Preservation Built Around Your Organization.
Commercial Archiving
Important collections deserve more than a one-size-fits-all digitizing service. We work with businesses, schools, municipalities, public-safety departments and other organizations to preserve photographs, film, video and archival materials.
Every project is handled locally through our Vernon Hills facility and can be organized around the needs of your archive.
Custom Workflows
Built Around Your Archive
Intake, digitization, file naming, organization and delivery can be structured around the needs of your collection.
Local Handling
Materials Stay Close
Your archival materials are processed through our Vernon Hills facility rather than being shipped to a distant bulk-processing center.
Organized Delivery
More Than Digitization
Files can be named, categorized and organized to make your finished archive practical to access and use.
One Archive. Many Media Types.
What We Can Help Preserve
Commercial and institutional archives often span generations of media. We can build one coordinated preservation project around a mixed collection.
Photographs
Prints & albums
Slides
Mounted transparencies
Negatives
Multiple film formats
Movie Film
8mm, Super 8 & 16mm
Video
Legacy tape formats
Audio
Cassettes & reel audio
Have a mixed-media archive?
That's common. We can combine photographs, slides, negatives, movie film, video and audio into one coordinated preservation workflow.
Built Around Your Archive
How a Commercial Archiving Project Works
Every collection is different, so the workflow begins with understanding how your organization needs the finished archive to function.
Consultation & Intake
We review your materials, priorities, existing organization and intended use for the completed digital archive.
Digitization
Each media type is processed using the appropriate scanning, capture or transfer workflow.
Organization
Files can be named, categorized and tagged according to the structure developed for your project.
Delivery & Preservation
Your finished digital archive is organized for practical access, sharing and long-term preservation.
Your Collection Doesn't Have to Fit Our System.
We can build the workflow around your collection, naming conventions, departmental structure and intended use rather than forcing every organization into the same archival process.
Selected Project Experience
Organizations We've Completed Projects For
Our commercial archiving work has included projects for businesses, municipalities, public-safety organizations and schools.
United Scrap Metal
Cicero, Illinois
Highland Park Fire Department
Highland Park, Illinois
Waukegan Fire Department
Waukegan, Illinois
School of St. Mary
Lake Forest, Illinois
Ridgemoor Country Club
Chicago, Illinois
Mariposa Photo Organizing
Professional Photo Organizer
Organizations are listed solely as examples of past project experience. Listing does not imply endorsement of The Print Refinery.
Overwhelmed by Years of Files?
Does Your Corporate Archive Look Like This?
We have a solution. From boxes of historical records to mixed collections of photographs and media, we can help turn an overwhelming physical archive into an organized digital resource.
Collections of Every Kind
Organizations We Can Help
Historical collections exist everywhere. We can develop preservation workflows for many different types of organizations.
Businesses & Corporations
Company history, marketing archives, photographs, audiovisual collections and legacy business records.
Schools & Education
Historical photographs, yearbook materials, slides, institutional history and school-event archives.
Municipalities & Public Safety
Departmental photographs, community history, training media and historical documentation.
Religious & Nonprofit Organizations
Community history, events, photographs and other irreplaceable institutional collections.
Museums & Historical Groups
Collections requiring careful digitization and organized digital access for preservation or research.
Professional & Institutional Archives
Collections that require customized organization, naming conventions and structured digital delivery.
Large Collection?
Start With a Conversation
Commercial archives often need more planning than a typical consumer digitizing project. We can review the collection and help develop an appropriate workflow before work begins.
Consultation
We can discuss project goals, media types, organization and delivery requirements before building the project.
On-Site Review
On-site consultation may be available for organizations within approximately 25 miles of our Vernon Hills location.
Pickup & Delivery
Pickup and delivery options may be available for larger commercial archiving projects.
Digital Preservation
Building a Safer Digital Archive
Digitization makes important archival materials easier to access while reducing the need to repeatedly handle fragile originals.
Organized file structures and redundant backup strategies can help protect your digital archive and make future access significantly easier.
Commercial Archiving FAQ
Planning Your Project
A few common questions can help you understand what to expect before beginning a larger commercial archiving project.
Do you offer on-site consultations?
On-site consultations may be available for organizations located within approximately 25 miles of our Vernon Hills facility. Contact us to discuss the collection and determine whether an on-site review is appropriate.
Can you pick up a large archive?
Pickup and delivery may be available for larger commercial projects. Availability depends on the size, location and requirements of the collection.
Can you maintain our existing organization?
Yes. Existing folders, categories, chronological order and other organizational structures can be incorporated into the project workflow whenever practical.
Can you customize file names and metadata?
File naming, categorization and metadata requirements can be discussed during project planning and incorporated into a custom workflow when appropriate.
Can you create other products from the archive?
Depending on the project, digitized materials may also be used to create photo books, duplicate copies, presentations or other finished products.
Professional Archive Preservation
Your History Deserves More Than a Storage Box.
Important photographs, recordings and historical materials become more useful when they are preserved and organized for the people who need access to them.
We'll help build a commercial archiving workflow around your collection, your organization and the way you intend to use the finished archive.
For more information, please contact us.
Contact Us