp?dt=06/7/2007

Photo Scanning Service ScanDigital Launched

Photo Scanning Service ScanDigital Launched

by Karen M. Cheung

June 8, 2007 – Think about every family photo you own and how easily they could be lost in a fire or flood. Your precious memories, gone forever. A new service called ScanDigital.com provides an all-in-one scanning and online gallery solution for prints, albums, 35mm negatives and slides.

ScanDigital.com was created to preserve and protect consumers' old photos.

“We realized people were having the same issue. As people were using digital cameras, they could create online galleries. In the meantime, people’s old photos had become out-of-date,” said ScanDigital.com President Anderson Schoenrock in an interview with DigitalCameraInfo.com. “There would be a box of photos getting dusty, not being used, and at risk for damage from fire or flood. We set out to convert old photos to digital,” he added.

ScanDigital offers its customers free shipping to and from the facility. The company promises a 7-day turnaround from the day the photos arrive at its facilities in Los Angeles, Calif. Pick-up service is available to those who live in the Los Angeles area. 

ScanDigital uses Epson and Nikon scanners and its own proprietary software, according to the company president. Included with scanning are auto correction, cropping, and red-eye removal.  In addition to its scanning service, ScanDigital offers users online galleries to view and order prints of their images. Scan Digital uses Qoop, a printing service that also powers other services such as Flickr, Facebook, and Photobucket. In addition, users can also add photos to their galleries that were not scanned by ScanDigital.

“You’ll have [the online gallery] for life. We never take it down,” said Schoenrock. “The gallery becomes a place where you could have all your digital photos stored – that will continue to exist.”

Customers receive a CD/DVD of their photos. Pricing for ScanDigital.com varies, depending on desired resolution; 300 dpi or 600 dpi for prints (up to 8.5 x 11 inches) and albums or 2000 dpi and 4000 dpi for negatives and slides. Pricing starts at $0.48 for a print, $2.00 for an album page, $0.58 for a 35mm negative, and $0.68 for a slide.

“It’s the only full service out there, from start-to-finish,” said Schoenrock.

ScanDigital.com - Digitize Old Family Photos

ScanDigital.com - Digitize Old Family Photos

Do you have have loads of family photos, particularly from a few generations ago, stuck in a drawer or a box in the attic that you would love to have digitized and organized? This site claims to be the best possible place to digitize your old, invaluable family photos. You send your photos to them (for free!), they digitize them, and then they send them to you on a CD/DVD. You can also see the photos on your online photo gallery and share them with family and friends (you can also order reprints from the gallery). Simple. They even crop, remove red eye, and do color corrections. Best of all, they have a guarantee of 100% satisfaction. It costs about $.48 for a paper photo conversion. But, as Visa says, some things -- like old family photos -- are priceless.