More than Just Scanning – the Hidden Value of Document Imaging

When the topic of document imaging companies comes up, there is usually a slight sense of either mystification or miscalculation. People often either do not know what exactly a document imaging company does or they think they know but are actually grossly underestimating the range of tasks that document imaging companies can attend to. It is true that the most noticeable action taken by a document imaging company is the actual scanning of paper documents into some type of electronic “container,” for example a CD, DVD, or hard drive. But there are actually many other tasks these companies must also do, such as document preparation, document conversion, and indexing. These tasks facilitate the useful scanning of your documents, and are crucial to the overall success of the implementation.

Document preparation is exactly what it sounds like-preparing the documents for the scanning process. This is a crucial step in the workflow of the document imaging company and is almost universally overlooked by non-professionals. Ignoring, or completing this step incorrectly, can lead to poorly scanned images and even damaged equipment. When a document imaging company preps documents for scanning, the first step is usually to insure there is a cover letter attached to it. This cover letter will provide the document imaging companies with the necessary metadata. The next step document imaging companies undertake is to uniformly size all the paper documents. For example, a taxi cab receipt would need to be copied onto an A4 size sheet. This prep pays off in the end by yielding well scanned images.

Another service of great value that document imaging companies can deliver is document conversion. In the strict sense, all scanning is conversion-you are converting a paper document into an electronic one, either a JPEG or PDF or some other file type. When a document imaging company advertises this service, they are generally referring to something more specific: the conversion of a format such as microfiche or microfilm into an electronic one such as TIFF or PDF. This is an incredible benefit for any company that is looking to update their film or microfiche archives. It can lead to tremendous savings of both search time and maintenance expenses, both of which can be calculated in an ROI report written up by the document imaging company.

A third indispensable service offered by document imaging companies is creating document indexes. This is vital for any firm that wants to turn their documents into an asset, rather than just having a static record of past transactions. An index is usually built up in part from the metadata of the documents, and is needed so that users can retrieve the appropriate documents quickly and easily when they need them. A document imaging company will have a range of indexing services available, from simple categorizing (documents labeled as expense reports or as contracts) all the way through to creating an index topology (allowing for sophisticated analysis by document imaging companies).

If you thought that your firm did not need the services of a document imaging company because the value provided would be too limited, you may want to consider all the other features and benefits that come with a full-fledged implementation by one of the premier document imaging companies.

Author Bio: Inception Tech offers data storage solutions, document scanners, and more. Stop by their online store at http://www.inceptiontech.com/ today.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: microfiche, document, storage