Scanning Process FAQs

DOCUMENT SCANNING

Costs and Pricing

What will this cost?

We will usually price a scanning project by the page. This is done so your company pays only for what is scanned, not an estimated page count which can vary widely. However, to get an idea of actual cost, use the page count estimator to get an idea of volume and then call us to discuss specifics.

What factors affect cost?

Several items, but the one that can add significant cost to any document scanning project is the amount of prep involved. Getting the documents in “scan ready” condition can be a big job if your paper files have a lot of staples and paper clips, but with proper planning you can use prep time to add bar codes and automated the indexing process.

Turnaround time also drives the project cost. The amount of resources needed to complete a project quickly is different than if there is a longer turnaround time involved.

Volume is also a determining factor. The higher the volume the greater discount we can offer.

How can I reduce the cost involved in a scanning project?

The best way to reduce the cost is to have a clear plan on what you want to accomplish. Tab Service Company has trained specialists that can work with you on this.

Once the plan is developed, another way to drive down cost is to handle the document prep in your office. We can supply you with separator sheets and bar code labels to insert during prep. Our technical and production specialists will be there to assist you every step of the way.

Software and Document Questions

What types of documents can be scanned?

Anything from receipts and business cards to large technical and engineering drawings can be scanned.

Will I need special software?

No. We use either TIFF, PDF or JPEG image file formats. TIFF and JPEG files can be viewed using the viewer that come Microsoft Windows. PDF files can be viewed using the Adobe Reader, available free on the Web.

How will I find documents after they are scanned?

If your needs are simple and you are just archiving files, you can probably store them in PDF format and use a specific file naming convention. This works only if the PDFs are seldom viewed. If your needs are more sophisticated you will probably need an Electronic Document Management System. We can provide several options in depending on your needs and organization’s size.

We also offer a Web-based document management solution that works very well. No capital investment, quick implementation and low monthly costs make this a great alternative to an in-house system.

What will help get the best results?

Whenever possible, provide original documents. Very often documents that have been photocopied will lose the clarity needed for accurate, automated OCR or bar code indexing. Our image enhancement software can adjust for some deficiencies, but a clean original is always best.

Also important to accurate document indexing is having a way to validate the index. Providing us with a set of customer account numbers or machine serial numbers will help ensure the index data we capture is correct.

Can OCR be used to capture data from scanned documents?

Often OCR can be used to capture data and get very high accuracy results. We scan out of print books and get near perfect editable documents.

Sometimes OCR can be used in conjunction with manual key entry and second pass verification even higher accuracy rates.
Do you OCR documents and convert them to Word format? What is the accuracy? Yes, we offer document conversion to Microsoft Word and other editable text formats. Accuracy is entirely dependent on the quality of the original, so plan on sending the original documents for best results. With good originals we have seen accuracy rates exceeding 99%.

Tab Service Company also offers QC and OCR correction to ensure the most accurate output possible.

Contact Tab Service Company today to learn more about Document Scanning Services

Phone: 312-527-4306
Email: info@tabservice.com
Web: online form

Document Scanning Services from Tab Service Company - based in Chicago, servicing the United States

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