Slides & Negatives: The Right DPI for Scanning (with Print Size Examples)

Digitising boxes of photos? Here’s how to choose DPI, colour settings and file types when you convert photo slides to digital or digitise photos.

DPI Cheat Sheet

• 2400 DPI — perfect for viewing and prints up to ~A4.
• 3200–4000 DPI — for cropping or larger prints.

Colour & Dust

We correct colour casts, balance exposure and apply careful dust/scratch reduction. For storage tips, see the National Archives on preserving photographs.

Outputs

Most choose JPEG for sharing; TIFF available for archiving. Delivery via private link and optional USB.

Prep Tips

1. Group slides by event/date; don’t wipe film—scratches are permanent.
2. Use dividers or envelopes to help with file naming.