Category: Documentation

Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 April 2015

Written by y(oYo)

NintAndBox's library development only depends on you!
You own a box, a cartridge sticker or a manual in a version (language combination or alternative edition) that is not yet on the website?
You wish to help us save the videogame legacy and contribute to grow our files library?
Then no more hesitation, scan your boxes and send your files in our Drop Files Zone right now, accessible through the above Contribute menu.

Box scan is the first particularly important step in NintAndBox's files lifecycle.
Better the scan is, better the retouch will be. A good scan basis will makes life easier to people that will retouch them, optimizing print rendering.
That's why you must follow some rules in order to sumit your contributions.

If your contributions don't respect any of these rules, they will not be accepted, meaning not published on the website:

1) Scan in 600 dpi resolution only

Scan your boxes, stickers or manuals in a 600 dpi ("Dot Per Inch").
If you scan under 300 dpi, you file will not be printable properly.
If you scan under 600 dpi, resulting image could possibly be "moiré".
If you scan above 600 dpi, resulting image's quality will not be better, but files's size will be bigger.

2) Save files in JPG without compression

JPG compression can make files's size lighter, but the counterpart is worse image quality.
So, choose no compression when saving your JPG files.

3) Avoid blurred images

Think to flatten the entire surface of the box on the scanner glass, otherwise some parts will be blurred, and therefore unusable.

4) Scan all the parts, do not crop shapes

Boxes must be entirely scanned, meaning all flaps and slices should be included.
To know which side the slices should be, have a look on website's boxes, for corresponding game console. If slices are on the right side, publishing task will be easier for administrators.
For stickers, regarding your scanner technology, you will have to scan in different parts (SNES stickers for instance). It is not an issue, we will reassemble the sticker when publishing.
For manuals, the cover and each pages must be included.

Do not crop your files using outline shapes available on this website. There are only used for retouch purpose. Our administrators will do so when publishing.

5) Do not scan if it's too damaged

Boxes that are sunfaded, torn, crumpled or having a big advertisement sticker on it will be useless.
We want boxes to be in the best condition as possible, to allow us the best retouch as possible.

6) Don't send custom files

Custom boxes, meaning composed by separate images found on the Internet, are not a priority for the website. They are accepted very exceptionally.
First of all we want original stuffs.
Although some customs are in a great quality, sometimes better than original boxes, they may bring trouble to the website, so I prefer avoiding them.

7) You must be the scan's author

I don't want trouble with anybody, it is a matter of respect regarding someone else's work or website.
If you get scans from another website, please don't send them on NintAndBox.

8) Check if you scan is not already on the website

Last but not least, consider a quick check on the website before scanning your stuffs, in order to ensure you we don't already have what you want to send.
You have few tools available: the global site search in the top left of the page, or the filters in each game console's list.