How best to scan old 4x6 prints?

[jcava972]

I am a total novice when it comes to photography.

I am trying to scan decades worth of old printed photos, the majority of which are 4x6 prints shot on likely average cameras for the time period 60s-90s and developed at basic photo shops or drug store print centers.

While I would like to preserve the majority of whatever quality there is in these images, I also do not have the time to do this one by one on a flatbed scanner at high resolutions.

I have found this:
Amazon.com: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Deluxe Bundle Scanner for PC (PA03656-B015): Electronics

Many people have reported batch scanning pictures with good success.

My question is what is the actual DPI for your average 4x6 film print? Is 300 DPI a reasonable resolution to archive thousands of photos? How much, if any, degradation in quality will I have?

I have looked into services but they are either very expensive or will result in a poorly organized mess of photos.

Any alternative suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I have a Canon Pixma, I think the higher res setting is 600. I can get good copies, it just takes time to scan four 4x6s at a time. I think getting a good copy depends somewhat on the quality of the original, but if some are particularly significant you could do some editing to improve/adjust quality.

You might need to think about if you need a digital copy of every single print or if some may not be worth the time to scan. If there's someone or something that's important to you, then those might be worth scanning and editing even if the original isn't the best quality. Probably a toss up between cost and time for a project like this.

 

[cgw128 153]

That Fujitsu is a document scanner. Look into base to mid-range Epson flat-beds and a copy of Photoshop Elements. Higher-end scanners won't miraculously improve a so-s0 p&s shot from 20+ years ago.

 

[jcava972]

I know that it a document scanner, but it has 600 DPI color resolution and others have reported success using it for photos. I'm assuming 600 DPI will be plenty for my purposes?