Help Center

Below is the service schedule we are currently experiencing in the lab.

Processing/scanning times vary with volume and workflow.

These times do not include shipping, which can vary; and over which we have no control.

We process and scan film Monday through Fridays

35MM and 120 C-41 film --5-7 working days

35MM and 120 B&W film -- 6-12 working days

35mm and 120 E-6 film -- 10-15 working days

APS/127/828/110-- 14-20 days 

4x5 Sheet/Kodachrome/ C-22/ECN -- 14-25 days 

All Push/Pull/Special & Special Handling Requests -- 2-5  days additional

Our lab hours are 10 am to 6pm EST Monday through Friday.  

You can call us during these hours at:  603-742-6659   Leave a message if no one answers and we will call you back

email: photolabcare@gmail.com

There is no lab staff here to answer calls or emails on weekends or at times other than listed above.  

We try to answer all calls and emails as soon as we can during our working day hours.  

If you need our street address for special shipping purposes, it is: 

Photosmith; 263 Central Ave; Dover, NH 03820

Develop only...  We process your film in the proper chemistry, dry them, and return to you via USPS mail.  This option is typically used by customers who have their own scanner or darkroom to do further work on their negatives.  We do charge for developing regardless of outcome. 

Cross processing (X-PRO).. Your film is not developed in the recommended chemistry.  Color slide film (normally E_6 chemistry) is processed in C-41 chemicals.. Colors are not accurate/realistic.   

Develop and Scan.. We process your film as above, and then scan it through the appropriate scanner as requested. Once scanned, we send you an email with "Dropbox" link.  You then download your files to your device.   We then package your negatives and return them to you via USPS mail.  Scanning and printing is 'flat rate', regardless of number of frames scanned. No credit is made for images we can not get from your roll.  

Develop and Scan and Print.. As above, but we also create a print from each negative or slide on our Fuji DL650 Frontier printer and return them with your negatives. Printing is 'flat rate', regardless of number of frames printed. No credit is made for images not printed from your roll.   We recommend ordering scans first, and prints at a later time. 

1. Find a sturdy padded envelope/mailer (be insecure..it's fine)

2. Order your services desired using our online ordering system and make payment. 

3. If you’re using our prepaid label, print it out (it's under 'customer tools')

4. Tape the label to the outside of your envelope SECURELY and enclose the film and the order form together. Make sure your film is tightly wound around its spool if it has a paper backing (such as a 120/620 roll).

5. You can just drop the envelope in any USPS mailbox (no trip to the Post Office necessary!)

6. We’ll send your film back to you at the address you provide. If you ordered scans, you will receive an email when as each roll.. or group of rolls.. is uploaded. It is quite likely that not all film in your order will be uploaded at the same time, as each roll is done separately.  Some films take much longer than others. Please refer to service schedule for approximate times required in the lab. 

7. If you want to order fresh film, call for current stock and prices. The shipping is free on fresh film when you order it with your film processing order.  Film ordered without processing will be have a shipping charge. 

8. If you have trouble checking out or the math seems incorrect, just let us know.  We are aware that some browsers and firewalls are not compatible.  Send the film and send us an email to tell us what's up.   Don't worry about it.. we want your film, and we'll find a way! 

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SHIPPING: 

Our prepaid mailing label prints from your printer 'two at a time' (one for now and one for later--we hope) and is valid anywhere when shipped from the United States or its territories to our address here in Dover, New Hampshire.  When you use our label, the shipping for your rolls of film sent through the United States Postal Service are paid for as business reply mail.  

Mail service times vary widely.  We have received film from California (cross country) in two days..  and film from Connecticut (two states away) in ten days.  We have no control over this aspect of your order, nor any method of tracking your film once it is in the hands of the USPS.

We collect mail once per day.. Monday through Friday at our post office.  The time we receive it varies based on when they get it sorted...and sometimes, frankly, they never get it sorted on the day it's received.

This 'pre-paid label'  is a "Business Reply Mail' label, and there is no tracking or insurance on your shipment to us.  If you want to use another form of service, it is at your expense.  

Our street address to use if you are sending Fed-X or UPS is:  

Photosmith... 263 Central Ave...Ste 2.. Dover, NH  0382

Please do not affix our prepaid mailing label to any "Priority" or "Express" type of packaging, as we do not cover this shipping; and will bill you for the additional postage incurred before processing your film.  

Return shipping for your processed film is also at our expense.  We use standard first class shipping via USPS for all return film work. 

If you order new replacement film with your processed film order, we pay shipping for that also.  We do not offer free shipping for "new film" only orders. 

We are a photo processing lab first and foremost.  Processing film and making prints is our main business, but we do sell film and are happy to sell you anything we have available.  

One advantage to buying film from us is that it is included in our 'free shipping' policy when you order it with processing (in the U.S. and territories).   Contact us when you need film via email or phone to see what we currently have on hand and we can give you pricing.

Many film types have become hard for us to keep in stock, and the prices have escalated tremendously on some of them in the last year.   

We do charge shipping if you order film independently of film processing.

Film is as sensitive and delicate by nature.  One of the reasons so many of us appreciate it so much is that it shows 'every little thing'.  It's also an excellent attractor  for dust/hair/fibers and 'stuff'.   We try to be as careful as we can when we handle it, but sometimes there are results that aren't expected or desirable.   

Generally, if you see something like a black fleck/hair/bug(yes a bug) on your negative film scan, it is actually photographed on the film emulsion. Similarly, if you see something that is white, that shows up because it was laying on top of your film when it was scanned. 

We process and scan thousands of rolls of film per year.  We do check/monitor/clean our machines constantly; but we know that we are not perfect, and not every file we create is perfect.  We do try our best to handle and respect your film as if it were our own.  We shoot film. We understand it's important to you.  It's important to us, too. 

Our scanner does not automatically 'fix dust' or repair imperfections that occur on your film....nor do we take affected images in to a software app such as Photoshop to repair irregularities. 

More and more film arrives in the lab that is out of date and from old cameras and 'toy cameras'.  These rolls have a higher incidence of scratching than others because they have an inherit curl...especially the smaller formats like 110, 126, and APS films.  The surface is often distinctly 'arced'.  It can rub against parts of your camera, the film canister, and our equipment. Again, we do not repair or fix these imperfections.   

We get this question more than any other question, and there are actually several answers. 

Depending on your software/OS, your files may open at different 'dpi' sizes.   Our 35mm standard scan is 3130 x 2075 pixels.  If it opens @72dpi in your computer for a print size of 28.8 inches x 43.4 inches..  the same file when opened @300dpi is a print size of 6.9 inches x 10.4 inches.  The dpi figure will increase as the print size decreases.

All standard scans are .jpg format.  There is a drop-down option for .tif scans if you wish. 

Almost all original roll 120, 220, and 35mm film is scanned on our Noritsu HS-1800 film scanner unless your film very curly or has torn sprocket holes. This provides the highest quality digital image from your prints that we offer here in our lab.

For 120 and 220 film, we can scan 6X4.5, 6×6, 6×7, and 6×9 formats. If you send film wider than 9cm, we scan the can scan your negative in sections, and give you segmented files to 'stitch' together in a photo program such as Photoshop.  We do not offer stitching here. 

For 35 mm, we can scan Hassie x-pan frames (24X65mm), standard size (24x36),  and half frame film.  

Half frame rolls are scanned with two frames per 24 x 36 area.. the same as we would scan a full frame 35mm scan.  If you desire to have each half-frame scanned as one frame, please note it in the special instruction from.  We will invoice you for the scanning of one additional roll for each roll treated in this fashion (it's more than twice as time consuming). The Hassie X-Pan file size is scanned in one size only, and it comes to about a 30 mb per frame (2075 x 5682 pixels)

Neither of our film scanners can scan full images from a Sprocket Rocket Camera (72 x 33)

We no longer offer sprocket scans or full film image scans with edges. 

All other formats, including 828, 110, 126, 127, etc. are scanned on our Fuji SP2500 scanner.  Most  'toy camera' formats are scanned with a medium format 6 x 7cm glass negative carrier. Scan sizes will vary depending on film size and framing, and your image will not fill the frame (ie, it will have borders on the edges without any image).  We do not crop these borders out. 

This is a tough one we get asked often..   What 'looks good' to your eye, may not 'look so good' to my eye.  It's all subjective, and these are simply suggestions (because we get asked frequently).  Every eye has a different way of evaluating output, and some are very critical.

Standard original roll scans:  8" long on the shortest pixel side (for instance, 2400 pixels is 8 inches at created at 300 dots per inch.  From a 35mm negative.. an 8x12'' print is the largest we recommend...but we've printed larger prints that look fine--to my eye. 

Upgraded original roll scans:  16" long on the shortest pixel side. From a 35mm negative, a 16 x 24 is the largest we recommend.  Again.. we frequently print 24 x 36 prints from these files that look awesome.  

Our advice:  start small--and work your way up from there.  

Film has grain, and we love it; but remember the grain appears larger as the print size increases.  Additionally any softness is magnified as the magnification increases.  

Yes, we can process these in types E-6, C-41, and black & white types

We can scan most common camera frame sizes. Our standard and high-resolution scan sizes listed are from our Noritsu HS-1800 film scanner.  We are also able to scan other frame sizes by hand on our Fuji SP 2500 film scanner. For 120/6120 film, we can scan 6×4.5, 6×6, 6×7, and 6×9cm. 

For 6×12 and larger images, we can scan them in two sections allowing you to digitally splice them together using your favorite photo editing program. 

For all other film types and sizes, they are done on our Fuji SP 2500 using the closest sized mask we have to fit. This will often leave a void area around your odd-sized negative because the frame does not fill the mask.  We do not crop this extra scan area out of your file. These scans are not as large as our Noritsu scans.

We can scan sizes: 35mm, 120, 4 x 5, 828, 110, 126, 127, APS, & 16mm

We are unable to scan information edge printed on your film in any format other than 35mm sprocket scans.  these are not high quality film scans and take longer.  

We do not scan or process 8mm film or any motion picture film in a length longer than 3 feet. 

Yes! We can handle both Black and White and Color (Aerochrome) IR films at no additional charge. Our BW and E-6 films are hand loaded onto reels and small batch processed in our Phototherm Super Sidekick processor. No IR sensors to fog or otherwise mess up your film. Please make your rolls accordingly and we’ll take the extra steps from there.

120, 620 and 220 are all medium-format films–the film width is the same. 220, however, is twice the length of 120, which generally means that 220 yields twice as many exposures. 220 film has no backing paper and usually requires a special film back to shoot. it.
620 film is exactly the same as 120 except it's spool is much thinner and more narrow. This was a Kodak invention back in the day. Some cameras take 120, some 620. Being as 620 is no longer manufactured, 120 film can be respooled on 620 spools so those old cameras can keep on living. 

The following are film types and chemical processes we CAN NOT do in our lab:

• Original roll motion picture film. WE CAN process re-loaded 35mm ECN film, but no other sizes. 
• E-2 & E-4 (old Ektachrome slide films) contact Film Rescue
• Agfa Scala (black and white positive slide film) contact dr5 Lab 
• Kodak Disc Film contact Film Rescue or Dwaynes Photo
• Triple Print Film contact Film Rescue
• Polachrome Polaroid Instant Slide film -  No known resource 
• Single Use Digital Cameras (Long’s Drug and CVS for example) no known resource
• 8mm in any form (such as from a Minox Camera)
• Any film wider than a standard 120 size (such as 116 film)
• Any film length longer than a standard 36 exposure film roll

If you mail us any of the above films, it costs us both incoming and outgoing postage.. we will return your film to you, but charge you a minimum of $7.50 to cover these postage and handling.

  The chemicals for these films were discontinued for this film decades ago. 

  We can develop them specially as black and white film, and often can retrieve printable images,  but obviously the colors will not be there if we do this.  

  Both cost more due to the extra time and the special steps in handling that they involve.  They both require special handling and cost more because of the extra steps.  Allow approximately 2 weeks for completion.  Results from these films are more unpredictable.  We do charge for processing regardless of outcome.  If there are no images to scan, we credit the scan fees which you have paid. 

Unlike color processing, which is chemically very precise, black and white processing allows the processor a lot of flexibility and individualization. At Old School Photo Lab, we have found the best results with Clayton F76+ developer; we adjust our processing for the specific film type and speed you use, as well as any personal preferences you express.

True black and white film is chemically much the same as the film from nineteenth-century photography. The category of true black and white came about because there is also a category of what you might call ‘false’ black and white film, developed around 1980, in the age of the minilab. Because black and white film was dying in popularity and complicated to process, it was difficult to find minilabs that processed it. Film manufacturers created ‘chromogenic’ film (beginning with Ilford XP1 and XP2 and eventually including Kodak TCN 400), which yielded black and white prints via C-41 processing.

We still process slide E-6 slide film, but no longer can put them in to slide mounts for projection as we used to do.  The firm that made our slide mounters (Loersch) went out of business in 2011.  For several years, we were able to find slide mounts to work with here and there, but the supply was inconsistent and we finally had to give it up.  You can still buy mounts from companies such as Geppe and mount them yourself. 

At Old-School Photo Lab, we utilize small-batch processing. We spool each roll by hand onto a reel and put it into a light-tight development tank that holds four to eight rolls of film depending on type/width. Fresh Fuji chemistry is used for every batch of film, so the results are always consistent.

‘Regular’ film is negative film. It is created to have light transmitted through it for printing or scanning. (This is why you can’t ‘read’ your images off of negatives–it’s a ‘negative’ image.) Slide film was created to be projected–that is, to have light transmitted through it so that the image could be displayed directly. So your image in slide film appears on the slide film much the way your eye saw the image when you took the picture.

We still process color E-6 slide film, but  we do not have the proper chemicals to do black and white slide film.  In our research, we also have not found any at-home processing kits available.  If anyone knows where they can be found, let us know so we can refer inquiries!   We get the most requests to do Agfa Scala and Fomapan R100 black and white slide films.   From the images we have seen, they are very cool looking films.   Try this lab: dr5.   The available process for current Agfachrome, Fujichrome, and Kodak Ektacrhome transparency films is E-6.  We still do E-6 processing regularly here.   Kodachrome film and processing chemistry was discontinued several years ago, though we have read of some labs using black and white chemicals to process them (we do not offer that service).   Older Ektachrome processes (any E- number lower than ”6”) may be available from specialty labs like:filmrescue.com  

‘Reverse cross-processing’ involves processing C-41 (color negative) film as though it were slide film–that is to say, with E-6 chemistry. Since ‘regular’ cross-processing gives the effect of intense saturation and high contrast, it stands to reason that ‘reverse’ cross-processing tends to flatten contrast and muddy colors. (Please keep this in mind when making your processing choices.)

Yes, but not at these prices. (It is labor-intensive and time-consuming to handle individual slides.) Please consult our scanning pricelist.

Submitting any film to us for processing, scanning, or printing constitutes an agreement that any loss or damage to it by our company, employees or agents,  even though by negligence or other fault, will  entitle you to only replacement with an equivalent quantity of similar film & processing for that lost or damaged. Except for such replacement, our acceptance of your film is without other liability; and recovery for any incidental or consequential damages is excluded.  

No express or implied warranty is otherwise provided. 

We are not responsible for any loss, damage,or delay caused by the United States Postal Service, UPS, Fed-X, or other carrier.

Prices and terms are subject to change.

oldschoolphotolab.com is a service/website provided by Photosmith, PO Box 67 Dover, NH 03820 

phone 603-742-6659 

For full terms of service click here. 

For color negative and slide film, we use chemistry provided by Fuji Photo

For black and white negative film, we use mainly chemistry provided by Clayton Chemical but for some film we use Kodak developer.  Over three decades of processing film has lead us to choose these products.  We are aware there are other products on the market that some users may prefer, but these chemicals have been found to meet the wide variety of film types which we handle.  Black and white film processing is not a 'cut and dried' process.  If you want total control, we highly recommend it as a DIY project.  It's fun, and almost anyone can do it! 

We use an Epson wide format printer for photographs over 12 x 18'' in size, and a Fuji Frontier DL 650 Digital Printer for smaller photograph sizes. 

We no longer make wet darkroom prints (silver halide paper)  or contact sheets in our lab. All printing is digital and achieved through scanning.  While there is a lot of discussion and disagreement on this subject, we can only say we feel it's the best printing product we have made after 37 years in the business.  

We often get film that is soggy/wet/damp.  We charge an additional $8.00 per roll to handle this film because it is time consuming to dry and then handle.  

We can not process this film as is.  It must be first loaded onto a reel by hand in the dark to be dried before it can be processed.  It can take several days for it to become dry to handle and process.  Be aware that this film is almost always 'damaged' in some way and will not look normal.  Often, it has started to dry on it's own..the emulsion sticks to the base and when we separate it to dry, the emulsion is removed. Natural colors and smooth emulsions are highly unlikely. 

If you know why the film is wet, please tell us.   Usually it is from water, but if you don't know and we can't tell by a 'sniff test', we can not take a chance of damaging our chemistry and other rolls of film while running this film.  The film will be returned to you unprocessed, and a credit will be made for processing and services if paid; but not for postage and handling coming back to you. 

In general, film that has been stored under 'normal' room temperature and humidity conditions holds up pretty well.. even after many years beyond expiration. The very nature of film is delicate and sensitive to all the variables that surround its life from manufacture through the processing of it. 

Some films being spooled and sold as 'new/special' films are old stocks being taken from motion picture, scientific, or special purpose film.  Most are old, and were not created to be still camera film.  We find the results to be highly variable..  sometimes amazing..but oftentimes disappointing.   If you want clean consistent results, we recommend using current film stocks available.  

Black and white film ages the best of all.  We have developed Verichrome Pan film from the 1940's that held up with amazing results.   It is very common to see great black and white images that are many decades old on 'found film'.  

Old C-41 color negative film  will typically lose saturation, color fidelity, and accuracy..the base takes on a grainy/fogged look, but if the image were well-exposed to begin with.. there's a very good chance we'll be able to make prints from them.  Strong magenta and green casts are common. 

Even new/fresh film that has been exposed to excessive heat (the glove box of your car, for instance) for a short period of time will yield disappointing results.  We can not correct for this type of damage..  

Color slide film ages less gracefully than all others...even close to expiration date transparency film often has strong color shifts. It's a film that appreciates being kept cool at all times.  We do not recommend purchasing or using old slide film... not worth it in our book.  

Older U.S. made color films made before the current (C-41) process were developed in chemistry referred to as  ''process C-22"....or Kodacolor-X.  The chemicals were discontinued for this film decades ago.  We can develop it as black and white film, and often retrieve printable images..   but obviously the colors will not be there if we do this.  It is more expensive due to the extra time and handling it requires.  The same is true for Kodachrome film.  The chemicals were discontinued years ago.  We can process it as black and white film.  Like Kodacolor-X film, it is a hand process, takes longer and therefore costs more.   Results from these films are more unpredictable.  We do charge for processing regardless of outcome.  If there are no images to scan, we credit the scan fees which you have paid. 

We know that your old film is important to you.. otherwise you would not be thinking about it.  We have been processing film for over 36 years here..and we do our best..but if there are no images, or images that are faded or light-fogged, it is beyond our control.  

We do charge for processing for your roll(s) of film..even if there are no exposures to scan or print. The handling of the film, prepping it for development..the actual process to 'do it' and chemicals required is the same.. regardless of outcome.  If you ordered and paid for scans or prints that can't be made, we always credit those fees back to you.  

Please read the section pertaining to films we can not process before mailing.