Scanning business documents is the first step towards successful digitization and a smooth transition. We’ve already discussed the fact that digitization has picked up speed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it will continue gaining prominence in document digitization trends. So, if you haven’t started your digitization efforts yet, the time is just right for that initial step.
Scanning business documents involves preparing papers, getting them scanned, and choosing the right format for your digital files.
So, what format is best suited to the needs of your organization? The good news is that you can choose from an array of options. There isn’t a universal solution for all companies. Formats that make sense within a certain context aren’t necessarily optimal in another scenario.
Researching the Possibilities
With lots of choices comes some confusion. Different formats have their specific characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses.
It’s a good idea to get acquainted with some of the key possibilities before making up your mind.
There are proprietary and open formats, encrypted and unencrypted, compressed, and those lacking compression. Each variety is suitable for a specific type of file. It’s also important to make sure that the file format you’re interested in will be compatible with the platform where your archive is going to be hosted.
Good formats should also be independently implementable by various software providers and characterized by longevity. If you’re sharing files with clients often, you’ll also have to make sure that your customers will be capable of opening the documents and accessing the information effortlessly.
Some of the Best Formats to Consider When Scanning Business Documents
Document scanning professionals can make format recommendations on the basis of your project requirements.
In fact, this is one of the things you should inquire about. Getting the right kind of file will save you a lot of time and effort later on, plus the decision will ensure optimal quality.
Some formats are preferred over other options by professional teams.
PDF is one example of a great format to adhere to throughout your digitization efforts.
Portable document format or PDF is one of the most commonly used file types. It’s ideal for text-based documents and it can also feature images or digital signatures. Through the use of optical character recognition (OCR) technology, the text contained within a PDF document can become searchable – an important added perk that increases usability.
Another common choice for scanned documents is JPG. JPG or JPEG is an image file. The biggest benefit of this format is that it allows the effortless compression of very large images. This way, the file size will be reduced and you’ll find it much easier to pick an archive hosting solution. The problem with the format is that it can cause excessive compression (especially when scanning isn’t carried out by a professional) and that the text within the image file isn’t going to be searchable.
One more choice worth mentioning is the TIFF format. TIFF is a primary alternative to the PDF format. If you don’t want any compression and optimal quality, TIFF would be the way to go. This way, you get to preserve all of the important data. TIFF usage makes sense for diagrams, blueprints, and charts. The problem with it is that a single file may be relatively big in size.
You’ve probably understood by now that a single format isn’t going to be a feasible solution for most organizations out there. Rather, a mix of different file types should be adopted to accommodate for archive specifics. The good news is that professionals employed for the scanning job will know when to use an image-specific file and when to go for text-based alternatives. Compression possibilities will also be evaluated against the needs of the client to determine whether smaller files would be a good choice.
The Best File Type – Making Up Your Mind
Unless you have some professional experience in the field, choosing the right format when scanning business documents isn’t going to be easy. And if you make a mistake, you could end up losing some valuable or important data.
Before deciding, go through your paper-based documents. How many of them contain text and how many feature images you’d like to preserve in their original quality? It’s a good idea to sort through documents and create several different files. These will help digitization efforts later on, especially if you have some idea about how you’d like to transform the respective category.
Apart from the possibilities mentioned above, there are various other formats that are still popular and that will still allow for effortless digital adoption. PNG and MS Office file formats are also quite common. Don’t rule these choices out, especially if you have particular software requirements that have to be met right off the bat.
So, here’s a final conclusion aimed at making your life easier. When in doubt, use PDF. If you have lots of images and you don’t want compression, choose TIFF. More specific scenarios will necessitate some professional input to help you make up your mind.