Packing Tips for Digitizing Photos with Photokive

Need help preparing your Photokive box for digitization? We've provided these packing tips to help you grasp the essentials and have a great experience.

You've made the decision to finally do something about the family photo albums sitting in the closet. You have your Photokive box and you're ready to move forward — that's worth celebrating! Now let's make sure you get everything you're hoping for out of the experience.

Photokive built their service around one simple idea: make digitizing photos as hands-off as possible for the customer. Because we're album-focused, you never have to disassemble your photo albums or remove prints before sending. Your albums ship as-is. Our team handles the careful work from there.

What you'll find in this guide is the next layer. Here you'll find practical packing tips shaped by real Photokive customer feedback and the recommendations of our photography experts. Together, they've helped us identify the small steps that enhance the quality and organization of your digital photo album. Consider this your friendly best-practice guide.

A Few Things To Know Before You Pack

Keep your photo albums intact

No need to disassemble your album of photographs. Photokive makes it simpleto send your family photo albums as-is.

If your photos are already in a family photo album, leave them there. This is especially important for magnetic or "sticky page" albums. Removing photos from these albums can leave adhesive residue on the backs of prints which leads to photo sticking. Another issue it can cause is leaving said residue on the next image.

In most cases, trying to remove them does more harm than good. Our recommendation is that if your photos are already inside an album - keep them there. Send your album of photographs as-is.

Avoid glass in your order

Important: Do not pack glass frames into the box. When possible, safely remove the photo from the frame first and send the loose print instead. Our digitizer team will work with it from there.

If you notice a framed photo is stuck to the glass, don't force it — contact your Photokive Concierge first. They will walk you through the steps to capture and include this image in your photo set.

Packing Tips for the Best Results

It's not necessary to label your family photo album and prints, but it definitely makes the process more efficient

Sort and separate by photo size and type. Mixing print sizes can slow the digitizing photos process and affect consistency in your final archive. If you have a few minutes, roughly group your photos by size — standard 4x6 prints together, larger prints, wallet photos. This helps the photo digitizing service team work more efficiently and reduces inconsistencies in your digital images.

Use containers or zip-lock bags for loose prints. Loose photos floating freely in a box can shift, crease, or get mixed up during shipping. A simple zip-lock bag, a small envelope, or any secure container keeps them together and protected. Label the the bag or container to identify how you'd that set organized in your digital photo album.

Label your albums. Photokive includes labels in every box for exactly this reason. Labeling each album when sending multiple helps your digital archive stay organized in a meaningful way — not just sequentially. Whether it's by year, event, person or inside joke, write it on the label and attach it to the album before packing.

Extra-large items are welcome. YES - you can include poster-sized photos, oversized prints, or panoramic prints in your digitizing photos order. Just pack them flat and protected (avoid rolling), and note them when you submit your order so our team is prepared.

What NOT to Include

Non-photo items. Please do not send birth certificates, documents, medals, awards, newspaper clippings, or other non-photo items. If you submit a non-photo item, a Photokive rep will reach out to make you aware and there may be a possible charge. If you're unsure whether something qualifies, reach out before you pack.

Loose glass. As noted above: if a framed photo contains glass, remove the photo rather than packing the glass directly. Packing glass in a shipping box is a safety risk to our team, and damage risk for other items in the box.

A Quick Packing Checklist

Before you seal the box, run through these packing tips one more time:

Albums packed intact, labels attached
Loose prints grouped by size in bags or small containers
Extra-large prints packed flat and protected
Glass removed (or glass-photo guide referenced for stuck images)
No non-photo items included
Grouping notes written clearly on containers or bags
Secure your items with bubble wrap, foam sheets or air pillows. (Avoid packing peanuts!)

That's it. Seal the box, attach the prepaid return label, and hand it off. The Photokive digitizing team will take it rom there.

Photokive is a different kind of photo digitizing service because it takes an album-first approach to creating digital images.

Ready to Start Digitizing Photos?
Let's Get Packing.

You've got the tips. You've got the checklist. Now all that remains is getting that box packed and shipped.

Gather the family photo albums from the shelf, pull out the shoeboxes, and round up the loose prints. Know that every image you send is heading somewhere safe. From a single family album to decades of loose prints, every image gets the same careful, white-glove treatment. And what comes back to you is a digital photo album worth sharing for generations.

If your Photokive box is already on its way, you're in great hands.

Haven't ordered yet? Click the link below, and take the first step toward preserving your family's legacy.