Document Scanning – Benefits & Technology
Scanning basically involves copying hard copies of paper or film documents and transferring them into electronic files. A scanner will create an image file of a page so that you have an electronic backup of the hard copy, which you can print or email rather than having to photocopy and post. More than this, the electronic version of your document can be made searchable and transferred to editable formats such as MS Word so that you can amend them.
document scanning.net securely scan high volumes of many sizes and types of files and output these into different formats depending on your needs. All our work is ISO9001 accredited for quality control and we have over fifty year’s experience in handling documents from government files to architects drawings and medical records to invoices and receipts.
Click here to see our high speed IBML scanner in action or see how we prepare your documents.
Phone us free on 01453 824581 or click the Live Chat Option to talk to us online.
CONTACT USReasons to scan
- No office storage space is needed for your files, so you can accommodate more staff or equipment.
Hard copies of documents are at risk of damage from fire, water or general decay. Electronic copies provide back-up.
- Electronic documents are much quicker to search and retrieve information from.
- More than one person can access electronic files at the same time.
- No need for manually retyping text or rekeying data.
Electronic Document Archiving – How it works
Quotation
We provide a price per scan quotation and an estimated total price, which is based on an assessment of quantities. We can normally assist with advising on quanities over the phone if you can tell us the number of cabinets or we can visit to make our own assessment.
In addition to quantities, our advisors can give advice on the following considerations:
- Transportation – we can collect and return, own van, own driver
- Preparation – we need to remove from files and remove staples
- Re-preparation – if the hard copy documents are to be retuned, do you want them re-filed?
- Output type – Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), Tiff, JPEG, etc
- Indexing – how do you retrieve your files at the moment, how do you want the electronic files named?
- Word searching – do you want to be able to perform a word search across your archive?
- Transport media – DVD, USB hard drive or stored on an online retrieval system.
- Destruction – do you want your records destroyed afterwards, if so secure or commercial destruction?
The Basic Service
The basic service is as follows (please see “terms of Supply” on your quotation for further information):
Our scan price includes “reasonable” amounts of preparation. There are some types of record that go outside of “reasonable” therefore we may charge a higher scan price, however the preparation risk is still largely ours.
Scan to Black and White Bi-tonal unless otherwise stated e.g. photographs or if the documents are of a poor quality we may need to scan as greyscale. More and more we find scanning all documents in full colour provides the best results, our sales person will be able to help you decide on the best solution for you.
Scan to an image i.e. Adobe PDF or Tiff, not word searchable.
No re-preparation is included i.e. we will not re-file documents into a lever arch file. In the case of a lever arch file, we will bag the contents of the lever arch file and place the bag in the relevant file.
You decant the files from the current storage facility i.e. filing cabinet into boxes loaned by us free of charge.
Due to GDPR we generally need a signed DPA. We can help you with this process if required.
Scan On Demand
Have you large archive, but only some documents require scanning?
DocumentScanning.net‘s Scan On Demand service allows you to store your documents off-site and gradually scan your files to reduce your paper burden. When you request document we will scan their batch and email or upload those files.
The Scan On Demand service provides the benefit of off-site storage whilst gradually reducing your paper archive through scanning.
We offer attractive storage rates and a 24 hour service. Please call today for further information and a quotation.
Regular Scanning
If you have a regular requirement for scanning such as post or invoices, you can arrange for your documents to be delivered directly to DocumentScanning.net. We will arrange for a PO Box number with the Royal Mail (or similar) and scan and submit electronically within a timeframe agreed between both parties.
Dot Per Inch (DPI)
DPI is the number of dots that represent an image or character. The standard set for scanning is normally 200 DPI as this offers a good amount of legabilty while keeping file sizes to a minimum. Ask us for some examples of 200, 400, and 600 DPI before scanning.
| Normal UK Paper sizes | Relative sizes |
|---|---|
| A0 841 × 1189mm | Twice the size of A1 |
| A1 594 × 841 mm | Twice the size of A2 |
| A2 420 × 594 mm | Twice the size of A3 |
| A3 297 × 420 mm | Twice the size of A4 |
| A4 210 × 297mm | Normal size paper in the UK |
| A5 148 × 210mm | Half the size of A4 |
| A6 105 × 148 mm | Half the size of A4 |
| A7 74 × 105 mm | Half the size of A6 |