What Are My Scanning Goals?
Scanner Settings Will Be Different

Scan My Photos

Option #1 — Scan My Photos … No Editing Needed

Use the standard scanning recommendations below and save to JPEG format with no compression settings (best quality).

Option #2 — Scan My Photos … Plan on Editing

Use the standard scanning recommendations below but save those photos you want to edit to a TIFF format. Do the necessary editing on your images and then export your final image to a JPEG format with NO compression (best quality).

TIFF files do not compress out pixel data like a jpeg format can, but their image sizes in megabytes can be much bigger than a jpeg file. As an example, I scanned the same photo to a JPEG and then to a TIFF. The JPEG wa 32 mb and the TIFF was 95 mb.

Scan My Photo Albums

Option #1 — Scan Each Album Page to a PDF File

Most people just want to scan the album pages and then put all those digital pages into a combined PDF file without the need to extract photos at some point.

Unless the scrapbook is smaller than 4" X 6", you will set the DPI setting for your scans at 300 dpi. Save pages to a JPEG format at highest quality and without compression.

If you want to keep all the pages together in a PDF file then you will need a PDF editing program. (Note: If you are a Apple MacOS person, just select all your images, right click, open in Preview and then print to a PDF format.)

At our local FamilySearch Center here in Idaho Falls, Idaho, we have access to a basic Adobe Acrobat software app to put all the single files together into one single PDF file. In addition, a large PDF file can be “shrunk down” in size if needed.

Option #2 — Scan Each Album Page … Save a Few Photos in High Quality

Scan your album page at the normal 300 dpi setting. You page will be saved to the computer.

What if you wanted to extract a copy of an image on the album page? Unfortunately, the quality of that photo will be of poor resolution. You may want to think about what photos you want as better quality images while you are scanning those album pages.

On the scanner’s settings app, select 600 dpi for greater resolution, UNLESS your photos are less than 2-3” in width. With these size photos, set the scanner’s dpi setting to 1200 dpi.

With the HP Scanner app, you can preview the album page and then draw little marquees or boxes around each of the photos you want to extract and save as separate photos. When you click the scan button, each of the selected photos will be scanned at the higher DPI setting and saved to the target folder. After the scanner finishes scanning each of the photos, go back to the settings panel and change your dpi setting back to 300 dpi and resume scanning your album pages. Repeat the above process each time you want to extract your photos as separate photos to save.

What is the size of your photo to scan?
-------------------------------
8” X 10” - Use 300 dpi
5” X 7” - Use 300 dpi
4” X 6” - Use 600 dpi
2” X 3” - Use 1200 dpi

Missionary Communications Board

© 2026 Stephen A Meyers, All Rights Reserved.