FAQ
Have Questions?
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about document scanning. If you have a question that you don’t see answered below, just give us a call!
The majority of companies do choose to outsources a scanning project for one reason: they probably have never done it themselves before. What should you consider when taking on a scanning project? Here are some factors you should consider if you’re thinking of taking on a project with in-house personnel.
Time:
An in-house scanning project would have to consider setting aside personnel, equipment, and funds to complete a project. That means you would be hindering your regular operations in order to scan your documents. In addition, very few if not any of your employees would be experienced in taking on such a project. An untrained employee would have no knowledge of the essential computer software needed to scan and index your files, nor would they know what to do should a problem arise. Overall, in-house projects can take two or even three times as long as necessary, costing you more money and valuable time.
Quality:
With an experienced team and intelligent software and hardware equipment, Scan N More can provide the highest quality assurance for your important documents. There are several unknowns that can occur in a project of this kind such as fluctuations of dpi settings, differing paper sizes, faded or faint copies, and abnormal documents such as large blueprints. Each project requires the proper method of implementation such as choosing to scan to a PDF, TIFF, or JPEG file; using black and white, grayscale, or color settings. Are file sizes important to you? If you want to minimize the amount of digital space needed, which most companies would, you will need to consider that as well. If you are going to make the decision to commit countless man hours to this project it is best that you can have confidence that the end product will readable, well organized, and easy to navigate.
Cost:
There is more work involved to document preparation and scanning than you might think. Removing staples and other obstructions form the paper needs to be done first so the paper it can be feed neatly into the scanner.This can be extremely tedious and time consuming. An inexperience, untrained employee will take much longer than a knowledgeable Scan N More worker who does this every day. Our team works through a well developed operations system to expedite the scanning process and keep costs down as low as possible. If you don’t already have a high speed scanner, be prepared to make a large investment in one if you’re still thinking of scanning your own documents. Our scanners can scan up to 20,000 pages a day, which makes it hundreds of times faster than any retail scanner. In our experience, most if not all in house projects end in dissatisfaction due mostly to the large unexpected costs involved with the project.
Our services can be broken-down and streamlined here so you may better understand what happens to your documents when you are ready to begin this project.
Pickup:
Scan N More can either pick up your documents or conduct an ON-SITE operation upon request. Clients that would rather not have their documents leave their possession such as government agencies can opt for Scan N More to set up a work space at your location to begin the project. Otherwise, your documents would be transferred to our location in Corona, CA.
Preparation:
Documents must be prepared by removing all obstructions that would slow or stop the scanning process. Removal of staples, clips, binders or any other fasteners are a common necessity. Workers will also check for abnormal documents that would require special attention such as blueprints, carbon paper, or damaged files.
Scanning:
After preparation, the documents will be feed through our high speed scanner which is operated by a trained professional to ensure excellent quality. This is the stage in the project where meticulous scan settings must be set, image orientation is corrected when needed, and quality checks approve the files to be saved and indexed.
Indexing:
Indexing is an important part of the scanning process because this is how you will view and search for individual files later. Files can be indexed by any name, number, or code you desire. Folders can also be created to organized your files even more. We also offer the option to OCR your files so you can search any keyword to locate your files.
Shredding:
Some clients prefer to have their documents shredded after completion of the project. When this is the case, your documents will be shredded immediately and we will issue you a Certificate of Destruction that your documents are no more.
Documents can also be delivered back to your location upon request. Document storage services are also available including month-to-month storage and even online hosting.
Our prices depend on a number of variables. Here are just a few common factors to consider.
- Volume – How many boxes would you like us to scan?
- Document Page Preparation – How many staples, clips, and other obstructions do your files have?
- Indexing Criteria – What keywords are required to be manually entered to allow you to find your files?
- Turnaround Time – How quickly do need the project to be completed?
- Document Destruction – We offer secure shredding with proof of destruction upon request.
Typically we like to perform a test scan of your documents to better understand the contents of your files and point out anything of concern. If you ever need a file or document during the scanning process just give us a call and we will search and find the desired document, scan it and email or fax directly to you free of charge. If your budget doesn’t allow you to scan all your desired files at one time, we can set up a schedule to complete your project in sections every 30 days, 6 months, etc.
Document scanning is the procedure of using software and high-speed scanners to transfer an image or text from paper to a digital file. The image can then be indexed and stored in a document storage system giving users the ability to navigate through many documents at great speed.
Your scanning project will be handled by professionals with expertise in document imaging. You can be assured of the careful and confidential handling of all your sensitive documents which are kept in our secure location. We have never lost or misplaced a client’s file.
Scan N more can save your digital files to a CD, DVD, or our online server where you can view and download files via the Internet.
Both options are available. Scan N More return any desired document or shred them once the files have been scan. A Certificate of Destruction will be provided if shredding option is arrange.
Scanned documents can be organized in any fashion you desire. Typically files are organized in a system similar to how they were already filed, but this can be altered in any way that the customer deems appropriate.
If you ever need a file or document during the scanning process just give us a call and we will search and find the desired document ,scan and the email or fax directly to you free of charge.
No! You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view your PDF image files, which is available to anyone for download free of charge at www.adobe.com
One CD holds approximate 15,000 – 20,000 pages or 7 standard size storage boxes. A DVD holds approximate 90,000 – 100,000 pages or 40 standard size size boxes. (Note depending on the dpi requirements the smaller the resolution the more pages/images can be stored)
Scan N More’s online hosting site makes it more convenient for your company to access your files. This service allows any employee to login, view, and download documents from any computer they choose. Instead of using a single storage device that can only be used my one computer at a time, online hosting allows several users to access their files from any computer in the office or at home!
No. Once a CD or DVD is finalized, we can not add any other documents to it, but if requested we can save your files to our backup system, them add your new documents and replace your CD or DVD with a new copy for a small fee.
Optical Character Recognition allows you to search specific text or keywords within a PDF document. For example, if I opened a file and wanted to find only the pages that include the word “DEBIT” I could simply search that word and each pages that has that word will appear. Or suppose you needed to find a suspect transaction from your bank account, you could search the amount from the appropriate file and determine where the transaction came from. OCR is a very useful tool to have and is available upon request.
