An electronic document is a digital picture of the original
paper document. When a piece of paper is run through a scanner it makes
an electronic image of the document, similar to a digital camera.
How
would I access and use this electronic document?
There are several possibilities for your use.
You can read the document on your computers monitor.
You can fax the documents using your computer's fax-modem.
With Internet access, you can email the document.
Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software,
you can convert the document images into editable text for use with word
processing and spreadsheet software. ScanDoc can perform the OCR service for you and provide editable documents along with the document images.
You can use your printer to print the entire document,
or only the pages you need at that time.
ScanDoc stores electronic documents on high quality CD-R media. The "R" stands for "recordable". CD-R
media has a longer shelf life than magnetic media such as tape, wide support and compatibility, fast random access to files,
cannot be erased or altered, and is non-proprietary. CD-RW (ReWritable) can be altered or erased, and for this reason it is not a good archive medium for both security and legal reasons.
Tape has moving parts to break, dozens of different and incompatible formats. It is quite slow to
access, is erasable and alterable, and can be damaged by common electromagnetic
fields. We do not recommend tape for long term storage of electronic documents,
nor for frequently accessed information. Tape is often not accepted as
a storage method for legal purposes because of the ability to alter the
files on the tape.
While we do offer DVD+R and DVD-R formats for special applications, ScanDoc
does not recommend the DVD format for most document archiving at this time. While it does offer promise for large volume document
image storage, DVD is still a fairly new technology and has not been standardized
to provide the nearly universal access to your documents that is possible
with CDs. Not all customized DVD disks are usable in all DVD drives.
A computer with a CD drive capable of reading CD-R
disks and imaging or document management application software. CDs can be formatted to be read by Windows,
UNIX, Linux, OS/2, and Macintosh systems.
While many of our customers purchase document management software from us along with scanning services, we can provide the documents in a format that can be imported into your existing
document management system. Our document CDs include an Emergency Data Recovery program which is suitable for basic document searching for one CD at a time. See below for formats we offer.
ScanDoc offers a variety of formats including those listed below. If you don't see the format you need, please inquire by phone or email. It is important to note that
each of these formats have their own unique set of advantages and limitations.
Approximately 20,000 letter-sized, black and white pages
will fit on a single CD. Color documents and photos can also be scanned
to CD, but because they require more memory, fewer will fit. This will
let you find your document without leaving your desk. Your files will be
at your finger tips. The fact that the documents are on a CD means that
you may be able to eliminate all those dusty files and file cabinets and
vastly reduce the cost of storage. You can transport millions of electronic
documents in your briefcase, something just not possible with paper.
You cannot add notes directly onto the CD. By its nature it is a read-only
medium. This feature keeps others from deleting or changing your originals
and is usually required if the images are to be used for legal purposes.
You can annotate or otherwise edit the documents once you copy them to
your hard drive or other read/write media. Additionally, many document management systems will allow you to associate notes
with your documents.
No special training is required to view or print the
documents when using intuitive software such as PaperVision. Most computer
users are able to get results in just a few minutes.
What
if I buy a new computer? Will it be able to read the ScanDoc CD?
The CDs can be read by PCs and Macs equipped with CD
drives, and most new systems have the drives included. Computer manufacturers
have made their CD drives compatible by having industry standards, which
were established by Sony and Phillips over 10 years ago. Some older CD
readers pre-dating 1995 may need firmware updates to properly read
CD-R media, and some older drives just won't read recordable CDs. (The good news is that a new CD drive costs only about $20.)
What
if I decide to use a DVD (digital versatile disc) drive instead of a CD
drive in my next computer - - will I still be able to use my ScanDoc CD?
Most DVD drives on the market are designed to read
all standard CDs including those produced by ScanDoc. Check manufacturers
specifications to see if the DVD drive will read CD-Recordable (CD-R).
What
if new technology should happen five years from now? Will I be able to
use my ScanDoc CD?
If you keep your CD or DVD drive - no problem. However,
ScanDoc will keep up with any widely-used superior technology and will
offer conversion services if and when required for our customers. The CD format
is generic enough that the electronic industry will be able
to convert or use them for the foreseeable future. If and when the technology
changes, you will have adequate time to convert them.
ScanDoc offers many file formats, but as a default format we recommend black
and white Group 4 TIFF for most document storage applications due to its
wide support by software developers, small file size, and ability to store
multi page documents in one file. Other image formats are available for
full color or special applications, subject to a higher cost per image,
additional processing time, and in some cases, royalty fees. If you require
a special format, just ask. (Click here for a list of formats)
Do
you OCR documents as well? Can you convert the scanned files in Microsoft
Word® format? What is the accuracy? How much does OCR cost?
ScanDoc does offer conversion of paper documents to
editable file formats such as word processing files, commonly called OCR
or Optical Character Recognition. Accuracy is entirely dependent on the
quality of the original. Claims by OCR software vendors for uncorrected
documents are 99.7% accuracy with a high-quality original but expect average
of 95-99% based on our industry experience. A document produced by a laser
printer or printing press with standard fonts on white paper is considered
a high-quality original. Photocopies, low-resolution printouts, documents
with non-standard fonts such as script, and documents with poor contrast
due to similar colors of paper and ink, are all considered low-quality
for the purposes of OCR and will probably require extensive manual processing to improve accuracy.
ScanDoc will perform one-pass processing on most OCR jobs using state-of-the-art software with multiple OCR engines. One-pass means
that there is no correction of the document by our company. You would then
take your file and use tools such as spell check to find any errors it
may have, and adjust formating for your printer or other final output.
Do
you offer a searchable database of my documents?
A searchable database can be supplied. The creation of a searchable database of document content is also called "indexing". There are many
types, and therefore costs and effectiveness vary greatly. ScanDoc can output your images and data in many different formats, some of which are listed above. Another possibility is getting ScanDoc to do the conversion from paper to electronic images then having your staff do the indexing and importation to your existing system.
How
does my company allow for more than one person at a time to access our
scanned documents?
If your office has a LAN (local area network) or WAN
(wide area network), document CDs may be placed in CD drives that
are accessible on the network. For large archives spanning more than one
CD, some companies use CD "jukeboxes" which hold multiple CDs ready for
use. You may also get multiple copies of your archive so each key staff
member or branch office has a complete set. You can also have your
IT manager copy the files to your server's harddrives for access across
your network.
How
much does converting paper documents to CD cost?
There are many factors determining the costs involved with document conversion. The format of the originals, their quality, the target format, number of pages, and the condition of the paper files are all important factors in the cost of your project. ScanDoc can provide written estimates for serious inquiries. To request more information, please use our Information Request Form.
"Scan ready" means all the staples and other paper fasteners
have been removed from the files and the pages are not excessively wrinkled,
torn or otherwise damaged. The pages are all oriented the same way (i.e.:
all tops up) and facing the same way (if single-sided). If the pages are
of odd or mixed size, charges may apply for extra processing.
The files should also be separated and labeled in
a way that is logical to how you would store and access them normally.
We will assign a file name based on the label on the physical folder, unless
some other naming scheme has been planned. Each electronic file should
contain no more than 100 images because of the limits of many computers'
RAM memory prevents viewing of larger files. If a particular physical file
is more than 100 pages, it will span more than one electronic file. Extra
charges may also apply if there are more than 2 unique file names for each
100 pages if we are required to manually assign file
names, and this requirement also applies to extra directory levels.
If you wish, ScanDoc will prepare your documents
for scanning, although this service will add significantly to your project cost.
How
fast can we get our documents converted to CD?
Turn around time depends on the volume of documents,
the level of service requested, advanced notice, the condition of the paper files, and our current job queue.
If getting the best cost per page is not as important as getting it back
ASAP, rush jobs may be available, so contact a ScanDoc representative if
you have a time constraint.
Our proposal for your job becomes your contract should
you choose to accept it. There is no "subscription" period, nor amount
of time you must commit to using ScanDoc's services.
By default ScanDoc returns your paper documents. All transportation costs are paid for by
the customer. If you need to dispose of the originals, inquire about document
destruction with a ScanDoc representative.
Yes, we can, but the time to do so might not be as time or cost-effective, or secure,
as waiting for the CD for on-site copying to the server by your in-house
or contracted technician who already knows your network system. The CD
is also your backup copy in case of harddrive failure or other disaster. We also offer private FTP downloads of your data.
If you need special handling of your image files, bring up your needs to
your ScanDoc representative when you inquire.
