To transform your physical photos and documents into digital image files you’ll need some hardware, software, storage, and a plan. Here’s a simple example to get you started.

Hardware, software, and storage

Currently I use an Epson Perfection Photo v600, and find that it produces excellent high resolution scans of photos and artwork. That scanner comes with software that lets you see and change all the configurable settings. I’m sure newer versions in that series are also excellent. Not everyone loves Epson or this model, so please do a bit of research and caveat emptor.

Simple storage

You could use the hard drives on your computer, or a cloud file storage service like Google Drive. However local hard drives can fail, and cloud services can suddenly become more expensive or go out of business.

Advanced storage

Many people use a Network Attached Server (NAS) in their home networks. This may sound very technical, but products like Synology’s Plus Series models are easy to set up. Again, please do your own research and caveat emptor iterum.

A NAS should be plugged into a smart battery called an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). A UPS delivers clean, stable power to the electromagnetic drives during operation. It also helps shut down your NAS safely if there’s a power outage. CyberPower and APC are well known brands in that market, caveat emptor. The NAS is usually connected to your modem with a data cable. It takes a bit of time, concentration, and patience to set up a NAS, but almost anyone can do it using the manufacturer’s manual and free online tutorials.

Plan

BC Gov has a Digitization Guide. I was on the team that helped publish that guide, and believe it contains the advice most people will need to create a good digitization plan. If you have any suggestions for improvement please let BC Gov know.

You may also want to contact your IT support (or that very good friend or family member, you know the one that deserves an extra good present this year) and ask for a bit of help making a backup and restore plan. This university provides a good overview of a 3-2-1 backup plan.

Conclusion

Most people could probably take that scanner and the guide and start doing their own scanning work. You wouldn’t need to get a NAS until your current storage is running low.

You could also contact any number or consultants or vendors if you’d rather pay to outsource the work. If you’d like me to ask my network on your behalf just click on the Contact Us page.