FAQs

Once you've ordered, pack your rolls and post them to us. Include your order number and name in the package — we're good, but we're not psychic. We recommend Royal Mail Tracked, to: Chemical Dependency Lab, PO Box 13648, Manningtree, Essex, CO11 9BL.

First we check your order against what you sent. Then your film is loaded onto development reels in the dark (we've eaten a lot of carrots) and into a light-sealed tank. We rotary process all film: your tank sits in a temperature-controlled bath and is rotationally agitated while the chemistry works. Once developed, your film is dried and taken to the scanning rig, where we carefully photograph, convert and lightly edit every frame to get the best from your negatives. Scans land in your Loupe gallery, and your negatives come back in the post. Always. A negative is for life, not just for Christmas.

We aim to get your scans back within 3 working days of receiving your film. That's an aim, not a promise: sometimes it's same day, sometimes it may take around 7.

We don't rush; we take our time ensuring the highest quality. If you have a tight deadline, add it to your order notes and we'll try our hardest to get your scans back in time.

Yes — our negative scanning service starts at £4 a roll for developed 35mm, half-frame and 120 film, including slides.

Your scans are delivered to your own gallery in Loupe at loupe.chemicaldependency.co.uk. Log in and every order you've sent us is there, newest first. Pick the frames you want and the format you want them in, from a compressed social JPEG through to a full-size 16-bit TIFF.

We camera-scan every roll on a 61-megapixel setup. 35mm JPEGs are around 8600x5700 pixels (7–10MB each); 35mm 16-bit TIFFs are around 270MB per frame. 120 6x6 JPEGs are around 6240x6240 (6–9MB); TIFFs around 195MB. Download JPEG and TIFF for a 36-exposure roll and expect roughly 9GB.

Scans stay in Loupe for a year from delivery and you can download them as many times as you like. After that they're permanently deleted, so make sure you've backed them up before the clock runs out.

Always. All negatives are returned in the post, sleeved and safe, whether or not you order prints. The postage fee when ordering covers the return.

Absolutely. Order 35mm C-41 developing and post us the whole camera.

No — we currently process C-41 colour and black & white only. (Ilford XP2 counts as C-41.) Never say never, but it's not something we offer today. Our friends at Not Quite North in Lincoln run a mail-in E-6 service, and we're happy to scan and print your E-6 once it's developed.

Both. Expired film comes through the lab all the time — expect extra grain and character depending on storage. Souped film is welcome too; just tell us in the order notes, because it needs processing separately. We don't mind you getting funky with your fix.

Enthusiastically. All 72 frames developed and scanned individually — no contact-sheet fudge.

Nope. 35mm (including half frame) and 120 medium format only. We don't develop disc film either, but if you have some, get in touch…

Yes. Prints are ordered from inside your Loupe gallery, from the scans we've already made, so there's nothing to upload and nothing to re-export. Tick the frames, choose a size and finish for each one, decide how the frame sits on the paper, and check out. Prints are available in every gallery, including old ones.

Two sizes, 4x6 inch and 6x8 inch. Four finishes: gloss, lustre, matte and fine matte. An optional 5mm white border is available on any print at either size. Size, finish and border are set per frame rather than per order, so one roll can come back as a mix. Full detail on sizes and finishes here.

Dye sublimation, printed in-house. Heat turns solid dye directly into a gas which diffuses into the paper's receiving layer, producing genuine continuous tone with no dot structure. A clear overcoat is fused on at the final pass, which sets the finish and seals the surface against fingerprints, water and UV. No chemistry to age means the print you order in March matches the one you order in November.

Yes, as long as the gallery is still within its year. Every Loupe gallery can order prints, including ones created before we launched the print service.

You choose what happens. Print the full image and it sits complete on the sheet with white space on two edges, nothing cropped. Or fill the sheet edge to edge, in which case you control the zoom and drag the frame to position the crop yourself. A 35mm frame and a 4x6 inch print are both 3:2, so that combination needs no decision at all.

Yes, you can check out as a guest with no obligation to create an account. An account is handy if you'd like your order history and saved details for next time — it takes a minute.

It's sent automatically to your email address when you place an order. If it hasn't arrived within 24 hours, check your spam or junk folder first, then get in touch at hello@chemicaldependency.co.uk in case there's a problem with your order.

Yes. You'll get updates from the moment you place it through to despatch and delivery, and your delivery confirmation email includes a tracking reference you can check online.

Shipping is calculated at checkout based on what you order. UK orders over £50 get free tracked shipping.

At the moment, UK postal addresses only. If you'd like us to ship to wherever you are, get in contact and we'll do our best!

There's only a short window between placing your order and us starting on it. Email hello@chemicaldependency.co.uk straight away and we may be able to change or cancel it before it's processed. Once it's processed we can't modify it, but you can return eligible items after they arrive, or place a second order for anything extra.

We typically only cancel orders if there's a stock problem or you've asked us to. If we've had to cancel, our apologies — we'll always offer an alternative where we can and refund you in full, quickly.

All major credit and debit cards, via Shop Pay and PayPal. Either way you'll be taken to a secure payment flow and returned to us once your transaction is complete.

We aim to process refunds within 10 days of an item being returned to us, and we'll email you when it's done. Your bank may then take several days to land it back in your account, so please allow up to ten working days after posting the item before chasing. Full terms in our refund policy.

Please see our returns policy for what's eligible and how it works.

In the rare event something arrives damaged or faulty, take photos of the item and email them to hello@chemicaldependency.co.uk with your order number. We'll get it sorted.