How much space do scanned images take?
The files that result from scanning may be burned to CD ROM and/or loaded to your computer systems. At approximately 15,000 pages per CD-ROM, 500 packed storage boxes containing 1.5 million pages are reduced to 100 CDs. At today's disk prices, the hardware cost to store this much data is less than $1,000 (and going down).

What is the process of scanning?
Document scanning is a three-phase process of preparation, scanning, and reassembly. D-M's scanning department first prepares documents by removing bindings, staples, clips, and rubber bands, while keeping track of them for subsequent reassembly.

Prepared documents are then fed into scanners by operators who monitor the entire process, taking care that each page is properly identified and oriented. The documents may be scanned as black-and-white or color images. Oversized and colored documents can be handled using scanners specially designed for such items. Pages that are old, damaged, faint, or illegible may require scanning adjustments to be sure they are ultimately readable. Operators are able to scan more than 1,000 pages an hour at a reasonable cost. Unless the client specifies otherwise, documents are reassembled to their original state (stabled, clipped, etc.), then readied for storage or return shipping.

How are the scanned images used?
Once scanned, the images are burned to CDs and retrieval indices are prepared either to client specifications or for use with one of the retrieval software systems that D-M recommends. You can load the image data from CDs to your disk system, or use the CDs directly with the image retrieval software to pull images up on your screen. If you've also indexed your documents, you may use a linked system to pull up images of the original documents in your query/search results.

If you use a different software package, D-M can convert our scanned images to other formats, such as TIFF, JPG, or PDF files.

Blowbacks
If you need paper copies with the IDs assigned before or during scanning, they can be made from the CDs at any time without access to the original boxes. An archive of each CD is made at the same time as the original. D-M can blow back paper copies of any subset or all the pages scanned at any time on one of our high-speed printers. D-M can also make oversized and colored copies of special images.

OCR Conversions
If the original documents are of sufficiently high quality, they can be subjected to OCR, Optical Character Recognition, to create searchable files of the actual document's text. It is important to understand, however, that this process is not perfect, because the text on the originals may not be clean. Handwritten text, certain printed forms, and bad copies are all poor candidates for OCR. Optionally, operators can correct OCR errors detected by the system or by proof-reading. D-M can test a set of your documents to provide a sample of the quality you can get from OCR-ing.

 To see what we can do for you, contact your local Esquire representative, or email us at litigation@esquirecom.com.