A calendar made from old family photos is a great gift for parents, grandparents, and similarly sentimental family members. And by old photos, we mean printed from film and trapped in an album, envelope, or shoebox. It's very easy to upload newer, digital images to an online service to make all sort of personalized gifts. But to do the same with truly old-fashioned photos, you'll need to scan them.
Epson Perfection V550 scanner
Flatbed photo scanners (as opposed to sheetfed document scanners) are incredibly sophisticated these days. Not only do they digitize photos, but they come with software that can often assist with editing tasks such as sharpening, lighting, and cropping. What's more, a moderately priced scanner like the Epson Perfection V550 ($149), which we used for this how-to, can also scan transparencies such as negatives or slides with included special attachments. For scanning prints, a general-purpose scanner, such as one you might find on a multifunction printer, will suffice.
A good rule of thumb as you embark upon this project is to stay calm. Memories are powerful, and even families that don't consider themselves photo nuts likely have tons of old prints lying around. Focus on a select few albums and boxes, and limit the number of pictures to between 30 to 50 photos for your calendar. From that group, pick the best of the lot: The brightest, clearest, sharpest, most colorful, and best-composed shots will make the most successful journey from paper to electronic file and back.
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