Where can you get 35mm film developed?
There are three real options, and they are not the same. A mail-in lab like ours develops the film in house, scans it on a dedicated film scanner, and sends the negatives back. A drugstore or big-box counter is convenient to drop off, but the store is not developing anything: the film goes into a bin and is shipped to a central facility, and in many cases the negatives do not come back. A local camera shop is a fine option if you still have a good one nearby. Fewer of them survive every year, which is why mail-in exists. We have been developing 35mm film in Dover, New Hampshire since 1981.
How much does it cost to develop 35mm film?
$18 to develop a roll of color (C-41) film and return the negatives. $25 all-in gets you developing, scans and prepaid shipping both ways. Black and white is $20, E-6 slide film $24, ECN-2 motion picture film $28, and C-22 or other old color film $25. Scans, prints and a few extras are chosen at checkout, and the prepaid label covers any number of rolls in one box.
Every kind of 35mm film
Color negative (C-41) is most of what we see: Kodak Gold, Ultramax, Portra, Ektar, Fujifilm 200 and 400, Lomography, CineStill 400D and 800T, and store brands. Black and white (HP5, Tri-X, T-Max, Delta, Kentmere, Fomapan and the rest) is developed by hand, and every B&W roll gets dust and scratch removal at no charge. E-6 slide film is developed in house and comes back sleeved. ECN-2 motion picture stock with remjet, including Pathfinder and other respooled Vision3 films, is handled in house: we remove the remjet and develop it in a modified C-41 process. Half-frame and panoramic cameras are fine; half-frame and sprocket-hole scans are add-ons at checkout.
Scanning: what you get back
Scans come from Poli, our Polielettronica film scanner, at up to 45 megapixels. HighRes JPEG scans are included in the $25 all-in price; SuperScan JPEG and ProScan 16-bit TIFF are upgrades for people who print big or edit heavily. Files arrive through ContactSheet, our online delivery page, where you can view every frame, favorite the keepers, share the roll and download everything in one zip. A printed index of the roll comes back with the negatives.
Common questions
How long does 35mm developing take?
Once the film reaches the lab: color (C-41) 4–5 business days, black and white 7–10 days, E-6 slide film 2–3 weeks, ECN-2 3 weeks or more. Add mailing time each way. A rush option is available at checkout.
Do I have to mail the whole roll?
Send the cassette as it came out of the camera. Do not pull the leader out or open it. If the camera rewound the film fully inside the cassette, that is fine; we open it in the dark.
Can I send more than one roll?
Yes, as many as you like in one box on one prepaid label. Choose the roll count at checkout and the label and return shipping cover all of them.
Do you push or pull film?
Push and pull processing is an option at checkout for C-41 and black and white. Tell us the ISO you shot at.
Do I get my negatives back?
Always, cut and sleeved, with any prints you ordered. We do not keep or discard negatives.
Does Walgreens, CVS or Walmart still develop 35mm film?
Several still take film at the counter, but it is sent out, turnaround is typically one to two weeks, and in many cases the negatives are not returned. Check the policy before handing a roll over.
Expired and old 35mm film
Found rolls are a lot of what we do. Old color film tends to shift magenta or yellow and gain grain; heat does more damage than age. We develop each roll on its own and correct every frame individually rather than running a batch profile, and we tell you if a roll came out blank rather than quietly returning nothing. Film older than the C-41 process (C-22, Kodacolor-X, early Ektachrome) goes through our old-film service, which is the “C-22 or OLD” choice on this page.
What you get back
- Your scans, by download link on ContactSheet (or on CD/DVD or USB if you choose)
- Your negatives, cut and sleeved, every time, at no extra charge
- A printed index of the roll
- Prints, if you ordered them
- Return shipping, included. No surprise return-shipping cost.
Have a disposable camera? See disposable camera developing.
More film we develop
Same lab, same prepaid label, same ContactSheet delivery. One box can hold any mix of these.
- Disposable camera developing
- 120, 220 and 620 film developing
- 110 film developing
- APS film developing
- 127 and 828 film developing
- 126, 117 and C-22 old color film developing
- 4x5 sheet film developing
- Mystery film developing (not sure what it is? send it)
Already have negatives or slides? See film scanning and 35mm slide scanning.