Document scanning is an overlooked but powerful tool in the modern office. Even if your office is an early adopter of technology and you’ve been digital for a while, you still likely receive and process paper regularly. Digitizing paper and paper-based processes are an essential part of making your workflows more efficient and making your business more sustainable.

How does document scanning play into this? You’re likely quite familiar with the process of digitizing paper documents. But did you know that there are several ways to digitize and that it’s important to make these digital records uniform and organized? Here are our tips for digitizing practices in your office.

Digitizing Your Office

Most likely, the machine that comes to mind when we discuss digitizing is the office scanner. Although standalone scanners can be a valuable asset to a company that performs large-scale scanning on a regular basis, most businesses rely on the flatbed scanners on their multifunction printers.

When it comes to document capture devices, offices typically choose between one of or a combination of these machines:

• Standalone Scanner for high volume jobs
• Multifunction Printer with a flatbed scanner or an automatic document feeder
• Copier or Printer with scanning capabilities

The type that you choose will depend on your needs. Today, you can also use your smartphone or tablet to scan documents—yes, there’s an app for that. Encourage employees to use this kind of app for receipts and invoices while on the go.

Once the paper is digitized, where does it go? The valuable companion to digitizing is the digital storage option. Electronic document management replaces your filing cabinets in the same way that digital documents replace paper.

For more information about scanners, digitizing, and document management, contact our office.