Bulk Document Scanning Services

Scanning a great many documents requires efficiency and organisation. You can save both time and money with the right approach.

1. Procure your own professional-grade equipment: High-speed scanners with Automatic Document Feeders process thousands of pages per hour. They are fantastic machines, however they might be prohibitively expensive unless you happen to be a document scanning bureau. A recent Dajon Data Management study found that businesses scanning in-house spend over 3 times more than those who outsourced to a professional scanning team – once labour, equipment, and quality control costs were factored in.

2. Outsource to the professionals: Document scanning service providers use the best kit and experienced operators to handle bulk quantities of documents quickly and accurately. Anything from standard A4 files to fragile A0 materials can be processed by a professional team – secure handling, consistent image quality, and full compliance with data protection standards.

It depends. There are a multitude of factors, not least: The type of scanner, what condition the documents are in, and how much work needs to go into preparing the documents to be scanned.

1. Scanner speed and capacity: High-speed production scanners can churn through anywhere from 25 to 250 pages per minute. In ideal conditions, scanning 1000 pages could take as little as 20 to 40 minutes. Please note this only covers the act of scanning the pages – not the preparation or post-scanning quality control checks.

2. Preparation and post-processing: Before they can be scanned, documents often need to be sorted, de-stapled, and otherwise made ready to go through the scanner machine. After scanning, files must be checked for accuracy, indexed and named appropriately. These tasks can add some hours to the overall project time – depending on complexity and file requirements.

3. Professional scanning services: For an accurate assessment of how long it might take to scan your 1000 pages, we’d recommend getting in touch with a professional scanning bureau.

1. Preparation: Before scanning begins, organise your records; remove staples, paper clips, and bindings. Then ensure the pages are in good condition – effecting repairs where necessary. Doing all this speeds up the scanning process and mitigates the risk of jams and errors.

2. Scanning: For reliable results, use a high-quality document scanner. If you’re scanning in bulk, we’d recommend a machine with an Automatic Document Feeder. A good scanner captures clear, consistent images – certainly better than your average office multifunction printer.

3. Optical Character Recognition: OCR turns scanned images into searchable (and editable) digital files. Applying OCR post-scanning allows you to search through your scanned documents quickly – just like any other text-based file.

4. File Organisation: Give your digitised documents meaningful file names – a process we call “indexing” – and store them within a logical folder structure. Judicious use of indexing will make your digital archive much more useful in the long run.

5. Backup and Storage: Always store your data in a secure environment. And we cannot recommend enough that you implement a robust backup strategy. If you’d like greater accessibility of your data, consider encrypted cloud storage.

Bulk scanning is a highly efficient process designed to digitise large volumes of documents quickly and accurately.

1. Document Preparation: Before scanning begins, documents are carefully organised into manageable batches. Staples, bindings, and paper clips are removed, and pages are flattened to prevent jams or damage during scanning.

2. High-Speed Scanning: Specialist production scanners with Automatic Document Feeders (ADFs) capture hundreds of pages per minute. This equipment ensures consistent image quality while handling large quantities of documents efficiently.

3. Quality Control: Each batch is reviewed to verify that every page has been captured correctly. Any pages that are missing, skewed, or unclear are rescanned to maintain complete and accurate digital records.

4. Optical Character Recognition (OCR): OCR software converts scanned images into searchable, editable text files. This makes it easy to locate specific information and integrate documents into digital workflows or content management systems.

5. File Management and Storage: Once digitised, files are indexed with logical naming conventions and metadata to ensure easy retrieval. Secure cloud or on-premise storage solutions are then used to protect your digital assets while keeping them accessible to authorised users.