Blank Roll Policy

If you submit a roll of film to us for processing and it produces no images (“blank roll”), we will issue a store credit equal to what you paid for developing that roll. Your credit can be used towards future processing or any other purchase with us.

Why do I get a store credit and not a refund?

Our costs to develop a roll of film are the same whether your roll is blank or has images. A blank roll requires the same amount of labor and chemistry to process. We understand it is frustrating to be charged for something that does nothing for you, however. As a compromise, we issue a store credit to help offset the costs that were involved with developing the blank roll.

Why was my roll blank?

It’s impossible to know the exact reason why a roll of film is blank.

However, there are common causes:

1. Film was not loaded into your camera properly.
2. The film was severely over or under exposed. This could be caused by a mechanical issue with your camera, or incorrect settings. Check you camera’s shutter and light meter are functional and working properly.
3. Film was accidentally exposed (film door of camera was opened before the film was rewound in the canister completely).
4. An unused roll was submitted for processing. It’s possible you find a roll of film you think had been exposed, but it was actually never used.
5. Not using a flash indoors or in low light conditions. This is especially common with disposable, one-time use cameras, or manual cameras that do not alert you to when the use of a flash is recommended. You have to manually use or turn on the flash in these cases. It’s easy to shoot an entire roll of film indoors, or in lower light conditions, and forget to use the flash.