How to restore a folded photo

What the restoration does with the fold

Scan the whole photo on the scanner glass, with the fold in view, and upload the copy. The restoration is set up to repair physical damage to the paper, and creases are on that list, always from the content around them.

Where the fold crosses a face or a small detail, that stretch is rebuilt by interpretation. When a detail isn't clear, the restoration is set up to keep something similar in the same place, without inventing. In the preview, check the result before you pay.

And the paper? What the National Archives recommends

1. Don't improvise the repair

   The National Archives advises seeing a conservator when the problem can't be solved with proper storage and handling.

2. Avoid what damages paper

   The guide lists these materials to avoid: white glue and other unknown glues, adhesive tape that has already degraded, paper clips and staples that are not stainless steel, unknown plastics and PVC.

3. Scan on the scanner glass

   The scanning page says a sheet-fed scanner is not suitable for fragile, weak, folded or valuable paper, and that the photo should fit entirely on the scanner surface.