Terms & Conditions

1) Always keep negatives in the protection sleeves supplied by the film processor. If you do not have any then ask at your local Photographic Dealer.

2) Mounted transparencies (Slides) must be kept in suitable slide boxes. If you do not have any, these are available at your local Photographic dealer

3) Unless they are in a box, when sending any photographic material by post (Prints, Negs, Slides CDs etc.) always reinforce the envelope with stiff card. You can buy readymade card envelopes at your local stationary dealer.

4) When sending by post, use one of the more secure services, i.e. Recorded “Signed for” mail (Compensation limited to £30) or Royal Mail “Special Delivery” for valuable items (Compensation is limited to £500 unless extra insurance is purchased, up to a maximum of £2500)

Please note - that it is unlikely that you will be compensated fully for any Personal or Sentimental value in any event. However these are reliable and secure services and recommended.

5) Never send pictures in glass frames. Glass is not covered by Royal Mail insurance and, if it breaks, your valuable memories could be seriously damaged. Remove pictures from their frames before sending them by post.

6) Old glass negative plates cannot be covered by insurance with Royal Mail. These should be professionally packed in a box with suitable packing between the plates. Use a Carrier that offers insurance cover for glass objects or deliver personally. You are welcome to contact Photo Doctor for any additional advice or arrangements.

7) Keep photographs and processed film away from strong light when stored for any length of time. Pictures fade.

8) As an alternative you can scan the prints to CD and send that to us instead of the original photos. Find out what to do on Scanning Photos.

9) You should get your important pictures scanned to CD/DVD anyway as a way of protecting those important images. Scan at the highest resolution you can (Definitely 300 dpi or above). Write the Recording Date on the CD/DVD. Ordinary felt tip pens can corrode the disc recording surface and destroy your picture files so use the correct type of pen, obtainable from most Photographic & Computer dealers. Recordable CDs & DVDs do not last forever so re-copy your discs about every 4 years.

This information is placed here to assist you to make informed decisions. However it does not imply any responsibility or liability on the part of Photo Doctor in the event of incorrect information or the failure of any recommended service or product.

1) These are reference notes only. Royal Mail may change these conditions without warning and Photo Doctor cannot be held liable for any omission, error or misunderstanding with respect to the following information. You can find up to date details of Royal Mail’s limitations, procedures and making claims by visiting http://www.royalmail.com/. At the present time the following specific Web page was useful
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=400025&mediaId=13500202.

2) These notes refer to the Royal Mail “Recorded – Signed for” and “Special Delivery” Services. Different procedures will be applicable to any other Carrier used.

3) In the event of damaged or missing items, all claims must be made within 12 months of dispatch. The Sender of the parcel is generally the person responsible for making the claim. However, the recipient is expected to retain damaged goods and the packaging for later inspection, so it is of the utmost importance to immediately inform the sender if the goods are delayed, lost or damaged and to keep all packaging and the damaged goods in a safe place for further instructions or until completion of any subsequent claims procedure.

4) At the time of writing this brief “Recorded - Signed for” compensation was limited to £30 and “Special Delivery” was £500. Extra insurance, up to £2500, was also available for purchase on “Special Delivery”.

5) It is important to note that some form of “Proof of value” is required for any claim for compensation, irrespective of the amount of cover purchased. That means generally that any perceived, personal or intrinsic value is unlikely to be compensated for in full.

6) The primary reason for using these, or similar services, is the confidence and satisfaction of knowing that the vast majority of items reach their destination undamaged and on time.

7) No glass objects are covered by Royal Mail so, if you are sending glass photographic plates or you are unable to remove the picture from the frame, find a Carrier that offers adequate cover, make some other arrangement for delivery/collection or “take a chance”. The choice is yours.

1) It is perfectly acceptable, instead of sending the original prints to us, to scan them yourself and write them onto a CD/DVD and send that instead.

2) The only limitation by doing this is that we would be unable to match the colours to your original exactly. However, in most cases the original photos are old and are frequently badly exposed or faded, so we would be using our professional judgement and skills to enhance the photos anyway.

3) If the colours are critical then you will have to send your original photograph or get an accurate copy made at a local photographic dealer that has suitable facilities.

4) As a general guide, scan at a minimum of 300 dpi but preferably at a higher resolution up to a maximum of 1200 dpi. If the original picture is a Passport size print then scan it at a much higher resolution (1200 dpi), particularly if you are wanting larger prints made from it. If the photo is 8” x 10” (A4) size then 300 dpi is perfectly OK, unless you are wanting just a small part of the photo enlarged a lot. Then you must used higher settings.

5) If possible, save the scanned photos as TIF files, and not JPG. There is a deterioration of picture quality by saving as JPG’s. If you have no choice but to save them as JPG’s then make sure that you use the highest JPG Quality setting possible. Depending on the software/device this can be in the form of a sliding bar selector, where the highest number is the Best quality, or signified with words like “Fine, Premium Quality, Super Fine” etc.. “Standard” and “Basic” are words used to describe “Less than Best” quality so don’t use them if you can help it.

6) You are also welcome to scan your own slides and negatives onto CD to send to us, but the limitations of colour balancing and matching make this choice inadvisable. You would, in this instance, be required to send us, as a minimum, a 6” x 4” photographic print from at least one of the represented slides/negatives. This print must be obtained from an established photo processor, i.e. Jessops, Boots, Kodak etc. We reserve the right to request further photographic prints should there be a variation in slide/negative quality, subjects or exposures.

7) For information on scanning photos to send by e-mail to Photo Doctor go to this Page.

1) Because of the limitations of the Internet and download times we cannot accept any emails greater than 3Mb in size. This means that if you have several images of similar size then you must place them in separate emails to send to us.

2) To help you understand how this relates to picture sizes, resolutions & quality we have set up a table for you to refer to. Unacceptable file sizes are shown in orange.

3) As you can see, there are severe limitations on what can be sent. You can mess around with different Scan resolutions or different JPG quality settings to achieve the critical file size but be careful. Compress the JPG’s beyond about half way or reduce the scan resolution below 300 dpi and the quality of the picture will definitely be affected.

4) Once you have achieved this required file size, attach it to the email and send it to us. If there are any problems with picture quality as a result of JPG compression or scan resolutions, we will inform you accordingly.

1) Our Quality Control Procedures start the moment we receive your order. This is to protect your images and record every step of process. See a example of the Photo Doctor QC Record.

2) We first examine the packaging and contents to ensure that it has not been damaged in transit and that the contents were adequately protected.

For your own peace of mind, please make sure that you protect your valuable memories correctly. Check How to Protect your valuable photos for more information and advice.

3) We then examine all photographic materials for condition and determine if any special circumstances apply when handling them. Transparencies and Negatives are examined on the light table for excessive dust, dirt, scratches or other damage. Gloves are worn at all times when handling these.

This is where we also assess the ‘Level of Work’ required and ensure that your order conforms to the required job. You are immediately informed should there be any query. As an example, we frequently receive slides & negatives for scanning, and find them excessively dirty or scratched, things that can only be seen under proper light conditions. In this situation we would not accept the order unless the customer accepts an extra charge.

4) We the scan your pictures onto the computer and then place your original material is placed in protective storage. These scans are immediately copied onto CD for extra security.

Your original material will only be taken out for comparative viewing and finally to pack the finished Job to return back to you.

5) Packing and sending the job back to you will be in accordance with our established procedures and using our preferred Carriers, unless you specify otherwise.

6) Your scanned images, both original and finished work, is kept permanently on file should you require further copies or work done. Although in our possession, these images remain ‘Your Property’ and will not be used for any other purpose or leave the premises. No Third Party will be allowed access to your images.

1) We cannot guarantee to match colours exactly because there are too many variations in Computer & Photographic materials and processes involved. We do however work closely to the established calibrated processes used by the major National Digital & Photographic Labs.

2) Individual home computers and printers are a completely uncontrolled environment, with literally hundreds of thousands of different printers, monitors, software and computer configurations. Most of these home systems will not be Calibrated. See What is Image System Calibaration for more information.

3) The printers themselves vary dramatically in age and picture quality, with a great many people using cheaper generic inks and different papers. Each factor changes the quality of the print, particularly colour. Even current printers vary within and between manufacturers. An Epson C42, for example, is not a Photo printer. It will give you a reasonable quality print but it is designed as a cheap home ‘General Purpose’ machine.

An Epson Photo Stylus is a printer optimised for Photo printing, but one bought 4 years ago is not going to produce the same quality as one bought today, not because of age but because they are improving all the time. A Lexmark 4 years ago was very disappointing in the Photo stakes but now is not too bad. It is still, in my opinion, well short of the quality that you should expect with Epson & Canon machines.

4) I still reckon that for the best results, pop along to your local Jessops, Boots etc. with your CD and get proper photographs printed out. Not only better, more accurate colours, they don’t fade like the Ink Jet prints and they don’t smudge with wet fingers. Prices are coming down all the time with 6” x 4” prints between 20p & 10p each.

1) The term ‘Image Calibration’ means the process of matching the picture qualities of light, contrast & colour between the different computer devices, Software and the Files.

In general terms it is the way to ensure that what you see on your monitor is the same as what you print out and, most importantly, is very close to what is produced and seen by another Calibrated system. It is a difficult process and expensive to have done professionally.

2) Home calibration is a fairly easy operation with the monitor but the printer is a much more difficult exercise. It also means that you have to use the manufacturers recommended paper and inks. Change these and you will get a change in picture quality. There are several places on the Web that offer advice on Image Calibration.

3) Photographic Labs are usually strictly calibrated systems, with the major National outlets working hard to ensure that each Lab produces consistent results. They even re-calibrate to each different batch of photographic paper.

4) Photo Doctor regularly runs a test batch of prints through Jessops to verify that our system produces images closely matched to their output.

1) Photo Doctor will do its utmost to ensure complete customer satisfaction. We undertake to re-work where necessary, within the specifications of the original order and payment, should the customer not be satisfied with the completed work.

2) If the work involved image manipulation and the supplying of Hard Copy Prints, without supplying in Digital Format, a refund is possible in the unusual event that we are unable to achieve a satisfactory result after re-working. This is on condition that all supplied prints are returned to us.

3) Because of the ease with which Digital Media can be downloaded and copied, we do not offer a refund on any work supplied to the customer on CDs, DVDs, any removable storage device or transmitted to the customer via the Internet. In this event we will re-work, within the specifications of the original order and payment, until the customer is satisfied with the result.

4) In the same manner as the manufacturers and suppliers of Software, we will not refund for work supplied in Digital Format, because we have no way of establishing that the finished work has not been copied or downloaded.