I have videotapes (VHS, Hi8 and 8mm, VHS-C, and MiniDV)

• If the videotape is in its own case, please leave it there, with a label. Your digital file will be named with that label. “Christmas 1991” sounds much better than “Tape 4.”
• Group all of the tapes together if possible. Processing videotapes requires different equipment than other forms of media, and we can get started much more quickly if we aren’t searching for it.
• Your tapes will ultimately come back on a DVD … one DVD for each tape. If you want all of your tapes on flash drives as well, we can do that. Please keep in mind that very large flash drives are expensive, but we can put up to 250GB of movies on a single flash drive if you really want that.

I have reel-to-reel movie film

• Please keep movie film grouped together as well.
• Identify the size of each reel. This will give you good ideas of both length and cost.
• Recognize that smaller reels will sometimes be stitched together during processing to create a single longer movie. If you send eight reels about three inches in diameter (which is about 50 feet per reel), you will receive back one single reel of 400 feet, stitched together. Your DVDs will have several files on them that can be played as a single longer movie.
• Most 8mm movie film does not have any sound (there never was any sound on it). There won’t be any audio on your DVD when you receive it.

I have loose pictures

• The first step is to group them, because these groups will result in digital folders at the end of the process, loaded with the exact pictures in order.
• Next, wrap each group with rubber bands. It’s best to bind them both horizontally and vertically if possible.
• After that, place each group in a sealable plastic bag (like Ziploc). This insures that even if the rubber bands should break in transit, the integrity of the groups will be maintained.
• Lastly, label the groups with the names you want for your digital folder. For example,  write “Joe’s wedding” on the bag. Or slip a piece of paper that says “Joe’s wedding” into the bag itself.

I have pictures in albums

• Try to remove pictures from albums first, because the price is lower when you send in loose pictures.
• Check each album to make sure no pages are at risk of falling out.
• Look for picture slots where two or more pictures may reside in one slot. You may have reasons to remove these extra pictures prior to shipping, or label them with specific instructions.
• Give each album a name. For example, “1972-73.” Or, “Europe Trip 1965.” You would rather have your names than the ones we make up.
• Your folder system will be named album-by-album.

I have loose slides

• Organize the slides as best you can, and place them in groups of 20-30, stacked on top of each other.
• Rubber band each stack both horizontally and vertically loosely. This will prevent the slides from moving in transit.  Please don’t rubber band tightly, as this will physically bend the cardboard slides and complicate the conversion process.
• Place each rubber banded group into a sealable plastic bag (like Ziploc). This will keep the slides grouped together even if the rubber bands should break.
• Label the bag (or a piece of paper in the bag) with a suitable descriptive name for the slide group.

I have slides in carousels or trays

• Your slides are already fairly organized. Check before sending to make sure each carousel or tray is organized like you want it.
• Label each carousel/tray with descriptive names, like Wedding 1971. Otherwise, we will give them names like Tray 1 and Carousel 2.
• Send the slides in the carousels and trays. You will get everything back just the way you sent it. (If you have those slides in trays with metal brackets, we have to remove the brackets prior to scanning. Don’t worry, we recycle them and you won’t ever need them again. The slides will still come back in the same order.)
• Your digital folder system will be by carousel and by tray.

I have audio cassettes

• The first step is to group them, because these groups will result in digital folders at the end of the process, loaded with the exact pictures in order.
• Next, wrap each group with rubber bands. It’s best to bind them both horizontally and vertically if possible.
• After that, place each group in a sealable plastic bag (like Ziploc). This insures that even if the rubber bands should break in transit, the integrity of the groups will be maintained.
• Lastly, label the groups with the names you want for your digital folder. For example,  write “Joe’s wedding” on the bag. Or slip a piece of paper that says “Joe’s wedding” into the bag itself.

“This is my stuff, that’s your stuff, that’ll be his stuff over there. That’s all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That’s all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn’t have so much stuff, you wouldn’t need a house.” – George Carlin

OK … I’ve done everything listed above and I’m ready to box it and ship it.

You need to get a sturdy box and tape it securely at the bottom and on the sides.

(Please do not think about using the US Post Office)

There is no such thing as too much tape, where your precious memories are concerned.

Once you’ve placed everything in the box, we strongly recommend filling in the gaps with bubble wrap, or old newspapers … anything that will keep the memories from shifting.

Most importantly, after organizing memories, you should include a note to us with a few basic details:

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Email
• Guesstimated quantities (number of photos, number of slides, etc.)
• Resolution (for photos and scrapbooks only)
• Folder instructions
• Deliverable device types (Flash Drives, Cloud, Video Book, DVD) you would like

You would be surprised at how many boxes we receive that don’t have names, numbers, and email.

(Please do not think about using the US Post Office)

Please ship to our address!

Memory Fortress

2180 Satellite Boulevard

Suite 400

Duluth, GA 30097

678-579-2249 with any questions