01 / About these terms
These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern your use of services provided by Film Preservation Lab (“FPL,” “we,” “us”). By placing an order, sending an inquiry, or shipping media to us, you agree to these Terms. If you don’t agree, don’t place an order.
These Terms are written to be readable rather than maximally protective. We’re a small lab that wants long-term relationships with our customers; the goal is mutual clarity, not rule-by-fine-print.
This is a working draft. Final Terms will be reviewed by counsel before launch. Material changes will be communicated to existing customers.
02 / Orders & payment
Quote and confirmation
You receive an estimated total before payment. The estimate covers per-foot or per-unit scanning, handling and prep, inbound shipping estimate, and return shipping estimate. Output media (USB, hard drive) is shown as a separate line item if selected.
The estimate becomes a final total when your collection is measured at intake. If actual footage or item count differs materially from the estimate, we contact you before scanning to confirm the adjustment. You can decline, in which case we return unscanned media against inbound shipping at cost.
Payment
Consumer orders are paid via Stripe at order confirmation, before media ships. Institutional buyers can request Net-30 invoicing against a purchase order. We accept all major credit cards, ACH (for larger orders), and PayPal.
Order minimums
Each service line has a minimum: film $150, tape $85, photo $85. Below the minimum, we offer a tier upgrade first; if declined, we top up to the minimum with an honest line item rather than a silent charge.
03 / Shipping & risk of loss
Inbound shipping uses our FedEx or UPS commercial account, billed at-cost (typically 20 — 30% below retail rates). Return shipping is similarly at-cost with insurance bundled at the greater of declared order value or $2,500.
Risk of loss transfers from you to us when the carrier scans your package as “received” at our facility. Risk transfers from us back to you when the carrier scans the return shipment as “received” at the carrier facility for outbound transit.
For higher declared value (estates, large collections, irreplaceable original footage), additional coverage is available at roughly $1 per $100 — request at order or by email before shipment.
See our Shipping Policy for packing guidance, carrier handling, claims process, and international shipping.
04 / Our workflow
Every order moves through a defined workflow: intake and inspection, condition report, your approval of any surcharges or scope changes, preparation, scanning, color and QC, encoding, delivery, and return shipment. The full workflow is documented at Inside the lab.
You approve before we scan. If our intake inspection reveals condition issues that warrant a surcharge, scope change, or refusal to proceed, we contact you with a written description and options. No work proceeds beyond inspection without your explicit approval.
05 / Damaged film
Standard damage — vinegar syndrome stages 1 — 2, shrinkage up to ~1.5%, brittle splices, edge damage — is handled at no surcharge. Sprocketless transport is designed for it.
Reels requiring extensive additional care (vinegar stages 3 — 4, hand-repair of many splices, severe brittleness, mold remediation) are quoted individually after inspection. We provide a per-reel surcharge breakdown before scanning. You can decline any specific intervention and we’ll scan the reel as-is or return it untouched.
If we determine that film cannot be scanned safely under any conditions, we return it untouched with a written condition report. You pay only inbound shipping in that case.
Per-intervention restoration pricing is detailed on the film restoration page.
06 / Turnaround & rush
Standard turnaround from arrival at our lab to digital delivery: 3 — 5 weeks for consumer film orders, 4 — 6 weeks for 35mm and institutional projects, 3 — 4 weeks for tape orders. Photo orders typically run 3 — 5 weeks. Larger projects scale longer.
Rush service is available in two tiers, applied to the scanning total: +35% for 10-business-day turnaround or +60% for 5-business-day turnaround from intake to delivery. Both are subject to scanner availability. We confirm rush availability at order submission, not at quote. If a specific deadline can’t be met, we tell you before you pay.
We don’t guarantee specific turnaround times in cases of force majeure (carrier disruption, equipment failure, supply-chain issues). We communicate delays proactively and work with you on options if a critical deadline is at risk.
07 / Delivery & file retention
Default delivery is via the FPL Vault — secure streaming and download access for one year, free with every order at all tiers. After year one, Vault subscriptions continue at the published renewal rate or you can take everything to local storage and cancel at no penalty.
USB and hard drive delivery are available as add-ons (priced on the pricing page). For institutional and large professional orders, we also support secure file transfer to your servers and LTO-8 tape archival storage.
File retention beyond year one depends on your tier and any LTO add-ons selected. Without an active Vault subscription or LTO contract, files may be removed from our systems after the retention period. Take a copy at delivery to be safe.
08 / Liability
We handle every order with the care detailed on this site — frame-by-frame inspection, sprocketless transport, archival cleaning, professional QC. Despite that, accidents are possible with physical media that’s often decades old. See our Liability Policy for the full framework on how we approach physical and digital risk.
Limit of liability. FPL’s aggregate liability for any single order is limited to the greater of (a) the total fees you paid for that order or (b) the declared value of the shipment under your shipping insurance. We cannot insure historical, sentimental, or commercial value above the declared shipping insurance.
What we don’t cover. We aren’t liable for pre-existing deterioration we couldn’t reasonably identify at intake, indirect or consequential damages, lost profits, or third-party claims. We’re also not responsible for content that violates copyright or other third-party rights.
For institutional projects, customized liability and indemnification language is available — contact us during procurement.
09 / Cancellation & refunds
Before we receive your media: full refund, no questions. Email us.
After receipt, before scanning begins: full refund minus a $40 intake fee covering inspection and return shipping.
During scanning: scanning charges committed; add-ons (USB, rush, etc.) cancellable. Tier downgrades and upgrades possible if scanning isn’t complete.
After delivery: refunds aren’t available for completed work, but we address quality issues directly. If files don’t meet the documented tier specification, we re-do or refund the affected portion.
10 / Intellectual property
You retain all ownership of the content of your media. We don’t claim any rights in your footage, photos, or recordings. The digital files we produce are yours.
We may, with your written permission, use anonymized frame samples or before/after comparisons in marketing materials. We never share, publish, or use your content for any purpose without that explicit permission.
The FPL website, brand, methodology documentation, and software are our intellectual property and may not be copied or redistributed without permission.
Copyrighted content. By placing an order, you confirm you have the right to digitize the content you’re sending. We don’t scan known commercial copyrighted material (broadcast TV recordings, theatrical prints) on principle and may refuse such orders.
11 / Institutional terms
Institutional customers (archives, libraries, museums, universities, government agencies) operate under additional terms covering: Net-30 payment, purchase orders, structured invoicing, FADGI compliance documentation, chain-of-custody, NDA execution, project-specific liability and indemnification, and SAM.gov registration for federal grant projects.
For RFP responses and structured procurement, see the institutional services page or contact us directly.
12 / Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms over time. Material changes will be communicated to existing customers via the email on file. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.
Orders placed under a previous version of the Terms continue under that version until completed. New orders fall under whichever version is current at order submission.
13 / Contact
Questions about these Terms or about a specific order: hello@filmpreservationlab.com. Replies within one business day.