Have boxes of old photographs sitting in the loft, under the stairs or tucked away in cupboards? You're certainly not alone. Thousands of families across the UK have treasured printed photographs that haven't been looked at for years, and unfortunately those photographs fade over time, become damaged through handling, or are even lost altogether through floods, fires or accidental damage.
Digitising your photographs is one of the best ways to preserve your memories forever. The question many people ask is simple: should you pay someone to scan them, buy a scanner outright, or simply hire a professional photo scanner? For most people, photo scanner hire offers the perfect balance of affordability, speed and quality. In this guide we'll explain everything you need to know before hiring a photo scanner in the UK, including why the Epson FastFoto FF-680W has become the scanner of choice for thousands of families.
Why More People Are Choosing Photo Scanner Hire
Buying a professional photo scanner can cost several hundred pounds, which is difficult to justify for many households when they'll only use it once. Hiring lets you enjoy exactly the same professional equipment without the large upfront cost — instead of paying hundreds of pounds for a scanner that then spends years in a cupboard, you simply rent it for the period you need.
It's an ideal option if you have family albums or inherited boxes of photographs to digitise, want to preserve wedding or holiday photographs, or simply want to create digital backups before your prints deteriorate any further.
Why Choose the Epson FastFoto FF-680W?
Unlike traditional flatbed scanners, the Epson FastFoto FF-680W has been specifically designed for scanning photographs quickly. Rather than placing photographs onto glass one at a time, you simply load a stack into the automatic feeder and the scanner feeds each one through automatically, scanning hundreds — even thousands — of photographs in a fraction of the time.
Its key features include:
- Automatic feeder that scans both sides of a photograph in a single pass
- High-resolution image quality with wireless and USB connectivity
- Automatic colour restoration and red-eye removal where possible
- Archive-quality and sharing-quality copies created at the same time
Speed is where the FastFoto really stands out. A traditional flatbed scanner often takes 30–60 seconds per photograph, which sounds manageable until you realise that 5,000 photos at one minute each adds up to more than 80 hours of work. The FastFoto scans a photo in around one second, turning weeks of scanning into just a few evenings. As a rough guide:
| Number of Photos | Approximate Time |
| 500 | Around 15–20 minutes |
| 1,000 | Around 30–40 minutes |
| 3,000 | Around 2 hours |
| 5,000 | Around 3–4 hours |
| 10,000 | Around a weekend |
In practice, sorting your photographs beforehand usually takes longer than the scanning itself. A dedicated feed scanner like this is far quicker than a flatbed, where you have to lift the lid, position a single photo, close it, scan, wait and repeat thousands of times. It also handles far more than standard prints — wedding and holiday photos, school pictures, Polaroid-style prints, postcards, newspaper cuttings, documents and even children's artwork — making it ideal for building a complete digital family archive. Setup is straightforward too: connect the scanner, install the free Epson software, load your photographs and press scan. No technical knowledge is required, and we include a simple quick-start guide to help you get going.
Hiring Versus a Postal Scanning Service
Many people search online for professional photo scanning companies. While these services can be convenient, they involve posting irreplaceable family photographs away, and understandably not everyone is comfortable doing that. Hiring your own scanner means your photographs never leave your home, you stay in complete control of the image quality, you can organise your folders exactly how you like, and you can rescan any photograph instantly. For many families, that peace of mind is invaluable.
Why Rent Instead of Buy?
Unless you plan to scan photographs professionally, hiring is usually the more practical choice. The comparison below makes the difference clear:
| Buy | Hire |
| Costs several hundred pounds | Much lower cost |
| Used once | Only pay for the time you need |
| Needs storage | Return it when finished |
| Can become outdated | Always use current equipment |
| Large upfront investment | Affordable rental |
How Our Rental Process Works
Hiring from DIYPhotoScan has been designed to be as simple as possible. You start by booking online and choosing the rental period that suits you. We then deliver your scanner across the UK, ready to use straight out of the box, so you can digitise your memories at your own pace. When you've finished, you simply pack the scanner back into its original box and return it using the prepaid DPD return service or optional home collection.
Who Uses Our Service
Our customers range from families preserving their memories to genealogists, local historians, schools, churches, museums, photographers, collectors and businesses archiving historical images. Whether you're scanning 300 photographs or 30,000, renting makes the whole job significantly easier.
You'll get the best results by preparing a little before you begin — sorting your photographs into date order, removing any staples or paper clips, setting damaged prints aside, wiping away loose dust, and creating clearly named folders before you start scanning. A short amount of preparation can dramatically speed up the entire process.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I hire a scanner for?
Most customers choose a 7-day rental, which provides plenty of time for sorting, scanning and organising thousands of photographs.
Can I scan both sides of a photograph?
Yes. The Epson FastFoto automatically captures both sides in one pass, preserving handwritten notes and dates on the reverse.
Is the scanner suitable for beginners?
Absolutely. It's designed to be easy to use, even if you've never scanned photographs before.
Do I need special software?
The required Epson software is free and easy to install, and we provide guidance to help you get started.
Can I hire a scanner anywhere in the UK?
Yes. DIYPhotoScan offers nationwide delivery across mainland UK.
Why Choose DIYPhotoScan?
At DIYPhotoScan we specialise exclusively in Epson FastFoto photo scanner rental. Unlike general equipment hire companies, our focus is entirely on helping people preserve their memories. Our customers rent genuine Epson FastFoto FF-680W scanners with nationwide UK delivery, flexible rental periods, straightforward online booking, easy returns, clear instructions and helpful support — all at an affordable price. Our aim is simple: to make scanning old photographs as quick, easy and stress-free as possible.
Start Preserving Your Memories Today
Every photograph tells a story. Whether it's a family wedding, a childhood holiday, grandparents you've lost, or your children's early years, those moments deserve to be preserved. Hiring a professional photo scanner gives you the speed, quality and convenience needed to protect those memories for future generations, transforming hidden boxes of prints into organised digital collections that can be shared with family and safely backed up. If you're ready to start, DIYPhotoScan makes it easy to hire an Epson FastFoto scanner anywhere in the UK and begin scanning within days.