The magazine
Working knowledge for professional photo organizers and memory keeping studios who handle other families' original prints, slides and film.
Nine working articles, published September 4, 2026, on estimating, capture, metadata, liability and the services that hold their margin. Written for the bench, not for the feed. When you want the same discipline inside a project record, ask for a PaperKeepsake walkthrough.
numbers and benchmarks
Unknown volume is the core estimating problem in photo organizing. Here is how to structure a two stage quote, use a paid assessment, and set per image and hourly rates that survive a surprise.
practical guide
Resolution choices decide whether an archive can be reprinted in ten years. Here is how dpi relates to original size, why slides need far more than prints, and where the practical ceiling sits.
comparison
The three common capture methods differ in speed, quality, and risk to originals. Compare them by throughput, handling of fragile prints, cost per station, and what each one cannot do.
regulation and compliance
You take custody of irreplaceable property. Here is what a service agreement should cover on bailment, limits of liability, chain of custody, insurance, and what happens if a box is damaged.
mistakes to avoid
Copyright in a professional portrait usually stays with the photographer or studio, not the family who owns the print. Here is how that shapes what you scan, what you deliver, and what you refuse.
checklist
Metadata is the deliverable that outlives your software. A working checklist for filename structure, embedded IPTC and EXIF fields, date handling, and person tagging that survives an export.
case study
A composite look at three stalled family archive projects, what actually caused each delay, and the working changes that unstuck them without discounting the fee.
field report
Notes from collections that came out of garages, attics and basements: the specific failure modes of color prints, slide film, magnetic tape and adhesive albums, and what is still recoverable.
trends and outlook
Bulk scanning competes with cheap mail in services and phone cameras. A look at where the durable margin sits, and how studios are shifting toward decisions, metadata and delivery.
File names, embedded dates and person tags are the part of your work that outlives every piece of software in your studio. The guide sets out a structure you can apply to the next shoebox project without rebuilding anything you have already delivered.
How should I name files and tag people so a family can still search the archive in twenty years?
Then work outward: the eight other pieces in The Archive Table each take one part of it further, and every one links back here.
