Document scanning is not really an extremely difficult task. Once you get to know the basics, it is easy to go about the entire process. But that does not mean that there is no proper sequence to be followed in this task. If the scanning is not done properly, the document itself will lose usability. There is hardly anything unique about scanning documents and keeping records of these digital forms. Every other business is opting for this procedure. The reasons are quite simple. It has made the overall operational efficiency of the company better and also saves a lot of overhead expenses as well as work space. Besides, it is easier to find and share digitalized documents. Hence, the entire business saves time and works better. Given below are the basic steps you have to follow to successfully scan and store the document.
Plan for the project first
Just like any other work, good planning before document scanning goes a long way in making it a success. If you start scanning documents randomly, it will hardly save the purpose. Not every document you have in your workplace needs to be converted to digital form and stored. Scanning unnecessary documents is a waste of time and also creates a lot of clutter. Hence, arrange all the documents to be scanned in the correct sequence. Remove paper clips, staples and other things present in the document. Also, remember to mark which files are to be scanned. This is important as it prevents you from missing out on any important area.
Get the scanning criteria and indexes correct
In order to have a good document scanning procedure, you also have to get the computer settings right. You have to set the format of scanning. There are various formats to choose from – like JPEG, TIFF, PDF etc. Make it a point to choose the format that would be most compatible with the systems in your workplace. Along with format, you have to ensure resolution settings too. The right level of resolution gives more clarity. An average of 300 dpi is the normal resolution for all documents. For grayscale documents, 200 dpi is quite fine. In the case of scanning color images, you would need a high resolution of 400 dpi. The next part is setting the mode of the scanned image – whether you want it to be in portrait mode or landscape mode.
Once all the above settings are done, your next step would be deciding on the indexing method for the scanned images. If you do not have a proper index system, your scanned files will be in complete clutter and hard to locate. This will just defeat the purpose. Creating virtual folders and naming them properly will help prevent such chaos.
Scan the documents carefully
Last comes the actual document scanning. There are no such special instructions for this, except for the fact that the documents should be placed properly in the scanner. After scanning, save the image in the right format and folder.