Scanning Services - What's Available?

If you're considering your business scanning options, this article will outline some of the main scanning services that are available.

The following scanning solutions are available for businesses:

• Outsourced scanning
• Data capture
• Document conversion
• Document management
• Document processing

Document scanning

Using high-speed scanners and advanced software, up to 500,000 pages each day can be scanned. Digitised documents can be output in the following formats:

• TIF
• PDF
• DJVU
• GIF
• JPG

Drawing scanning

Digitising drawings is a much more efficient and secure way of storing drawings. You'll be able to store up to 5,000 drawings on one small CD Rom. Scanning is much more efficient than microfilming drawings. Paper drawings can also be converted into CAD files.

Microfilm and microfiche scanning

Microfilm scanning means that you can store these digitised documents with other documents and access them at the click of a mouse from your computer. The types of microfilms that can be scanned are:

• Rolls
• microfiche COM
• 16mm-full plate
• X-rays
• Photo negatives

All types of microfiche can be scanned at a rate of up to 100 frames per minute. Data can also be extracted from microfiches and exported into spreadsheets or databases.

Book scanning

Specialist book scanning machines can scan even the most fragile books - without even touching the pages of the book. Black and white, greyscale and colour options are all available.
Scanned documents can be saved as: html, PDFs or other formats, so that you can search the text easily.

CAD drawing digitisation

CAD drawings can be converted into a digital format, either automatically or using a sophisticated trace service.

Data entry

In some scenarios, data needs to be entered manually. When carried out by specialists this can be done very quickly and accurately and will prove far more cost-effective than doing it in-house.

OCR conversion

Sophisticated OCR and html conversion services can convert large volumes of paper documentation into a digital format quickly and accurately. Supplied files could be:

• Excel
• Html
• Microsoft Office
• SGML
• XML
• PDF
• TXT

These are just a few of the scanning services available for businesses. Other scanning solutions your business might be interested in include:

• Bates labelling (often used by law firms preparing case material)
• Data conversion
• PDF conversion

Speaking to a scanning consultant can help you clarify which scanning services would benefit your business the most. A scanning consultant can advise you on:

• Scanning
• Archiving
• Document management

Data Capture Solutions is a UK company providing document scanning services and document management systems to global businesses.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Scanning-Services---Whats-Available?&id=5141072

Modernising The Old - Choosing The Right Book Scanning Company

Books have been around for centuries and we're sure that they'll continue to be around for centuries more. Despite an increasing number of people buying the likes of the iPad and the Kindle, there's still a certain something about a book. Akin to a computer geek playing with a Commodore 64, people who read books are aware that there are modern alternatives out there, but choose not to adapt with others. A lot of this is to do with the romanticism of books and the feel of the paper in their hands as they turn page after page.

However, even the purists out there will have to admit that digitising books is an important process, if not for making books available to all, wherever they are and whatever they are doing, but for the sheer fact that classics need to be preserved.

Book scanning has been increasingly popular over the years with books going out of publication and coming back into demand, the only real way to get them digital for republishing and internet distribution through eBooks is to get them scanned, OCR'd and made digital that way.

As someone who has worked at a book scanning company for a number of years, I can tell you that I have seen some old and amazing books passing through, falling apart and brought back to life through a simple and inexpensive service like this. We have brought old bibles back to life, long forgotten novels getting a second breath of life, beautiful editions that would have been lost to time otherwise. So the main question is how do you select a good book scanning company to digitise your older and perhaps more fragile publications.

Well the first thing you would want to do is call around a number of companies asking them about the process and how they would go about scanning your books. Instinct is a good friend to you when it comes to services like this, so you'll be able to get a good idea of who would do a good job and who wouldn't. It's also advisable to visit the company if this is possible for you to see their equipment and how they go about the work. The majority of decent book scanning companies out there will have specialist book scanners which are meant to do the job individually and with great care. The process will take a little longer, but the results are usually excellent. These types of book scanners take photographs from above the book, rather than a conventional scanner, which scans from below, and from some distance, ensuring that as little possible effect of the high volume lighting has any effect on your book, like a standard scanner might. So ask about their equipment and see what they have. This is also a great time to say that it's not always best to go with the cheapest service, unless they are offering them same service for less. Using a continental flat bed scanner will be of a lesser charge for you, but as we say this isn't always the best option.

Checking their credentials is usually also a great idea. The ISO 9001:2000 is a particularly good accreditation to have, if not one of the best, as it ensures that all work is carried out to the highest possible standard and is assessed by an official third party for the industry, the ISO.

Before you commit, you must also get a free sample of your book. Just a couple of pages or so, but this will give you an excellent indicator of what you can expect from the scanning as a whole from your selected book scanning company.

Pearl Scan Solutions are a document and book scanning company based in Manchester, in the UK, with an additional office in London. We use the latest book scanners, which we updated just a couple of months ago for scanning rare and fragile books. We take our book scanning services very seriously and have been doing this for 10 years.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Modernising-The-Old---Choosing-The-Right-Book-Scanning-Company&id=6418333

Non Destructive Book Scanning or Destructive Book Scanning - Good Practices

As you know this is the second part of the guidelines and good practices for book scanning.

So, what is the deal with destructive and non destructive book scanning? The answer might seem simple, but let us help you understand it better, and more important to understand how can you reduce costs in the process.

First of all destructive scanning. This process is focused on scanning books with high speed ADF scanners. These scanners work on the same principles as a copier scanner, put loose sheets of paper in and hit the scan button. Surely you might be wondering how could a bound book be scanned on that scanner. The answer is simple, the spine is removed. It is understandable to ask what happens to the book. Well, most vendors out there will either send it back to you or just recycle it. Most individuals would not choose this service initially, but after they understand how to use it, they will request more and more.

This service is specifically built for situations that fit into the three following criteria: cost reduction, actual book is not important, actual book is not needed. Therefore, if someone wants a book that is not digital, and he doesn't want to pay shipping costs for delivery, shipping costs to the service provider and then shipping costs for return, will send the book directly from the book vendor, to the service provider, pay the scanning service amount, and have his book sent via secure ftp in no time. Significant cost savings are achieved this way. And just imagine the packing effort, sending and receiving mail, receiving mail when you're not at home, or traveling on the motorway, all these aspects can be bothering.

This service is great when you can use it, it will give you significant cost savings and prove to be the most efficient, when considering time, effort and money.

Non destructive scanning is recommended for very valuable material. Old books, out of print versions, or just a nice gift from somebody, that you want scanned, but still want to have in your personal library. Professional book scanners are built around what we call the book mechanics. They will not harm your book in the process, and give you very good results. You won't even know that your book was scanned. Trying to scan it with a copier machine will only damage your book, it will make it look "tired" and you will be very unsatisfied with the results. Therefore, it should go in the non destructive scanning department, as it is the best solution for it.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Non-Destructive-Book-Scanning-or-Destructive-Book-Scanning---Good-Practices&id=7749947

7 Checkouts For Choosing Document Scanning Service

Infrastructure is most costly part for your business. Every business needs more and more space to store important documents. They have to spend more of their cost for infrastructure and managing documents rather to spend on core activity.

Most companies experiencing low storage capacity. There are various important documents in row of cabinet which has to be managed properly. To manage the document companies are spending their time and money. Sometimes they also have to face the problem of not getting important document at proper time because of misplace. There is always an issue of privacy and theft, if document is easily accessible to any one. These are the common problem that most of the companies are facing while managing document.

To avoid this type of hazards, document scanning is best option. Through scanning, less storage space requires. Document can avail at any time you want within some second. This option also enables you to give more security for your important document.

Point to consider while choosing document scanning solution:

1. Cost: This is important factor while choosing. You have to consider the cost of the service they are offering to you. It must be lower.

2. Digital Scanning Document Service: You have to check that scanning services provider is providing digital scanning document services or not! They are having latest technological scanner for digital output of scanned document.

3. Scanning Storage: You also consider their facilities of storing the documents. If they do not having huge place to store your document to scan, how they can manage your document properly.

4. Staff for Scanning: You must check that they are having enough staff to manage and complete your document scanning project at proper time. You also can check that they are having any experience of scanning the documents.

5. Scanned Document Format: The Company offering scanning service is offering the output format which you desire. If they are not providing a format you desire, it's not wise to hire services from them.

6. Quality of Scanned Material: You can also check their quality of scanned document. Some companies in scanning industries offer 'free trial'. By using this type of service you can always check their quality the offer.

7. Organized Document: The Company you are hiring for document scanning, is offering full process of scanning? If they are not offering the organized scanning of document to you then it is worth less to hiring their scanning services.

I tried my best to cover the check points. If any left out please post in comments so other can get better idea of what to look forward while choosing document scanning service.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Checkouts-For-Choosing-Document-Scanning-Service&id=2369402