Questions & Answers

What--or who--is River City Image Works?

Exactly how does the process work?

I usually prefer to pay for my purchases by credit card. Is there an alternative to paying by check?

What happens if I am unhappy with the materials returned to me? Do I get my money back?

What graphic format is utilized by River City Image Works for image storage on CD-ROM or DVD?

What are the limits of River City Image Works' liability?

What--or who--is River City Image Works?

River City Image Works is the creation of Ken Bernstein, a semi-retired businessman who is a long-time amateur photographer (over 35 years, including darkroom work) and a computer user since 1962. Ken does most of the professional/artistic work advertised herein personally, as much a labor of love as a vocation. He started this business following suggestions from friends and relatives delighted with work he has done for them. Ken's standards for all work performed are very simple: "just do it exactly the same way as the work I have done for my family and friends".

Exactly how does the process work?

First, figure out what you want done and how much it will cost. To help you determine the cost, you can either look over our Price list or send e-mail to sales@rivercityimageworks.com. If you send e-mail, our Sales Department will compute your cost and e-mail a quotation to you. To help us calculate an accurate quotation, please click here to see the list of items we'd like to have you include in your e-mail. (We will also include a "pay by PayPal" link so you can send payment by that method if you wish.) While we prefer payment by PayPal, you can send a certified check, money order, or personal check (although waiting for your personal check to clear may delay your order).

You then pack your precious photos, documents, negatives or slides in a zip-lock bag or envelope, and place the bag, along with sheets of heavy cardboard, in a strong envelope or box for shipment to us. (We recommend using a carrier and service such as FedEx "ground" or "2nd Day Air" or US Postal Service "Priority" mail. We don't rountinely recommend insuring the package, since your photographs probably cannot be easily replaced.) Please be sure to enclose instructions about what needs to be done (which can be a printout of the e-mail quotation we send to you), along with your remittance. Incidentally, do not worry about over-paying for our services; if you remit more than is called for, we immediately issue a PayPal credit or a refund check for the difference!

When we receive your package, we inspect the contents to see that all is in order and to verify that we understand the scope of the work to be done. We then make high-resolution computer scans of your originals; all enhancements and manipulations are performed on the digital files we create. Your original photos and film are returned to you unchanged, unharmed, and unmodified, along with the new goods we produce.

When the job nears completion, we notify you by e-mail how you can view the images over the Internet for approval or comment. We then produce finished goods and ship to you, usually within a week from receipt of your materials.

River City Image Works believes in good communication with our clients. We contact you by e-mail three times during each job: (1) upon receipt, confirming scope of the work and verifying correct payment, (2) notifying you of availability of images for your inspection/comments, and (3) upon shipment, via USPS "Priority Mail", or by FedEx or UPS "ground" or "2nd day" service.

I usually prefer to pay for my purchases by credit card. Is there an alternative to paying by check?

Yes--you can e-mail money to us through PayPal.  PayPal is a free service that allows buyers to send and receive money online. Here is how you can use PayPal to order services from River City Image Works: You send your photographs or documents to us, along with the quotation e-mail we sent to you. Once your materials are received and verified, we send you e-mail containing a link to PayPal; you click on that link to authorize payment to us.

If you are not currently a user of PalPal services, you can learn more by clicking on the icon below:

What happens if I am unhappy with the materials returned to me? Do I get my money back?

Absolutely! That is the River City Image Works guarantee: the customer is satisfied, or the money is returned. And it is likely that you will be satisfied, since you'll be given the opportunity to comment on your processed images over the Internet before they are shipped back to you! But if not, we'll either credit your PayPal account or send you a refund check.

What graphic format is utilized by River City Image Works for image storage on CD-ROM or DVD?

Unless you specify otherwise, we prefer to return two copies of each image to you on CD-ROM or DVD: (1) a large, high-resolution "Portable Network Graphics" file (also called "PNG", pronounced ping) or "Tagged Image Format" (also called "TIF") for use by professional imaging systems now as well as in the future, and (2) a compressed, low-resolution "JPG" file (also called "JPEG", for "Joint Photographic Experts Group") for viewing and printing by most popular PC and Mac computer programs and for efficient transfer over the Internet.

What are the limits of River City Image Works' liability?

We take extreme care in handling your precious photographs and family documents. While we take every possible precaution to safeguard these materials, the fact that you send your materials to us constitutes an agreement by you signifying that we are not responsible for any losses or damages by us, even if due to our negligence. River City Image Works is not responsible for loss or damages caused by the carrier used to send your materials to us or by the carrier employed to return your goods. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. River City Image Works is not responsible for errors or misprints presented on this web site.