Bulk back-scanning converts a whole archive in one project. Scan on demand keeps the paper in secure storage and scans each file only when someone asks for it. This page compares the two on cost, access, retention and risk, and explains how to decide which records belong in each.
Bulk back-scanning and scan on demand at a glance
| Bulk back-scanning | Scan on demand | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Every file in the collection is scanned in one project. | Files stay in storage. Each one is scanned when someone requests it. |
| Cost pattern | One larger cost at the start, then little or no storage cost. | Small, ongoing costs: storage every year plus a charge for each file scanned. |
| Access | Every file is searchable straight away, by anyone with permission. | A file is available after the agreed retrieval time. |
| Paper afterwards | Returned, stored or securely destroyed once the images are checked. | Stays in storage until it is requested or reaches the end of its retention period. |
| Files never looked at again | Scanned anyway. | Never scanned, so never paid for. |
| Search across the collection | Full search, reporting and use in other systems, including AI tools. | Only the files scanned so far can be searched. |
| Office space | Freed completely once the paper goes. | Freed once the boxes move to storage. |
| Continuity risk | Images can be backed up in more than one place. | The paper remains the only copy until it is scanned. |
| Best suited to | Records used often, by many people, or kept for many years. | Records rarely used, or due for destruction within a few years. |
When bulk back-scanning makes sense
Scanning the whole collection pays off when the records are in regular use or must be kept for a long time. It is usually the right choice when:
- Staff look up files often, or several teams or sites need the same records.
- The records must be kept for many years, so storage would run for a long time.
- You want to give up office space or end an off-site storage contract altogether.
- You need to search, report on or extract data from the whole collection, or prepare it for AI tools.
- The paper is the only copy of important information and you want a backed-up digital version.
- A deadline such as an office move, merger or new system means everything has to be ready by a set date.
Once the archive is scanned, new paper can be scanned as it arrives so that a new backlog never builds up.
When scan on demand makes sense
Scan on demand avoids paying to scan records nobody will read. It is usually the better choice when:
- Most files are rarely or never requested once they are closed.
- The records reach the end of their retention period within a few years and can then be destroyed.
- You cannot yet fund a full back-scanning project but need the paper out of the office now.
- Requests can wait for the agreed retrieval time rather than needing an instant answer.
- You want to learn which records people actually use before deciding what to scan in bulk.
The risk is that costs continue for as long as the paper is kept. Review the arrangement each year: If requests rise, or the records will be kept far longer than expected, scanning the rest in bulk may become cheaper.
What drives the cost, and where the two meet
The choice usually comes down to two questions: How often will each file be needed, and how long must it be kept?
| Bulk back-scanning | Scan on demand | |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | Price rises with the number of pages in the whole collection. | Price rises with the number of files requested. |
| Condition and preparation | Every file is prepared, including staples, tears and folded pages. | Only requested files are prepared. |
| Indexing | Applied to the whole collection, so the depth chosen matters. | Applied file by file, usually lighter. |
| Storage | Ends once the paper is returned or destroyed. | Charged for every box, for as long as it is kept. |
| Turnaround | A faster finish date can cost more. | Urgent requests can cost more than standard ones. |
| End of retention | Paper already gone, so only the images need deleting. | Boxes need retrieving and securely destroying. |
A simple way to compare
For a group of records, add up what scan on demand would cost over the years they must still be kept: the storage charges, the expected number of requests multiplied by the cost of each, and destruction at the end. Compare that with the one-off cost of scanning the same records now, plus the cost of storing the images. Whichever total is lower is usually the better route for that group.
Retention periods make a large difference. For example, a limited company must normally keep its accounting records for 6 years from the end of the last financial year they relate to, and longer in some cases (GOV.UK). Records with a short time left to run rarely justify bulk scanning; records kept for decades often do.
Retention, retrieval and security
Both routes need the same controls. What changes is where the risk sits: In a scanned archive or in boxes of paper.
- Retention schedules apply to both. Images must be deleted at the end of their retention period, just as paper must be destroyed. Agree how this will happen before scanning starts.
- Retrieval needs an audit trail. With scan on demand, each request should be logged with who asked, when, and when the file was delivered.
- Stored paper needs tracking. Boxes and files should be barcoded, located and logged every time they move, so a request finds the right file quickly.
- Destruction should be certified. Whether the paper goes after bulk scanning or at the end of retention, ask for a certificate of destruction.
- The supplier is your processor either way. Storage, scanning and destruction all involve processing personal data, so the same UK GDPR contract and checks apply.
If scanned images may be used as evidence, the capture process matters. BS 10008-1:2020 sets out how electronic information should be managed so that its authenticity and integrity can be demonstrated (BSI). This applies equally to files scanned in bulk and on demand.
Using both: Sort the archive first
Most archives are not all alike, so the best answer is often a mix. Sort the records into groups by how often they are used and how long they must be kept, then treat each group differently.
| Used often | Rarely used | |
|---|---|---|
| Kept for many years | Bulk scan | Store, scan on demand and review each year |
| Due for destruction soon | Scan only the files in active use | Store, then destroy at the end of retention |
A typical plan looks like this:
- Review and sort. List the record types, their retention periods and how often each is requested.
- Destroy what has expired. Securely destroy records already past their retention period, with your approval and a certificate.
- Bulk scan the active records. Scan the records people use most and those kept longest.
- Store the rest and scan on demand. Move the remaining boxes to secure storage and scan files as they are requested.
- Review each year. Destroy boxes as they reach the end of retention, and move any group that is requested often into bulk scanning.
Questions to ask a provider
- How do you charge for storage, retrieval and scanning, and are there minimum charges?
- What are your standard and urgent retrieval times, and how is the file delivered?
- How are boxes and files tracked while in storage?
- Once a file is scanned on demand, is the image kept so a second request costs nothing?
- Can files scanned on demand be included in a later bulk project without being scanned again?
- How do you handle destruction at the end of retention, and do you issue certificates?
- Which certifications cover your storage and scanning facilities, and when do they expire?
- Can you help us sort the archive by use and retention before we decide?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is bulk scanning only worth it for large archives?
No. Size matters less than how often the records are used and how long they must be kept. A small archive used every day may justify scanning; a large one that is rarely opened and due for destruction may not.
Can we start with scan on demand and scan the rest later?
Yes. Many organisations start this way and move to bulk scanning once they see which records are requested. Agree the scanning specification at the start so that files scanned on demand match the later bulk images.
How quickly can we get a file scanned on demand?
Dajon can get on-demand files turned around within 1 working day.
Do we pay to scan the same file twice?
No, you only pay once for the file being scanned on demand.
What happens to the paper at the end of its retention period?
With your approval, it is securely destroyed and you receive a certificate of destruction. Records under a legal hold or still needed are kept until you say otherwise.
Talk to us about your records
Tell us roughly how many boxes you have, what type of records they are, how often they are used and how long they must be kept, and we will set out the costs of each route.