OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. OCR is a scanning technology that identifies alphanumeric characters on a page so information can be “read” and searched once converted to digital. In other words, it turns scanned information into readable information. This is important because OCR makes it possible to index documents based on certain tags and fields. That makes finding the information you need from your digital files fast and easy. OCR plays a critical role in high-volume document scanning. Without search capability, scanned documents are simply pictures that aren’t easy to find. Unintelligent.

Canon makes a line of business scanners we use exclusively and recommend for day-forward scanning (to keep your business paper-free after we’ve scanned your backfiles). Find the perfect one based on desired format, paper size, duplexing, network compatibility, and budget by going to Canon’s website. Remember! Day-forward scanning is a per diem thing that you must stay on top of or your business will end up buried under paper again. Use a professional scanning service to handle your high-volume archives, and dedicate a member of your team to handle the bite-sized incoming paper thereafter.​

Document scanning software is a program that captures information from documents fed into scanning hardware and converts that information into a digital file. With OCR as part of document scanning software, those scanned documents become searchable digital files. Making digital files usable and searchable is the first step on the road to going paperless. That happens with document scanning software or OCR software such as Abobe Acrobat.

Industry-wide letter and legal paper documents cost between $0.07 and $0.15 per page to scan. A standard banker box of documents holds between 2,000 and 2,500 pages. A large box holds between 4,000 and 4,500 pages. Both numbers vary based on how tightly packed the boxes are and how many folders are in the box. For paper on a shelf or in file cabinets, you can estimate between 150 and 200 pages per inch. That number varies based on how tightly packed the shelves or drawers are and how many folders are in them. As your volume of paper increases, the average cost for scanning projects decreases. ​Remember this when crunching the numbers, when you allocate part of your budget to digital transformation, you quickly recoup that spend in productivity and streamlined efficiency.

Yes, if you choose a reputable vendor like USA IMAGING. Our facility is equipped with 24-hour surveillance, enhanced security access, smoke detection alert systems, temperature control, and everything you need to keep your documents secure when in our custody.  Off-site is the most economical and budget-friendly way to scan your documents versus on-site scanning, where you can expect the cost to double or even triple in some cases.  By utilizing off-site scanning with USA IMAGING, we can deploy scanning in multiple shifts, so we're not bound to your facility access.

Yes, they can be. But only if OCR technology is used to make that file readable when scanned. The file can be edited if exported to a Word document, however, it is not recommended.  The best results are in files generated in Searchable PDFs. Indexing tags the document using specified information fields. This makes the document easy to find when searched for. Once located, simply open it in your PDF viewer. Without OCR, sadly, no you can’t edit a scanned document. 

Once your documents are scanned, we provide a FREE access web-based file repository where the files are securely stored and retrieved in seconds using the search option available. Additionally, you will receive a USB flash drive from which scanned files can be uploaded by your systems document administrator for local and quick access.

200-300 DPI (dots per inch). Anything less than 200 DPI creates fuzzy edges. Anything more is overkill—it increases the file size by a lot without a noticeable difference to the human eye. One other way to retain high-quality scans is not to compress the file during scanning as most services do.  The uncompressed file is generally larger in bite-size but much higher quality, which is recommended.  Compressing the file will create fuzzy edges even at 300 DPI. Color and Grayscale scans can also be scanned at 200-300 DPI uncompressed, yielding great image quality and maintaining color fidelity.  File storage is very affordable, so it is an acceptable compromise by having high-quality images with larger file sizes.

More and more the answer is yes. Backfile scanning makes your legacy files digital. That gets you 95% of the way toward paperless. The other 5% falls under day-forward scanning, the day-to-day scanning that is required to convert paper that comes into an office every day into electronic files. As more companies become paperless, less paper makes its way into offices. A paperless office is only possible if a policy exists to convert paper to digital every day. Do that, and you’re a paperless office!

They are both the same, so don't be fooled by others.  Both processes use an input device, such as a scanner that makes the paper document digital and converts paper into an image file (a digital picture of that piece of paper). You can see it, share it, and save it.  If document scanning uses OCR software it turns the paper version into an image and converts the text into intelligent, searchable text, perfect for searching within the PDF document. 

USA IMAGING, Inc. scans large format documents like engineering blueprints. We have state-of-the-art production scanners with software that makes old crinkly blueprints look much better than the faded originals that have suffered wear and tear with age.  ​

The fastest way to scan a lot of documents is also the most cost-effective way to scan a lot of documents: by outsourcing that burden to a reputable document scanning company like USA IMAGING, inc. By hiring professionals trained in large-volume scanning, you’re digitizing your legacy paper files in the shortest time frame while your employees do the job they were hired to do. That means business goes on as usual and a massive undertaking is handled behind the scenes. ​A professional scanning service provider feeds thousands of sheets securely into an enterprise-level scanner, indexes them automatically in high resolution and stunning contrast, and does all of that at just pennies per sheet. Whole drawers of documents are digitized in minutes. You get high-quality, high-efficiency document scanning that’s hands-off and painless for your crew.