Frequently Asked Questions
What film formats do you process?
35mm, 120 / 220 / 620 medium format, 110, 127 and 828, APS, disposable cameras, 4x5 sheet film, and discontinued formats including 117 and 126. If you have something unusual or unlabelled, send us a message — we would much rather look at it than have you throw it away.
Every format we handle, with pricing, is on the film processing page.
What processing options are available?
Depending on the format: C-41 color, black and white, E-6 slide, and ECN-2. Discontinued color processes such as C-22 are developed as black and white negatives — see C-22, 117 and 126 vintage film processing.
Not every format offers every process. The options available for your film are shown on its own page: 35mm, 120 / 220 / 620, 110, 127 / 828, APS, disposable cameras, 4x5 sheet film.
How much does processing cost?
Each format has its own price, and each product page shows both the develop-only price and what a typical order comes to with scanning and round-trip shipping included. Start at the film processing page and choose your format.
How long does processing take?
Once your film reaches the lab:
- C-41 color: 4 to 5 business days
- Black and white: 7 to 10 days
- E-6 slide: 2 to 3 weeks
- ECN-2: 3 weeks or more
Add mailing time in each direction. Vintage and camera-scanned formats can take longer, since each frame is scanned individually.
How do I send you my film?
You order first, then mail. Every film processing order includes a pre-paid USPS label with tracking, emailed to you after checkout — there is no extra cost and no guesswork in getting your film to us. If the label does not arrive, just tell us and we will send another.
Choose your format to get started.
Do I get my negatives back?
Yes. Your negatives come back cut and sleeved at no extra charge, with a trackable return label already included in the price. If you would rather not have them back, choose that option when you place your order.
Can I add scans or prints to my order?
Yes — we scan and print too. Scanning and print options appear on each processing page as you configure your order. Prints require a scan, because our printers are digital and need a scanned file to work from.
See the options for your format.
Can you explain scanning? I am new to this.
Scanning options vary a little depending on your film size. For 35mm and 120 we use a Noritsu HS-1800 lab scanner, and we offer two resolutions and two file formats:
- HighRes — 3130 x 2075, 6.5MP, JPG
- SuperScan — 6774 x 4492, 30MP, JPG
- ProScan — 6774 x 4492, 30MP, TIFF
Our standard is HighRes, and you may wonder why we call it that when it is our entry level scan. Most labs offer something lower than this as their standard, but anything smaller makes it hard to get a good quality print. We did not want you to receive your files and regret not choosing better, so we removed the basic scan altogether.
The next step up is SuperScan, which is four times the size. That is the one to pick if you know you will be printing, or doing some editing.
ProScan is the same resolution as SuperScan but captured as a TIFF, which has no compression. JPG is compressed, which keeps file sizes down but loses some detail, particularly in gradients. If you plan to edit in Photoshop or Lightroom and build your own look, you want TIFF files.
For all other formats we camera scan your film one frame at a time. The results are excellent, but it is far more time consuming, which is why those formats are priced differently.
Do you process C-22 and other discontinued color film?
Yes. C-22 was a chemical process used for color film until the early 1970s, replaced by the current C-41 standard, which is safer and better for the environment. We process all of these old films — including old C-41 — into a black and white negative.
Because quality varies enormously with age and storage, we recommend ordering develop only, or develop and scan, to begin with, then ordering prints if the images turn out to be worth printing. Negative quality can range from good to very poor to nothing at all, and it is worth knowing that before you order.
Vintage and old color film processing
What affects the quality of images from old film?
It varies. Storage conditions — humidity, heat and time — all affect film over the long term. Some old film looks good. Sometimes it is fogged to nothing.
Can I get color images from my old C-22 film?
No. The chemistry needed to make color photographs from this film was discontinued long ago. We process all C-22 and old C-41 into a black and white negative.
If you are not sure what you have, most C-22 film says so on the cartridge. The name to look for is usually Kodacolor-X. Others include Anscocolor, GAF, ACN, Technicolor, and film labelled for E-2 or E-4 processing. If you cannot tell, send us a photo of it — we are happy to help identify it.
Why doesn't my film look the way I expected?
Film sometimes comes back looking wrong, and usually the cause is in the camera rather than the lab. These are the problems we see most often.
Light fog
Probably the most common problem we see. It happens when a camera's light seals are no longer sealing, or when the back was opened before the film was rewound.
Heat and age fog
Film is perishable. As it ages or gets hot it breaks down, loses sensitivity and fogs. Some people use that look deliberately. You can prevent it by refrigerating your film, or at least keeping it somewhere cool and dry — not the car. Film has an expiry date for a reason. Black and white is the least susceptible; slide film is the most.
Misloaded camera
Another very common one, mostly with older SLRs, though it can happen to anyone. The film leader never quite catches on the take-up spool, so as you advance, the film is not pulled out of the canister. You end up with an unexposed roll and perhaps one badly fogged frame at the start.
Rewound backwards
Most cameras have an arrow showing which way to rewind. A misloaded camera often causes this too: rewinding a roll that never left the canister feels wrong because there is no tension, so it gets wound the other way. That frequently tears the film, and leaves pressure marks — dark vertical striations where the film was bruised.
Old slide film
E-6 slide film does not age well at all. A year or two past its expiry date can be enough to ruin it. Expect a strong color cast, low density and heavy grain; sometimes the roll comes back entirely blank, with no edge markings either. When you are unsure of a slide film's age, cross processing is often the better bet.
Can I talk to a person?
Yes. We are a small lab and we would much rather answer a question than have you guess. Get in touch, or start an order if you already know what you need.