How to prepare paper records for document scanning

Start with an inventory of your boxes and a clear description of the files you want back. Before removing staples or reorganising folders, agree how the scanning provider will preserve the order and meaning of your records.

This checklist helps Australian businesses prepare an initial scanning enquiry, then get their paper records ready once the project scope is agreed. It covers what to count, what to leave in place and which instructions to put in writing.

1. Decide which records are in scope

Write a short description of the project: the departments, record types and date ranges involved. Separate the records you want scanned now from material that needs a decision first.

For example, an office might start with closed project files while keeping current jobs available to staff. That is a scoping choice, rather than a reason to discard anything outside the project.

Identify the person who can answer questions about file order, access and missing information. Also name whoever will approve the quote and review the delivered files. These may be different people.

Record any practical constraints:

• Files that staff still need during the project
• A move, handover or other fixed deadline
• Separate departments or record groups that must not be mixed
• Records awaiting an internal retention or disposal decision

If relocation sets the deadline, use the office-move scanning guide to decide which groups to scan before moving, handle in stages or move first.

2. Make a simple box inventory

Give each box or container a unique reference, such as BX-001. Put the same reference in a register so you can identify the contents without repeatedly opening every box.

Use neutral codes on external labels. Keep detailed descriptions and access restrictions in a register available only to the people who need it.

Example inventory

The entries below are fictional illustrations. They are not Pexatech project records, page-count estimates or a list of materials guaranteed to be accepted.

On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to read all five columns.

Fictional example inventory

Copy these column headings to start your own register. Add the storage location, responsible person and whether a quantity is counted or estimated. Mark unknown information as unknown.

For an initial enquiry, a description such as “six archive boxes containing mixed folders, page count unknown” is more useful than an unsupported page total. Include the approximate box dimensions and how full they are if you can check safely. Do not apply one standard pages-per-box figure to mixed records.

If you sample files to estimate volume, record which files you counted and keep different record groups separate. A thin correspondence folder may not represent a box of accounts or a bound register.

3. Explain what you mean by a page

A sheet is a physical piece of paper. It can have information on one or both sides. A document may be a single sheet or a group of related pages.

In your enquiry, distinguish boxes, folders, sheets and scanned sides wherever you know the difference. Ask how the provider will count the work for the quote, including double-sided sheets, blank backs, covers, dividers and attachments.

Make the treatment of apparently blank pages explicit. A back page may contain a stamp or handwritten note, and a divider may identify the records that follow it. If an item appears to be missing, note the gap rather than assuming it should be removed from the sequence.

4. Preserve file order and flag difficult material

Document preparation can involve removing fasteners, separating files and handling mixed paper sizes. Agree who will do each task before your team spends time on it.

For now:

• Keep existing folders and their contents together
• Note staples, clips, sleeves, bindings and folded sheets
• Identify sticky notes or inserts carrying information that needs to be captured
• Flag faded print, handwriting, tears and other condition problems
• Describe oversize pages, photographs or unusual material separately so suitability can be assessed

Avoid cutting bindings, flattening fragile pages or applying repairs yourself. Do not discard annotations, covers, attachments or apparent duplicates without instructions from the records owner. They may be needed to interpret the file.

For books and registers, the bound-document scanning guide helps you agree binding preservation, handling limits, facing-page capture and decisions about inserts before handover.

If the archive is already unsorted, describe it that way. Agree a sorting approach and its cost before anyone changes the order. For the broader service scope, see Pexatech’s bulk document scanning overview.

5. Describe the digital files you need

Give the provider an example of how staff will retrieve a record. “Find a project by its reference number” is a clearer requirement than “make everything digital”.

Specify where one digital file should end and the next should begin. You might want one file per invoice with its attachments, or one file per existing project folder. Ask how that boundary will be identified during preparation.

Then decide which outputs to discuss:

• Page images: a visual copy of the scanned pages
• Searchable PDFs: page images with recognised text that can be searched; see the OCR and searchable PDF overview
• Index fields or extracted data: agreed values such as a record reference, date or invoice total, supplied in a defined structure; see document data extraction

List the fields you actually need. Agree how missing or unreadable values will be flagged rather than guessed, and what will be checked manually.

If the output choices are unclear, the searchable PDF and data-extraction guide uses a fictional invoice to distinguish a readable file, searchable text, an index entry and spreadsheet fields.

A fictional filename such as PROJECT-014_2023-06-30_Report.pdf can help explain your preference. State what the date represents and use a record reference where appropriate, rather than adding unnecessary personal details to filenames. Confirm that the naming, format and folder structure will work in your destination system.

Use the scanned document naming and indexing guide to turn that preference into stable record IDs, a filename convention and a linked archive index.

6. Agree handling and access before sending records

Start the enquiry with a description of the records. Before sharing confidential samples or photographs, agree an appropriate transfer method and check that you are authorised to share them. A photograph of an open box can expose names and other private information.

Ask who will handle the originals, where scanning and any later processing will take place, which other providers will receive the data, and how access will be controlled. Clarify how working copies and backups are retained or deleted. Record the agreed arrangements in the project scope.

If your team needs records during scanning, ask whether staged batches or another access arrangement is possible. Confirm any charges and limitations before collection.

Once arrangements are agreed, follow the provider’s packing and labelling instructions. Check the outgoing boxes against your register, record the handover and retain a copy of the inventory. Note any items held back so the final delivery can be reconciled to the actual scope.

7. Agree a sample review and the next step for originals

Ask about reviewing a representative sample before the full archive is processed. Include ordinary files and examples of the difficulties you identified, rather than selecting only the clearest pages. Agree the sample size, scope and any charge.

Use the sample to check:

• The expected pages and sides are present, legible and in order
• Documents are split into the correct files, with attachments kept together
• Filenames and index fields match the agreed instructions
• Text searches find the expected words or references where OCR is included
• The files open and work in the system your team will use

A successful text search does not prove every word or extracted value is correct. Agree the review method for important fields and how errors, unreadable originals and rescans will be handled.

Set a review period and name the person who will accept delivery. Separately, ask your records owner or adviser to confirm what should happen to the originals under the requirements that apply to those records. Do not include destruction in the instructions simply because scanning is complete.

What to include in your scanning enquiry

Use this short checklist when requesting a quote:

• Location: suburb or postcode and any collection access constraints
• Quantity: boxes, folders or another observed measure, with estimates labelled
• Contents: record types, date ranges, sizes and condition
• Preparation: current organisation, fasteners, bindings and unusual items
• Output: file boundaries, searchable text, filenames and required fields
• Timing: deadline and any records that must remain available
• Handling: confidentiality requirements and the decision-maker for originals

If some details are unknown, say so. Ask which assumptions the quote uses and what would trigger a change to the price or scope.

Once proposals arrive, use the document scanning quote comparison checklist to check each supplier's inclusions, quality review and handover terms against the same brief.

Discuss your scanning project with Pexatech. Describe what you know about the boxes and the digital output you need; agree how any confidential samples should be shared before sending them.