The quickest option is usually to outsource the job to a photo scanning service or a local photo lab, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of prints.

If you want to do it yourself, two faster approaches were suggested:

1. Photograph the prints instead of flatbed scanning them using a tripod, camera, and macro-capable lens. With even lighting (soft diffused daylight works for prints), this can be much faster than scanning one at a time.

2. Batch scan multiple prints at once on a flatbed, then use software to automatically split and crop the individual photos afterward. This avoids handling each print separately during capture.

Given the sticky residue, avoid automatic sheet-fed/photo-fed scanners, since they may jam or get contaminated.

So, the practical choices are:

• fastest overall: pay a scanning service
• fastest DIY capture: camera copy setup
• best use of a flatbed: scan several at once and auto-crop later

Any restoration in Photoshop or similar will still take time, so focus first on getting clean archival copies made before doing detailed retouching.