Scanning services

Processing fee

This fee covers the administrative costs of processing an order. This charge is applied once per order submitted and cannot be waived or discounted.

University community price: $2.00

External price: $5.00

Flatbed scanning

Flatbed scanning represents the most common form of scanning. The DLS can safely scan reflective materials up to 12x17 inches in size, as well as negatives and transparancies up to 12x16 inches. All materials are scanned in full color (24-bit) at 600ppi. The scanned images are then output as uncompressed TIFFs. Patrons requesting a variance on these standards should contact the DLS staff at dls@umn.edu.

DLS staff reserves the right to select another method of scanning if the original area to be scanned is larger than 11x17 inches or if the binding or document is considered too fragile to be safely scanned on the flatbed. In such cases, and in consultation with the patron, materials will be scanned using the digital camera and the increased cost will be assessed.  

University community price: $5.00

External price: $10.00

Digital camera scanning

The digital camera can handle originals up to 40x60 inches in size. The digital camera is an ideal solution for delicate and fragile materials that are unsuitable for flatbed scanning. All materials are scanned in full color (24-bit) at 300ppi. The scanned images are then output as uncompressed TIFFs.

Images larger than 40x60 inches must be captured in two (2) or more separate scans and are provided as separate image files and charged per scan. Additional image manipulation fees will also be applied if, by request of the patron, the images are stitched together into a single file.  

University community price: $16.00

External price: $28.00

35mm mounted slides and negatives

In addition to negatives and other transparencies, the DLS can also digitize individually mounted 35mm slides and 35mm negative strips which contain 2-6 images per strip. All slides are scanned in full color (24-bit) at 2400ppi. The scanned images are then output as uncompressed TIFFs.

The DLS cannot at this time scan unmounted 35mm slides or uncut rolls of negatives.  

University community price: $1.15 per item

External price: $3.00 per item

Rapid capture scanning

For larger projects composed primarily of text documents (bound or unbound), we can offer this option at a much lower cost than traditional flatbed scanning. Rapid Capture Scanning is ideally suited for book, journal, archival or other textual materials where large a number of scans are required. This digitization is done using our overhead digital camera technology.

In some cases, we may be able to provide these scanning services using our sheetfed scanner. DLS staff will let you know if this is a suitable option for your digitization request.

All materials are scanned in full, 24-bit color at 300ppi. The scanned images are then output as uncompressed TIFFs. Original materials must be no larger than 16x25 inches in size.

University community price: $18.00 per hour

External price: $25.00 per hour

Copies of existing scans

An existing scan is an image that has been previously digitized. It requires no additional effort on our part to complete the production process. 

Please note while some derivatives of an image can be done without rescanning, requests for enlargements, higher resolutions or image manipulations may require a new scan to be made. In these cases regular scanning rates will apply.  

No charge for University community and external patrons.

Image manipulation, retouching, or stitching

Scanned images include a check for neutral colors and brightness. We will attempt to produce an image as faithful to the original as possible. Any further image manipulation will be charged at an hourly rate. This includes, but is not limited to, stitching two or more images together or more detailed color adjustments.

University community price: $18.00 per hour

External price: $25.00 per hour

Rush order

For orders requiring completion ahead of the general turnaround time a rush order fee is applied. This fee is equal to double the entire order, excluding tax.

A rush order is placed at the head of the order queue. Most rush orders will be completed within 1-3 business days. Larger rush orders may take longer.

Audio conversion

All audio files are converted following established best practices.

Film and video conversion

All files are saved as MP4 files unless otherwise requested by the patron.

Payment

To mitigate the risk of loss due to non-payment, DLS has instituted the following process for billing when working with patrons who submit large orders.

• All orders received from countries outside of the United States and Canada will require full payment before final order delivery, regardless of the amount of the order.
• Any order that is or is estimated to be above US $375.00 will require full payment prior to the release and delivery of the final order.
• For orders that are or are estimated to be above US $1,000.00 the patron will be required to pay 1/2 the estimated invoice BEFORE any work begins. Once this initial payment is received, DLS will proceed with fulfilling the order. Once completed, DLS will deliver the final work to the patron along with an invoice for the remaining order balance. Because DLS is requiring partial pre-payment for these larger orders, this work may take longer to complete.
• For all orders that are or are estimated to be below US $375.00, DLS will continue to deliver the final order prior to final invoicing.

• These updated billing procedures do not affect any payments that are being made with a University of Minnesota departmental EFS account string.

• At the discretion of DLS staff, repeat patrons who have previously made payments in a prompt manner may be waived from these requirements.

Delivery

Upon completion of your order, DLS staff will deliver your files via our web delivery service. This is a free service. DLS will e-mail the patron with the retrieval instructions when their order is ready.

Alternative methods of delivery may be used in the event that orders are too large to be uploaded for web delivery, or at the special request of the patron. Methods may include CDs/DVDs, jump drives, or external hard drives. Patrons will be charged for the actual cost of the storage media, plus any shipping and handling. All costs associated with these alternative delivery methods will be discussed with the patron prior to delivery.

Contact

If you have questions or issues, please contact dls@umn.edu. Accommodation requests submitted to us for any of our audio and video transcripts will be referred to the Disability Resource Center. Two weeks' notice will help us to better fulfill requests.