Related Sponsors

What is Document Scanning?

Home » Information Technology » Document Conversion and Document Scanning » What is Document Scanning?

Digitizing a document is accomplished through the use of a scanner, which operates through software applications made to work with the scanner hardware. Small offices can accomplish their own document scanning with the purchase of a scanner at a local office supply store. Once a document is scanned, the original can then be stored and the digital image can be maintained in on site computers, on floppy disks or cd�s, and also off site as a backup.

Larger offices and corporations may choose to employ a professional document imaging service for document scanning. Through this process, the document imaging service will scan the designated documents, save them to disks and return both the original documents and the disks to the company.

There are many variables when choosing to have corporate documents scanned. The following questions should be considered:

What are the goals for document scanning? Will the digital images be for backup purposes only, or will employees need to be able to access the digital images from time to time?
How will the digitized images will be accessed once scanning is complete?
Which digital format is most compatible with existing company computers?
Should documents be scanned on site or off? Is security of the information contained in the documents an issue?
What sort of indexing system will be incorporated to aid in document retrieval?
Is there a need for the digital images to be linked to a database of any kind?

Once these questions have been answered, it will be easier to narrow the field of possible document scanning agencies.

Next Page: What are the benefits of Document Conversion & Scanning?

Related Document Conversion and Document Scanning Articles