Scrapbooks can be fun to look through and remember your last vacation. But, I’m not talking about those kinds of scrapbooks! Family history is something worth protecting, preserving and having around the family… and protecting and preserving even become urgent needs if you are caught in a natural disaster. FEMA says water damage is the #1 offender of property damage in the nation.
So, why make a copy? Welllllllll….
1. Family members may want copies and
2. The original may NOT be archival and you want to make one that will last and
3. Disaster planning for the next tornado, hurricane or flood means getting physical archival copies of all the most important items (vintage photos, legal papers, family history etc) and stashing a copy in a safe place (like two states away at your sister’s house!).
A couple of years ago my sister, bless her heart, made a huge, oversized scrapbook of part of my Dad’s life. My Dad is getting along in years. He had his 86th birthday this week. As soon as I saw it, the three reasons I mentioned above for making a duplicate copy flashed in my brain.
One problem though… the scrapbook is OVERSIZED and doesn’t fit on ANY scanners anywhere! So, how do I make a high resolution copy of the pages? I WAS NOT ABOUT TO TEAR APART THE BOOK, scan all the photos and then rebuild the scrapbook!
So, here are the steps (GREAT TIPS FOR YOU!) we took:
1. we began shooting a photograph of each page in high resolution digital photography,
2. adjusting blemishes and colors in Photoshop and then
3. printing out the scanned pages onto a high quality acid free paper
4. And use a LaserWriter to print out the pages.
Here’s my helper keeping things organized:
Once the new archival pages are printed on the LaserWriter…
5. You will notice in the photo that Michelle is about to put them into page protectors, another archival technique.
6. Now you can put the archival, protected pages in any 3 ring binder you want (recycle on old one to save money or buy a fancy one).
7. Make copies! Be sure to keep a copy at another remote location out of your geographic area (like with your sister in another state). This is back up in case your gets lost!
In the end, our copy will last longer and hold together better than the original… but it won’t be so gargantuan. I’ll be making a video on how to do this process but for now, this will prove that we know what we are teaching cause WE DO IT.
To learn more about what you can do at home to take care of your stuff, download now a copy of Scott’s book, How To Save Your Stuff From A Disaster at 50% off! CLICK HERE to know more: http://saveyourstuffblog.com/products-supplies/
Here’s a recent article on the author and art conservator Scott M. Haskins’, Click here: http://www.fineartconservationlab.com/media-room/art-restorerconservator-scott-m-haskins-featured-in-life-section-of-newspaper/
See short do-it-yourself videos on collection care and emergency preparedness for art collectors, family history items, heirlooms, memorabilia at Youtube Channel “preservationcoach” http://www.youtube.com/user/preservationcoach
About company:
Scott M. Haskins is your ONLY Expert who is a practicing art conservator and best selling author. He speaks nationally, put on workshops and coaches people just like you to save their stuff at home and the workplace. Save Your Stuff is your source for unique, fun videos and articles to help you http://saveyourstuffblog.com/