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Web and mobile both support scanning with a back-capture step. Start with a single print.
Scan a Print FreeNostalgia Family Archive
Back-of-photo notesThe genealogy is on the back of the print.
Every family archivist knows the feeling: a photo with no name, no date, no context. But most inherited prints have the answer written in pencil on the back. Nostalgia captures the back of every scan and lifts the names, dates, and photographer stamps out of it — so the identification doesn't disappear with the person who wrote it.
Scans front + backNames and dates surfacedBuilt for inherited collections
Back captures don't count against your restore quota. Free tier covers 10 restores a month.
Why the back matters
The person who wrote the note is usually gone.
Most inherited collections were sorted once, by one person, often decades ago. That person wrote a name or a date in pencil on the back of each print because they knew they'd forget otherwise. When the collection is passed down, the writing on the back is often the only surviving index of who is in the picture.
- Names written in pencil by a parent or grandparent, often the only surviving identification.
- Dates, locations, and occasion notes — birthdays, weddings, reunions — that give a photo its story.
- Photographer stamps and lab codes that anchor when and where a print was made.
- Index numbers from old albums that tell you which photo belongs next to which.
What Nostalgia does today
The back is already a first-class part of your archive.
- Scan front and back in one pass. When you capture a print with the scanner, Nostalgia prompts you to flip it over and capture the reverse. The back image is stored alongside the front and linked automatically.
- Back-of-photo notes panel. In each photo's detail view, the Back-of-photo notes section surfaces what the scan captured from the reverse — summary, transcribed text when available, and structured chips for names, dates, photographers, and keywords.
- Searchable across your library. Names and dates lifted from the back feed into library search. Finding “Grandpa’s 50th, 1962” means searching the note, not guessing the photo.
- Kept with the archival master. The back image stays attached to the front as provenance. When you share or export, the source capture and any notes travel with the print.
What we're validating next
Sharper transcription, faster correction.
- Higher-accuracy handwriting transcription with confidence scores so you know what to trust.
- One-tap “lift into caption” so the transcribed note becomes the photo caption without retyping.
- Name resolution — wiring extracted names into your Person records so a note about “Aunt Mae” attaches to the right person.
- Review queue for any back-capture the AI was unsure about, so you can correct with two taps instead of re-scanning.
This page is part of a current validation sprint. If you're sitting on a shoebox of inherited prints and handwriting transcription is the thing that would unblock you, tell us directly — your feedback shapes what ships next.
Scanning workflow
Four habits that make the back-of-photo capture worth it.
The scanner already prompts for the back on every capture. These tips make sure what you capture is actually readable a year from now.
Capture the back the moment you flip the print
Don’t save backs for later. Flip, scan, next photo. The scanner prompts for it automatically, and the back is linked to the front immediately.
Good light beats good handwriting
Pencil writing from the 1950s can fade to near-invisibility. Angle a desk lamp across the back at 45 degrees and the graphite will catch the light. It doesn’t need to be perfect — the AI handles a lot.
Include the margins
Photographer stamps, lab codes, and index numbers are usually at the corner or edge. If the back is empty except for one corner, scan the full card anyway — the edge detail matters.
Review the captured note and fix what matters
The Back-of-photo notes panel is editable downstream of the photo’s caption. You don’t need to correct every OCR error — only the names and dates you care about.
Common questions
What family archivists ask first.
Do I need a flatbed scanner for this?
No. Google PhotoScan or the built-in scanner in the Nostalgia mobile app both work. A flatbed at 600 DPI gives the best result for very faint pencil writing, but a phone with decent lighting will catch the majority of it.
What if the writing is faded or partially rubbed off?
The scanner still captures what is there. The AI surfaces a confidence score alongside any transcription so you can see when a word was a best-guess. You can edit or discard any transcription that isn’t right.
Do back images count against my photo restore quota?
No. Back captures are stored as provenance and do not consume a photo restore credit. You only spend a credit when you actually restore a photo.
Can the AI read cursive or very old handwriting?
Cursive is generally harder than block printing, and faint mid-century pencil is harder than ballpoint ink. The transcription is best-effort. Treat it as a starting point for your caption — faster than typing, slower than a human who actually knew the person.
Start with one print
Flip one photo. Capture one back. See what the AI pulled out.
If you want the broader family-archive picture first
The dedicated page for family archivists walks through the full archive workflow.
For Family Archivists