The True ROI of Document Scanning

By USA IMAGING, Inc.

Document scanning is more than a convenience—it’s a strategic investment. For San Diego businesses managing paper-heavy workflows, the shift to digital can generate substantial savings in space, labor, and operating costs.

At USA IMAGING, Inc., we help companies across San Diego digitize, organize, and secure their records. Here's how to evaluate the real return on investment (ROI) of document scanning, with numbers that speak directly to local business costs.

📦 1. Office Space in San Diego Isn’t Cheap

In 2025, the average price for office space in San Diego is $44.35 per square foot per year. That means storing file cabinets in your office could cost thousands annually—just in rent.

Example:
A 10' x 10' file storage room = 100 sq ft
100 sq ft x $44.35 = $4,435 per year
And that’s space doing nothing but storing paper.

Digitizing your files allows you to eliminate or repurpose that space for productive use—like employee workstations or client meeting areas.

⏱️ 2. Save Time = Save Money

On average, employees spend 20–30% of their workweek searching for documents. Paper files buried in folders or misfiled in drawers cost your business time—and time is money.

Example:
An employee making $25/hour spending 5 hours a week searching =
$125/week → $6,500/year

Scanned documents with OCR are instantly searchable—by name, keyword, date, or ID—reducing retrieval time from minutes to seconds.

💸 3. Cut Recurring Costs

Paper-based recordkeeping includes:

• Printing, reprinting, and copying

• File folders and physical storage

• Offsite file storage fees

• Lost documents and misfiled paperwork

• Risk of non-compliance penalties

Digitizing once can eliminate these recurring costs and streamline operations across departments.

📊 4. Long-Term Benefits Add Up

Scanned documents are:

• Protected with encryption and backups

• Accessible from anywhere (especially helpful for hybrid teams)

• Easier to manage during audits or legal reviews

• Traceable with user access logs and version history

📈 Real-World ROI

Let’s say you scan 25 standard file boxes (~75,000 pages).
Scanning cost: ~$4,000
Yearly savings (space + labor + supplies): $10,000+

➡ ROI within the first year, with compounding returns every year after.

✅ Ready to Go Paperless?

At USA IMAGING, Inc., we help San Diego businesses reduce paper dependency, reclaim office space, and digitize smarter with secure, searchable files and custom indexing.

📞 Contact us today for a free quote and see how much you could be saving.