Sending Photos That Won't Get Scanned: Using Photo-Printing Vendors for Dixon
Want your loved one at Dixon to receive real photo prints, not scanned copies? The method you use to send them matters. IDOC makes a clear exception for photos mailed directly from a photo-printing vendor.
Original photographs mailed directly from a photo-printing vendor get delivered to the person in custody in their original form. The one catch: if the photos contain content considered unauthorized under IDOC incoming mail rules, they can still be rejected.
IDOC treats these vendor-mailed prints differently from regular mail. They're not scanned or photocopied. When prints come straight from the photo service company, they're supposed to arrive as physical photos rather than getting converted into a scanned image.
Note: For non-privileged incoming mail, IDOC only accepts written correspondence, greeting cards, drawings, and photos for scanning. That's the "scanned mail" lane. Vendor-mailed photo prints are handled separately.
To use this exception, the photo-printing vendor needs to mail the prints directly to your loved one at Dixon. That direct-from-vendor mailing is what keeps the photos from being scanned or photocopied. It's also what makes them eligible for delivery as originals, as long as the content isn't otherwise unauthorized.
Reminder: Use a legitimate photo-printing service that mails prints as the sender. The key detail: the package must be mailed directly from the printing vendor, not forwarded or re-mailed by you.
Even when you order prints through a photo-printing vendor, the facility can reject them if they qualify as "unauthorized mail" under IDOC policy. Only certain items are accepted for scanning (written correspondence, greeting cards, drawings, and photos), so anything outside those categories may run into mailroom issues depending on how it's sent.
Practical Tips Labeling
- ✓ Put the individual’s name and IDOC number together on the envelope so it is easy to match to the right person.
- ✓ Make sure the IDOC number is also on each photo or page so the mailroom can process the set quickly if pieces get separated.
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