Personal and Business Scanners - Equipment for Digitising Documents
Bulk saving of documents and paper assets no longer means rooms filled with files and folders, or transferring material to microfiche. Scanning solutions have evolved and contemporary scanners have advanced to levels where their use is revolutionising business processes. Scanners are capable of processing large volumes of documents automatically in a quick and efficient manner without causing any damage to the originals.
The digital age demands that information and data be recorded and maintained electronically - sometimes in an electronic database to enable easy access and archiving. Hardcopy documents (also known as unstructured data) were previously only processed through manual data capturing. Now, through the introduction of advanced scanning technology, optical character recognition and document management software, this process is far quicker and requires less manpower.
Types of scanning equipment
Modern scanners offer customised solutions to both business and personal users. Scanners include sheet-fed, flatbed, desktop, enterprise and all-in-one devices. The majority of scanners can process A4 or A3 documents in either simplex or duplex format. Simplex scanning captures only one side of a page while duplex scanning captures both sides. Specialised scanners can accommodate varying document sizes; from passport photos to A0 size maps and other large documents.
Sheet-fed scanners and flatbed scanners process information from loose paper and books. Loose documents are loaded in bulk into a sheet-fed scanner's tray and are processed automatically by the scanner, eradicating the need for manual paper feeding. Ultrasonic sensors detect double paper feeds. Scanning is stopped or an alarm is sounded if two or more sheets of paper are fed through the scanner, ensuring that there are no duplicate copies, missed pages or paper jams. This in turn allows for speed and efficiency. Flatbed scanners are used for items such as books, identity documents and photos, ensuring that scanned documents are clear and high quality. Combinations of sheet-fed and flatbed scanners are also available as a more economical solution to those with varied scanning needs.
Desktop scanners are small in size, yet can be used to process large amounts of information, all from a desktop! Models are available in high, medium and low volume capacity, meaning that a desktop scanner is available to meet most scanning needs. If scanning requirements are generally low, a business can economise by purchasing an affordable low volume scanner. Scanners can process documents at a high speed, with high volume scanners able to process 40 o 60 documents per minute. Even low volume scanners can process approximately 20 pages per minute.
Enterprise scanners are used by large organisations to process large volumes of documents on a daily basis - or to handle unique scanning requirements. Companies are able to link network scanners (a type of enterprise scanner) to a network for email distribution of data, allowing for quick circulation and access to information. The scanner's network connection also allows scanned data to be saved to a database which is accessible through a server, enabling quick and easy access to information. Digital copying is possible with a network scanner that has been linked to a printer. This eradicates the need for expensive photocopy machines. Specialised scanners afford unique capabilities such as small document size scanning, portable scanning and book scanning.
All-in-one scanners (also known as multi-function products) combine the functionalities of a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine. All-in-one devices are especially suited to small offices where the required volume for data scanning is generally low and space is at a premium.
Benefits to business processes
Contemporary scanning equipment has a variety of features available for streamlining office procedures and projects. Easy user interfaces create greater functionality and enhanced settings, for example, pre-programmed email destinations allow documents and digitised data to be sent in an instant. Scanned documents are automatically cropped and straightened as they are scanned and can be converted into PDF and other formats. USB ports allow for easy connections and transferral of digitised data.
The use of document scanners with optical character recognition allows the processed documents to be searchable and indexable when stored in conjunction with management software. These features enable businesses to speed up operations because the indexing and easy search functions mean that documents are easy to find. Storing scanned data in an electronic document management system (database) makes finding data a simple and effortless procedure. Document management technology ensures that information is well managed and accessible via a customised network or web interface. Faster procedures save time which can then be spent assessing client work and creating a better service structure.
Scanning solutions at the 2009 South African national general elections
An example of the ability scanning software has to aid document management is the 2009 national and provisional general election in South Africa which was held on 22 April 2009. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) was required to process the ballot papers from more than 20,000 voting districts around the country. The IEC used scanners and scanning software to assist them in reaching an accurate result in a short period of time.
Ballots were allocated unique batch numbers for particular voting districts. Once the voting stations closed, the ballot boxes from the voting districts were sent to 297 counting stations situated around the country. After being sorted and counted, the results were recorded on a results slip for each district which was then signed by an auditor and party political representatives. The results slips containing the specific district batch number were scanned to make digital backup copies.
The data was processed and indexed through the use of customised character recognition software in case batches of ballots were lost. This also proved that votes were counted. After indexing, the result was converted into a small file and sent to the IEC Results Centre immediately. The data was also sent to an IEC database for storage. This made the collation of the election results far easier to complete in a very short time.
Business scanners have become a necessity for the efficient management of large volumes of unstructured data and allow for any document to be scanned and converted into digital data, whether in book format or loose documents, small photographs or large images. Business processes can be executed in shorter time frames with greater success. This allows for better client service and improved customer satisfaction.
About the Author:
Avision Africa is the primary distributor of Avision scanners in Africa, including document digitising equipment, copiers and printers.