Scanning and Archiving FAQ's

Scanning is much like making a photocopy of your original. Instead of using toner to reproduce the original, scanning recreates the image as pixels. A single pixel is a tiny single bit of data. When grouped together, pixels form recognizable pictures called raster images. Because of this, working with raster image files is a little different than working with standard word-processing or CAD files. In raster images, scanned text is no longer text; it becomes a group of pixels in the shape of text. Likewise, lines on blueprints and technical drawings are also series of pixels.

 

  
 
   
 
Here are some frequently asked questions about scanning and the answers:

Can my page-size text documents be scanned so I can use them in my word processing application without having to retype them?
Yes. Once a document is scanned, the raster files can be processed using a method called OCR (optical character recognition). This is special software that examines the raster images of text and converts the pixels to actual text characters. A new file is generated and saved in a standard word-processing file format. Click for details on Document Scanning & Conversion to Word Processing.

Is there any way I can make changes to a raster image without converting it?
Yes. We use special software specifically designed for editing raster image files. The software can erase or add new raster data to existing formats. Text, lines, arcs, and circles are just some of the tools that can be used to modify the raster images. Click for details on Raster Image Editing.

Can I print raster images like I do my CAD and word processing files?
Yes. Raster image files may be printed on laser, ink jet, thermal and electrostatic printers. They may also be faxed directly from the computer workstation to a standard fax machine. Click for details on Raster Image Editing.

How big are the file sizes of scanned documents?
Current file formats for scanned images use data compression that reduces the file size substantially. A typical letter-size document at 300 DPI averages about 30 to 35Kb and engineering drawings average between 100 and 400Kb when a TIFF GP4 image format is used. You will not require a "high power" computer system to work with scanned documents.



  
   
 
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