Scan Delivery FAQ: How You Get Your Film Scans
We deliver your film scans online, on ContactSheet, our free online gallery. When your scans are ready we email you. From there you can look through every frame, download your full-resolution files, or save your JPEGs straight to your phone's camera roll. Your full-resolution originals stay available for 90 days, and the previews and a printable ContactSheet of every roll stay indefinitely. When you get your negatives back, every scanned roll also comes with an IndexPrint, our 4x6 index print of the roll, at no extra charge.
At a glance
- How: online, on ContactSheet. We email you the moment your scans are ready.
- Cost: free with every order that has online delivery.
- Files: the scan you ordered, at full resolution, never resized or recompressed. JPG, or TIFF if you ordered ProScan.
- How long: full-resolution originals for 90 days. Previews, your roll details and your printable ContactSheet stay indefinitely.
- On your phone: save your original JPEGs straight to your camera roll, and add ContactSheet to your home screen like an app.
- Where's my order: every order on ContactSheet shows where it is, step by step, from the day you place it.
- Updates: optional notifications when your film arrives and when your scans are ready.
- Prefer a CD or USB drive? Choose one when you order.
Getting your scans
How do I get my film scans?
We email you as soon as they're ready. The email has two buttons. View your ContactSheet takes you to your scans online, where you can look through every frame and download what you want. Download your files goes straight to a zip of your full-resolution scans, with a folder for each roll and no sign-in needed.
When will my scans be ready?
As soon as they're scanned. We put your scans on ContactSheet and email you right away, and if your order comes back in parts, each part goes up as soon as it's done. How long that takes depends on the film and how busy the lab is. Our current processing times are under "How long does processing take?" in our FAQ. While your film is in the lab, ContactSheet also shows the typical turnaround for your film, and you can see exactly where your order is at any time.
Can I see where my order is?
Yes. Sign in to ContactSheet and every order shows where it is, step by step: ordered, received, in the lab, scans ready, and on its way back. A tag next to each order's date sums it up, so you can see at a glance which orders are moving. Your order shows up there as soon as you place it, before any scans exist.
- Before your film arrives: once it's in the mail, follow it with the USPS tracking number from your prepaid label.
- In the lab: the typical turnaround for your film, as a guide, not a promise. If your order comes back in parts, it shows how many parts are ready.
- Waiting on you: if we email you a question about your order, your order says so, highlighted, until we hear back. Just reply to that email.
- On its way back: the carrier and tracking number with the expected delivery date, then the day it was delivered.
- Dropped off at the lab: the day your order is ready for pickup.
Once your scans are ready, they come first and the steps move underneath them. We also email you when your film arrives and when your scans are ready.
How do I get to ContactSheet?
Whichever way is handiest:
- From your email. Tap View your ContactSheet in any scans-ready email.
- From our website. Sign in to your account on oldschoolphotolab.com and choose My Contact Sheets in the account menu.
- Straight there. Go to contactsheet.oldschoolphotolab.com. Bookmark it, or add it to your phone's home screen (see the next question), and it's one tap away next time.
- From your IndexPrint. Point your phone's camera at the QR code on the IndexPrint that comes back with your negatives, and that roll opens.
Can I add ContactSheet to my phone's home screen?
Yes. It then opens full screen from its own icon, like an app, with nothing to download from an app store.
On an iPhone or iPad:
- Open contactsheet.oldschoolphotolab.com in Safari.
- Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up).
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen, then Add.
On an Android phone:
- Open contactsheet.oldschoolphotolab.com in Chrome.
- Tap the menu (the three dots at the top right).
- Tap Add to Home screen or Install app, then confirm.
Open ContactSheet from the new icon from then on. The first time, sign in with the email address on your order.
Can ContactSheet send me notifications?
Yes, if you'd like them. Turn them on and ContactSheet lets you know when:
- your film arrives at the lab,
- we have a question about your order,
- your order is back in production after that question, and
- your scans are ready.
Tap a notification and your order opens on ContactSheet. They come on top of our emails, not instead of them.
To turn them on, tap Notifications (the bell) at the top of ContactSheet, next to Sign out, then Turn on notifications, and allow them when your phone or browser asks. A "Notifications are on" message arrives straight away, so you know it worked.
On an iPhone or iPad, add ContactSheet to your Home Screen first (see above), open it from there, and turn notifications on inside it. That's the only way an iPhone lets a website send notifications. Android phones and computers can turn them on right in the browser. Notifications are set for each device, so turn them on on every phone or computer you'd like them on.
How do I sign in to ContactSheet?
Tap the button in your email, or go to contactsheet.oldschoolphotolab.com, and enter the email address you used on your order. We'll email you a sign-in code. There's no password to remember and no separate account to set up. If you're already signed in to your account on our store, you may go straight in.
I didn't get the email. Where are my scans?
Check your spam or promotions folder for an email from Old School Photo Lab by Photosmith. You can also sign in to ContactSheet directly with the email address on your order, and any scans that are ready will be there. Still nothing? Email lab@oldschoolphotolab.com with your order number and we'll sort it out.
Why did my order come back in parts?
Film in a mixed order doesn't always finish at the same time. Color is usually done before black and white, for example. Rather than hold everything back, we send each part as soon as its scans are ready, with its own email. On ContactSheet each part has its own tab, the order's tag shows how many parts are ready, and anything we're still working on shows as In the lab until it's done.
Is ContactSheet free?
Yes. ContactSheet comes free with every order that has online delivery, and so does the printable ContactSheet of each roll. There's nothing to sign up for.
Downloading your scans
How do I download my scans?
On ContactSheet you can download a whole roll, just the frames you starred, or a single frame. Whole rolls and favorites come as a zip file. On a phone, your JPEGs can also go straight to your camera roll with Save to Photos. The Download your files button in your email is the other way in, and it doesn't need a sign-in.
Can I save my scans to my phone?
Yes. ContactSheet was designed for phones first. Your original JPEGs save straight to your camera roll: tap Save to Photos on any frame, or at the bottom of a roll to save the whole roll or just your favorites. It's the original scan, not the preview.
Save to Photos is for JPEGs only. TIFF scans download as files instead. A roll of TIFFs is big, so for those Chrome or Edge on a computer works best.
What format and resolution are my scans?
Every download is your original scan file at the full resolution you ordered, never resized or recompressed, with the file name we scanned it under. If you ordered TIFF, you get TIFF. The pictures you see on ContactSheet are smaller previews, made so the page loads quickly. Our Film Scanning FAQ lists the size of every scan option and how big each one prints.
How long does the download link in my email work?
30 days from the day we send it. After that, sign in to ContactSheet and download from there.
Can I get my scans on a CD or USB drive?
Yes. Choose a CD or a USB flash drive when you order, and we'll send it back with your order. If online delivery is selected too, your scans go on ContactSheet as well.
If you don't want online delivery, uncheck it when you place your order and choose a CD or USB drive instead. You'll still get an IndexPrint with your negatives, but your scans won't be on ContactSheet, so there's no custom printable ContactSheet to download.
How long we keep your scans
How long do you keep my scans?
Your full-resolution originals stay on ContactSheet for 90 days from the day we email you that they're ready. The email gives you the exact date. Download anything you want to keep before then, and back it up somewhere safe. The previews and your printable ContactSheet stay indefinitely.
What happens after 90 days?
The full-resolution originals are deleted. Everything else stays, indefinitely: the previews of every frame, your roll details, stars and captions, and your printable ContactSheet. What you can't do anymore is download the full-resolution scans.
Can you keep my scans longer than 90 days?
We're working on a way to keep them there for longer. For now, download what you want within the 90 days. If you had your negatives returned, they're the real archive. Send them back to us any time and we can scan them again.
On ContactSheet
What can I do on ContactSheet?
See every frame of every roll. Tap a frame to open it large, and use the loupe to check focus up close. Star your favorites and add a caption to any frame. You can also fill in the details of each roll, like a description, the date you shot it, the camera and lens, the film stock, the ISO and whether you pushed it. Everything you add is saved as you type. And you can share a roll, your favorites or a single frame with anyone, by a view-only link. For a quick tour, tap How ContactSheet works at the top of Your orders or at the bottom of any page.
What is the note from the lab?
If we need to tell you something about your order when it arrives, you'll see a note from the lab in your film-received email and on your order in ContactSheet. And if we notice something on a roll that's worth telling you about, like frames that came out underexposed, the technician leaves you a note with those scans. It shows up in your scans email and with your scans on ContactSheet.
Can I share my scans?
Yes. Tap Share this roll under any roll to get a view-only link to the whole roll or just your favorites, or tap Share in the frame viewer to share a single frame. Send the link by text, email or DM, or post it to Facebook, X, Threads or Pinterest. Anyone who opens it sees your photos at web size, with your description, roll details and captions unless you choose to leave them off. They can't download your full-resolution scans or change anything, and the page never shows your name, email address or order number.
A link keeps working until you stop it. Tap Share this roll again to copy a link or to Stop sharing, and a stopped link stops working straight away. A post that already shows a preview of the link keeps that preview until you delete the post, and anyone who saved a photo keeps their copy. A favorites link follows your stars, so a frame you star later shows up on it too.
The Download your files link in your email is different. It downloads your full-resolution files for anyone who has it, until it expires, so only forward it to people you'd happily hand the files to.
Your contact sheets
Most labs send you a download link. We send you a contact sheet. Two, actually: a printable ContactSheet you make your own, and an IndexPrint that comes back with your negatives.
What is a contact sheet?
A contact sheet is a whole roll of film on a single sheet of paper, every frame in order and at the size of the negative. In the darkroom it's made by laying the strips of negatives right on the photo paper, in contact with it, and exposing them, which is where the name comes from. Photographers have used them for generations to look over a roll, circle their favorites with a grease pencil, and decide what to print. ContactSheet is named for it, and every roll we deliver online comes with its own ContactSheet you can print.
What is the printable ContactSheet?
A PDF of the whole roll, letter size and ready to print. Every frame is on it, along with the roll details you've added (description, date shot, camera, lens, film stock and ISO), a star on your favorites, and your captions under the frames. Print it, and file it in the sleeve with your negatives. Next time you want to find a picture, you'll know exactly which strip it's on.
How do I get it?
Open any roll on ContactSheet and tap Download Your Custom ContactSheet at the bottom of the page. Fill in the roll details, star and caption your frames first, and they'll all be on the sheet. Change something later? Download it again and the sheet shows the change.
Does it cost extra?
No. It's free on every roll we deliver online, and you can download it as often as you like. It stays available indefinitely, even after your full-resolution originals are gone, so a roll's printable ContactSheet is always there.
What is an index print?
An index print is one small print with a thumbnail of every frame on a roll, each marked with its frame number. Photo labs began including them with processed film so you could see what's on a roll at a glance and find the right negative when you want a reprint. They were a standard part of APS film. Ours is the IndexPrint.
What is the IndexPrint?
IndexPrint is our 4x6 index print of the whole roll. When you get your negatives back, we include one for every scanned roll, at no extra charge. Every frame is on it with its frame number, along with the roll number, the film process, the scan you ordered, your order number and the date we scanned it. It comes back in the bag with your negatives.
What's the QR code on the IndexPrint for?
Point your phone's camera at it and that roll opens on ContactSheet. You still sign in with the email on your order, so the code is no use to anyone else.
What's the difference between the IndexPrint and the printable ContactSheet?
We make the IndexPrint, and it shows what we know about the roll. It's printed once and travels with your film. The printable ContactSheet is yours. It carries the details, stars and captions you add on ContactSheet, and you can print it as often as you like.
Do I get an IndexPrint if I don't want my negatives back?
No. The IndexPrint travels with your negatives, so if we aren't sending your film back, there's nothing to send it with. You can still download a printable ContactSheet of the roll.
Questions
I have a question about a roll or a frame.
Tap Ask the lab under the roll, or Ask about this frame when a single frame is open. Your question comes straight to the lab with your order, roll and frame already attached, and we reply by email. You can also reply to your scans email, or write to lab@oldschoolphotolab.com with your order number and the roll number shown above each roll.
Which scan should I order?
That depends on what you'll do with the pictures. Our Film Scanning FAQ covers every scan option, what each one is good for, and how big each one prints.
Ready to send some film? Start your order. Round-trip shipping is included, and your scans land on ContactSheet as soon as they're done.
