A bit of work, but use these guidelines to get a ballpark:

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A standard banker box of documents holds between 2,000 and 2,500 pages. A large box holds between 4,000 and 4,500 pages. Those estimates vary depending on how tightly packed the boxes are and how many folders are in the box.

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If your paper is tucked away in filing cabinets, there are between 150 and 200 pages per inch.

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Remember that a duplex, or two-sided, page counts as two pages for scanning. While these numbers are not exact, they do give you a pretty good idea about your overall volume.

Yes. This is called re-prep. Your new files are electronic, but your old files may have to be managed for a limited amount of time, while in the process of your QC (Quality Check) or review. You have a few choices. You can ask us to shred your paper archives or store them (should compliance demand storage). If storage is the way to go, you can have your papers placed in their original folders loosely and neatly organized without re-stapling. Re-prep is an extra charge added to the document per-page scanning price by other companies but NOT by us. We include the loose page re-prep in our pricing as a way to add value and keep organized. Everything we do is neat and organized.

The answer is all of them. But scanning all of your documents isn’t always feasible. There are logistical and financial restraints. USAI suggests scanning the documents you use day to day first. Then chip away at your archives box by box until you have scanned all of your documents. This is called “Scan to Zero” in the industry. The advantage of Scan to Zero is an immediate gain in physical space. We take all of your files away, and we scan them to digital files on a schedule that fits your budget. That timeline is up to you!

According to AIIM, 59% of organizations achieve a payback on their document scanning costs in less than 12 months from their paper-free projects, including 26% in 6 months or less. 84% achieved payback in less than 18 months.

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You outsource your document scanning because your employees don’t want to scan documents. They want to do the job you hired them to do, not get paid to empty out banker boxes and filing cabinets or tackle hundreds of pounds of staple removal. Hiring a temp or a college kid to look through your sensitive documents isn’t ideal either.

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Outsourcing makes sense because you pay a scanning company with highly-skilled employees to handle a task that falls outside of your core operations. You give that job to vetted professionals who use state-of-the-art scanning equipment to achieve the best results in the fastest time at the lowest cost. You get more payback because once files are digital you’re also getting rid of crippling storage costs while downsizing your footprint, utility bills, and overhead.

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The value of outsourcing document scanning is that you’re future-proofing your business against everything from natural disasters, plumbing problems, incompetent employees, loss of knowledge at retirement, and threat actors while empowering your employees to be productive. They save time not looking for stuff, turn things around quicker, and curve those profit margins up.

Converting paper to electronic files makes information—that’s been trapped in a dark drawer for years—searchable. You can pull meaningful information from a digital file. That happens with indexing, a feature that tags specific attributes of a document (metadata like name, contact info, invoice number, date), making it easier to find and use.

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After you scan your documents, you can store your data in the Cloud, integrate it with collaboration tools like Microsoft 365, and catapult productivity with a menu of scalable enhancements that position your company at the top of your changing market.

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The cold hard truth is the world has gone digital around you and people are working from wherever they want with their phones. The new remote work model doesn’t work unless you scan your paper documents. And there’s this: you likely face new compliance standards in your industry that no longer allow paper for privacy and security reasons. Not scanning could mean crippling fines and penalties.

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So why should you scan your documents? Because times change. In 2020's, paper doesn’t cut it anymore. So go ahead and contact one of our friendly experts who know a lot about transitioning to a digital workforce, starting with document scanning services. Document scanning saves money and creates a digital launch pad for company growth. Ask us how you should get started in a way that is cost-effective and scalable for the future.

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Hands down, the best way to organize your newly scanned electronic documents is to upload them into a Document Management System. If not, a comprehensive directory and folder structure on your network will suffice. USA IMAGING can organize the digital images for import into your system or our remote file repository. The preferred choice by clients is to receive a flash drive or external HD to distribute across their departments for digital document control as well as using our secure remote file repository. Some need them organized and formatted per department for their document management system or their internal network. Whatever you need, USA IMAGING, Inc. can accommodate you.