class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/intro9.jpg" alt="pdf document management"/>The web has seen its fair share of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/research-tools/">research-friendly tools grow over href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tech-fun/writing-a-research-paper-1990-vs-2010/">the past years, which makes sense, considering more people are actively engaging online, uploading documents and photos, publishing blog posts, and more, simply expanding online information. Among these tools, are some very popular services, including href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/diigo-write-college-essay-term-paper/">Diigo, the Firefox-only href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-share-synchronize-research-data-to-other-computers/">Scrapbook, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-ways-google-books-lifelong-learning-research/">Google Books, and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-make-use-of-research-feature-in-microsoft-word-2007/">other href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-tools-to-conduct-better-research-on-the-internet/">quality research tools, which can help you organize your findings when you href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/websites-to-help-you-research-or-buy-a-new-cars/">research for cars, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/where-to-research-material-for-your-homework/">for homework, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-websites-research-weird-science-claims/">for verifying or debunking science claims, and a whole lot more.

When you’re in the market for researching academically though, there are dedicated services that will definitely simplify your life. We’re not just talking about  bibliographic reference managers (such as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-web-tools-to-save-your-butt-in-school/">BibMe) or href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-open-source-collection-manager-apps/">catalogue managers like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/manage-your-games-books-dvds-and-audio-with-libra/">Libra, which help you keep track of your gigantic book, DVD, song, etc collection. What we will discuss are tools that help you keep your PDF article library neat and catalogued for use when you have to compose your research paper, so read on to find out which services stand out in this category.

href="http://www.mendeley.com">Mendeley [Cross-Platform]

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011-06-19_050827.jpg" alt="pdf document management" width="580" height="492" />

Mendeley is a renowned scientific research management tool and academic social network that helps you index and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/organize-pdf-files-collaboratively-research-mendeley/">organize research papers and PDF documents into a personal digital library of sorts. Not only can you organize your PDF library, but you can also highlight and annotate your PDFs, as well as sync documents across platforms since Mendeley is available for download on Windows, Mac and Linux, and on iOS. Mendeley also has a great web app, which you can use to add notes to a PDF file, as well as edit metadata. What’s cool is that Mendeley extracts bibliographic information, such as PubmedIDs, from your PDF documents, which helps you keep a tidy personal database, complete with searchable information of many kinds.

href="http://www.zotero.org/">Zotero [Cross-Platform Firefox Addon]

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011-06-19_131445.jpg" alt="manage pdf documents" width="580" height="632" />The open source Zotero not only helps you build bibliography and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/handy-tools-for-students/">keep track of your references, it also provides a place for you to organize your PDF article library. Like Mendeley, Zotero can href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/two-easy-ways-to-synchronize-zotero-data/">sync citations and entries across operating systems and mobile platforms. It also permits the user to bookmark, highlight and add sticky notes to pages, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/assemble-a-no-fuss-mailing-list-using-zotero-gmail/">assemble a no-fuss mailing list, index full-text from PDFs, etc. Zotero not only stores PDF files, it also can store files, images, links, and entire web pages.

href="http://www.debenu.com/benubird/overview.php">Benubird PDF [Windows]

Benubird PDF is part Windows Explorer shell replacement, part collection manager. You can use this program to group specific files into collections or even use the Smart Collection feature to automatically group files into virtual folders according to rules you set. By default, there are four empty collections ready for you to make use of, namely, Finances, General, Personal, and Work. You can also put files together into a zip archive from within this program and select specific folders to keep track (“Watched Folders”), as well as what files to show. In this screenshot, I chose to have Benubird monitor my Dropbox folder’s PDF files only.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011-06-14_012905.png" alt="pdf document management" width="578" height="508" />

Filtering files of a certain format isn’t the only unique feature that Benubird possesses, as it also allows you to add tags to any file and edit the PDF details (metadata) without having to open up your PDF reader. Despite the fact that Benubird froze up several times during my test, it is a pretty robust tool to help you organize your PDF collection better. You should definitely check it out (or see the cross-platform href="http://www.mauropiccini.it/shoka/">Shoka, which is another PDF library manager) if you constantly deal with a huge collection of PDF documents.

If you’re just collecting PDF-based research articles, Mendeley and Zotero are probably the best choices to help you keep an organized library, as they also pick up bibliographic information. If you’re looking for just an easier way to manage your PDF documents only, try Benubird.

What do you use to organize your research and manage your PDF document collection? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit: rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=69008020">Shutterstock – Spectral-Design

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-pdf-document-management-tools-organizing-research/">3 PDF Document Management Tools For Organizing Your Research is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/catalogs/" title="catalogs" rel="tag">catalogs, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/documents/" title="documents" rel="tag">documents, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/organization-tools/" title="organization tools" rel="tag">organization tools, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/pdf/" title="pdf" rel="tag">pdf, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/research-tools/" title="research tools" rel="tag">research tools />

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style="border: 0px none;margin-left:20px;float:right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/pdf.png" alt="embed a pdf document"/>MakeUseOf is no stranger to PDF documents as it’s home to a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/downloads">myriad of guides for all kinds of topics, and plenty of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/pdf/">articles on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/a-quadruple-of-light-alternatives-to-adobe-reader/">PDF-reading and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/use-pdfvue-to-fill-out-edit-pdf-files-for-free-online/">editing software (including href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/pdfescape/">online apps for href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-convert-a-pdf-file-to-a-jpg-image/">conversions as well). There are also tips on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/search-text-multiple-pdf-files-pdf-viewers-advanced-search/">how to search for specific text on PDF files and how to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/calibre-ebook-management-synchronization-software-multi-os/">optimize them for better viewing on your portable devices.

Today, we’ll take a look at how you, the reader, can take your PDF documents and present them on your website without additional plugins, as all we will be using are embed codes. There’s a number of third-party websites that house your PDF files in their viewers. The most popular ones that have implemented improved features will be discussed after the jump.

id="more-63548">

href="http://viewer.zoho.com/home.do">Zoho Docs

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-63603" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/36.png" alt="embed a pdf document" width="580" height="196" />

Zoho is suite of superb office and productivity applications, among which is a web-based viewer that supports a lot more formats than Google Docs, including but not limited to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, RTF (rich text format) files, as well as OpenDocument text, presentation and spreadsheet files. Unlike the Google Docs Viewer, the Zoho Docs Viewer lets you upload a file you own (which you can publish so it will have a short, shareable URL) or paste the URL in href="http://viewer.zoho.com/home.do">the main page. Once you’ve uploaded your file and are viewing it online, you can grab the embed code at the Embed tab. There’s no required sign-up process.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-63602" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/3.12.png" alt="embed pdf" width="568" height="482" />

This viewer doubles up as a handy conversion service, which allows you to convert any of the supported document files to other file types.

href="http://docs.google.com/viewer">Google Docs

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-63599" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/3.1.jpg" alt="embed pdf" width="580" height="481" />

For a simple web-based PDF viewer that can also display PowerPoint files, TIFF images, Microsoft Word documents, href="http://docs.google.com/viewer">Google Docs also offers a viewer. If all you’re looking for is the document viewer, you don’t even have to visit that page. You just need to have published your PDF document so you can get the URL of the stored document and append it to the Google Docs Viewer address at http://docs.google.com/viewer so it just becomes http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=yourURLhere. Since the path also accepts the embed parameter, you can also embed a PDF document viewer in your website with iframes. Just copy the href="http://docs.google.com/viewer">embed code on the Google Docs Viewer page.

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href="www.scribd.com">Scribd

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href="www.scribd.com">Scribd is a slightly different breed when it comes to sites that allow document embedding. It is actually a document-sharing website for authors that want to publish their works online. You need to sign up for an account in order to finish uploading documents to Scribd, but once you do, you’ll have a beautiful viewer for your piece. Scribd also allows you to import any documents from Google Docs, as well as to create a document from pasted text.

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If you’re an author and have lots of works you’d like to share or sell, you can use Scribd and other popular document-sharing websites, such as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/docstoc/">DocStoc, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/websites-to-publish-share-your-pdfs-online/">Issuu, href="http://www.youpublish.com/">YouPublish, href="http://www.edocr.com/">edocr (the free account has href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/edocr-convert-docs-pdf-share/">limited functionality) and href="http://www.yudu.com/">YUDU, which really have a sharing focus so your documents can get as exposed as possible.

If you’d rather not use a third-party document viewer, href="http://flexpaper.devaldi.com/?ref=FlexPaper">FlexPaper will likely be the best option for you as a website owner.

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It is an open-source web-based document viewer that you can download for non-commercial purposes href="http://flexpaper.devaldi.com/?ref=FlexPaper">at this website and upload it to your site.

Did we miss any other free online document viewers? Let us know in the comments!

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If it happens that you’re currently looking into getting document scanning companies but you feel a bit overloaded with all the options out there, just be sure to keep in mind the following helpful shopping tips which should greatly simplify your search for the best scanner for you. Using a portable scanner can significantly improve the way you handle digital data, most of all when saving valuable documentation is of the utmost importance. Prior to committing to a particular scanner, we encourage you to read the following guide.

The same as any current and sophisticated hardware device, portable scanners have become less complex and simpler to use. They’re the right tool for most of your day-to-day scanning requirements, like travel documents like passports and visas, contracts, checks… the list goes on. In just a few short moments they provide amazing image quality in a format to meet your every need. At the moment, the cost of document scanning companies is well within financial reach whether you’ll be using it for pleasure or getting down to business.

One of the most popular qualities of these portable usb scanners is the simplicity of using them no matter where you are. The scanners come supplied with the latest software which makes it easy to obtain impressive results from pictures and text and save the picture or text in an appropriate form. In the case of id cards, the scanner will separate the different elements of the card (photo, signature, text) as well as the full image of the card and arrange it in suitable data fields, into an external document, your clipboard, or any appropriate application.

Before purchasing document scanning companies we advise you to go through the following list of tips: (1) what function(s) will your scanner perform? (2) conduct a web search for suitable scanners; (3) what makes the scanners different from each other? (4) determine that the brand is respected and check out feedback from past scanner customers; (5) determine the company’s policies on shipping and refunds/exchanges.

If you are in the process of searching for document scanning solutions but you feel a bit overloaded with all the options out there, you first need to think about what you want to use it for, which will guarantee that you buy an appropriate scanner for your requirements. A portable scanner can be lifesaver in the way you handle digital data, primarily when the storing of valuable documentation is of the utmost importance. Prior to committing to a particular scanner, we encourage you to browse the information that follows.

The same as any current and sophisticated hardware device, mobile scanners have been made a lot more accessible and user-friendly. They can answer many purposes, which include items such as business cards and receipts that have accumulated, documents, and even checks. You won’t believe the speed, and these small scanners deliver high resolution images in a variety of output. In most cases nowadays, the cost of document scanning solutions is a very manageable expense for the business person as well as the hobbyist.

One of the most unique advantages of transportable scanners such as these is that they are so easy to work with wherever and whenever you need them. Included with the scanners is tailored scanning software that enables you to capture both printed images and text and easily save them as images or text or in a database. As an example, an id card scanner has the ability to pull out the full card image, face image, signature image and full text data of the identification and then categorize it in various files, which can then be exported to a clipboard or another software program.

Before purchasing document scanning solutions here are several factors you need to keep in mind: (1) what will your scanner’s main purpose be? (2) search the web for relevant scanners; (3) compare the scanners’ technical pros and cons; (4) check the company behind the product and read reviews by customers of the scanner; (5) establish freight charges and procedures for returns.

If it happens that you’re currently looking into getting a document scanning equipment and you could use some advice on which one to buy, then all you need to do is follow a few basic steps that will make the process of researching and buying a scanner a lot easier. Handheld scanners give you flexibility and security in the way you handle digital data, primarily when the storing of critical material is a factor. Rather than making an impulsive purchase, it’s highly recommended to take a look at these guidelines.

As is the case with every current and sophisticated hardware device, mobile scanners have been made less complex and simpler to use. They’re the right tool for a multitude of scanning tasks, for instance, photographs you don’t want to risk losing, contracts, checks… the list goes on. It’s done in an instant, and they provide exceptional pixel resolution in your choice of format. In today’s market, the retail price of a document scanning equipment is both smart and affordable for your home and office needs.

One of the most unique advantages of these small scanners is that they’re so user-friendly and convenient anywhere you happen to be. Every scanner comes furnished with the latest software which makes it easy to create high-quality output from whatever you choose to scan and save them in your choice of a variety of formats. For example, id cards scanning systems can extract the full card image, face image, signature image and full text data of the identification and then categorize it in various data and image fields that can be saved to your choice of software.

Before committing to a document scanning equipment it’s highly recommended to follow the next five steps: (1) what function(s) will your scanner perform? (2) search the internet for scanners you think might fit your needs; (3) what makes the scanners different from each other? (4) verify that the company has a good reputation and look for products reviews by real users; (5) verify delivery rates and refund or exchange practices.

In the event that you’re starting to hunt for a document scanning and storage tool and you’re wondering which one would work best for you, then you just have to listen to some good advice on the subject that should greatly simplify your search for the best scanner for you. Choosing to use a mobile scanner can greatly enhance the way you handle digital data, including when the safeguarding of irreplaceable printable data is concerned. Rather than making an impulsive purchase, we recommend that you browse the information that follows.

Like any other current and sophisticated hardware device, portable scanners have become easy to learn and to get comfortable with. These scanners are useful for a multitude of scanning tasks, for instance, business contacts, expenses, travel claims, checks or bank statements, etc. In a matter of seconds they yield amazing image quality in formats ranging from images to text. In most cases nowadays, the outlay for a document scanning and storage tool can be considered a wise investment for your home and office needs.

One of the most popular qualities of these handheld scanners is the simplicity of using them no matter where you are. Installed on the scanners is the latest software which makes it easy to create high-quality output from whatever you choose to scan and save the image or data in a number of different ways. Let’s say you need to scan an id card. the scanner extracts the ‘snapshot’ of the card, the cardholder’s photo and signature, and all the text of the id card arranged in appropriate files, which can then be exported to a clipboard or another software program.

Before shopping for a document scanning and storage tool we advise you to go through the following list of tips: (1) what will your scanner’s main purpose be? (2) search the internet for scanners you think might fit your needs; (3) compare the scanners’ technical pros and cons; (4) make sure the manufacturer is reliable and make sure the customer feedback is mostly positive; (5) establish freight charges and procedures for returns.

Looking for a portable scanner? if you are thinking about the possibility of buying a document imaging scanning solution and you’re wondering which one would work best for you, join the club! fortunately, there is a way of determining what you need which should greatly simplify your search for the best scanner for you. The use of a compact scanner can actually revolutionize the way you deal with digitized information, for example, when keeping critical material is a factor. Rather than making an impulsive purchase, it’s advisable that you read the following guide.

Like any other current and sophisticated hardware device, small scanners have evolved to be much simpler and easier to use. These scanners are useful for a variety of scanning needs such as business contacts, expenses, travel claims, contracts, checks… the list goes on. In a matter of seconds they provide exceptional pixel resolution in formats ranging from images to text. In most cases nowadays, the cost of a document imaging scanning solution is both smart and affordable for the business person as well as the hobbyist.

According to many users, the best thing about these portable usb scanners is that they are so easy to work with no matter where you are. The scanners come supplied with a specialized scanning application which will let you capture both printed images and text and save the image or data in a number of different ways. As an example, an id card scanner has the ability to pull out the different components, including full card image, photograph, signature, and text of the id and then sort it into useable files, which can then be exported to a clipboard or another software program.

Before shopping for a document imaging scanning solution take the time to go through these important procedures: (1) determine what you’ll be using a scanner for; (2) conduct a web search for suitable scanners; (3) compare the technical specifications of each scanner; (4) do a little background research on the company itself and look for products reviews by real users; (5) determine the company’s policies on shipping and refunds/exchanges.

In the event that you’re starting to seek for a way to scan documents but you feel a bit overloaded with all the options out there, just be sure to keep in mind the following helpful shopping tips which will help you to find a scanner that will serve all your needs. Handheld scanners give you flexibility and security in the way you deal with digitized information, especially when backing up critical material is a factor. Before you decide to buy a compact scanner, you really ought to read the following guide.

Like any other current and sophisticated hardware device, mobile scanners have been made easy to learn and to get comfortable with. They can answer most of your day-to-day scanning requirements, like photographs you don’t want to risk losing, various records and licenses… In almost no time at all these scanners generate an extraordinary level of sharpness in your choice of format. At the moment, the best way to scan documents is going online and finding a solution that is well within financial reach whether you are buying it for personal or business use.

Among the many and varied advantages of these compact scanners is the great convenience of them no matter what the circumstances. Installed on the scanners is a professional scanning program that works to obtain impressive results from pictures and text and save the image or data in a number of different ways. In the case of id cards, the scanner will separate the various parts of the card: the photo, the signature, and all the text of the identification and then categorize it in various records of text and images which can be saved to another file or application.

Prior of choosing a solution to scan documents we advise you to go through the following list of tips: (1) decide what you need a scanner for; (2) search the web for relevant scanners; (3) take a close look at the scanners’ capabilities; (4) be sure that the manufacturer has a good name and see what other users’ opinions have been; (5) check shipping terms and return policies.

In the event that you’re starting to hunt for a document scanning solution and you are not really sure which scanner to buy, then you just have to listen to some good advice on the subject that will make the process of researching and buying a scanner a lot easier. The use of a compact scanner can actually revolutionize your technique for dealing with digital material, including when the safeguarding of irreplaceable printable data is concerned. Prior to committing to a particular scanner, we suggest that you browse the information that follows.

The same as any current and sophisticated hardware device, handheld scanners have been designed to be easier to get up and running with. Portable scanners are designed for most of your day-to-day scanning requirements, like business cards and receipts that have accumulated, miscellaneous documents… whatever you want. You won’t believe the speed, and portable scanners offer an extraordinary level of sharpness in your choice of format. At the present time, the price of a document scanning solution is certainly worth the expense for your home and office needs.

One of the most unique advantages of mobile scanners like these is that they are so easy to work with no matter what the circumstances. Every scanner comes furnished with tailored scanning software that enables you to obtain impressive results from pictures and text and save them to a preferred format or database. If you want to scan id cards, the device will take the images and data, including the photo, signature, and all the text of the identification and then categorize it in various records of text and images which can be saved to another file or application.

Before committing to a document scanning solution take the time to go through these important procedures: (1) what function(s) will your scanner perform? (2) use your favorite search engine to look for appropriate scanners; (3) compare the scanners’ technical pros and cons; (4) make sure the manufacturer is reliable and see what other users’ opinions have been; (5) verify delivery rates and refund or exchange practices.

If you are in the process of searching for document scans tools but you don’t know which type would best fit your needs, just be sure to keep in mind the following helpful shopping tips which should greatly simplify your search for the best scanner for you. Handheld scanners give you flexibility and security in your daily and weekly data-handling routine, especially when backing up vital information has to be guaranteed. Prior to committing to a particular scanner, it’s advisable that you take a look at these guidelines.

As is the case with every current and sophisticated hardware device, compact scanners are now easy to learn and to get comfortable with. They’re the right tool for a wide range of scanning functions, like business cards and receipts that have accumulated, various records and licenses… In almost no time at all these scanners generate amazing image quality in your choice of format. In today’s market, the minimal expense of document scans tools can fit a reasonable budget both for companies and individuals.

Perhaps the most attractive of the many features of these portable usb scanners is the great convenience of them no matter where you are. Included with the scanners is a professional scanning program that works to capture both printed images and text and then save the files to use in various ways. If you want to scan id cards, the device will take the different elements of the card (photo, signature, text) as well as the full image of the card and set it all up in convenient text fields, into an external file, clipboard or third party software.

Prior to buying document scans tools it’s highly recommended to follow the next five steps: (1) what will your scanner’s main purpose be? (2) search the internet for scanners you think might fit your needs; (3) see how the various scanners differ in their specifications; (4) be sure that the manufacturer has a good name and see what past customers have to say about it; (5) determine the company’s policies on shipping and refunds/exchanges.

Why is it that small businesses rarely consider document scanning and management. Even those who produce half a dozen invoices or despatch notes daiily can gain access to a competitive edge by adopting DM as a company policy

1. Viewing documents at the PC without the need to visit the filing cabinet.

2. It is virtually impossible to lose or misfile documents with an electronic document scanning system, something which cannot be said of physical filing.

3. Security of sensitive documents e.g. HR files, can be limited to “need to know” basis only by issueing passwords to the relevant parties.

4. You do NOT need to show Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs the originals of any documents. They are quite happy to view electronic copies.

5. The ability for multiple users to view documents at the same time. e.g. sharing access to electronically scanned invoices with your accountant or bookkeeper.

6. More space efficient. Storing documents electronically frees up valuable office space that would otherwise be taken by filing cabinets.

7. A basic system can be purchased for a few hundred pounds making adoption of document scanning a very cost effective solution.

8. Expandable and scalable system to cope with growth.

9. More time efficient as physical files take time to produce whereas document scanning can be done at each users desk or at a central scanning point.

10. Far more productive. Gartner estimate that a 45% saving in paper handling times is achievable by implementing a document scanning & management system.

With so many variations of document scanning and management to consider it is highly recommended that you choose your supplier carefully and take out references and ask for testimonials.

The choices are mind boggling for those with no experience or knowledge of document scanning or document management and I would recommend doing some research to establish the credentials of a truly independent document management expert, either locally or nationally Ask for testimonials and obtain 2 or 3 different quotations/proposals.Don’t deal with a provider who only carries one range of hardware or software, they may be independent but a choice of one is no choice at all. As a rule of thumb find a supplier who is an authorised reseller of at least 3 recognised scanner brands and at least 2 software offerings.

When talking to the supplier explain clearly what documents you wish to manage and think carefully about the information you need to extract from the page. For example, you may want to cross refer an invoice with a delivery note either by date order or by customer name or order number. This process is called indexing and every business has different requirements.

Ensure that whoever you decide to place your business with has a good track record and have been in business long enough to have a high level of specialist industry knowledge. Ask them for written undertakings of software updates or licenses and establish that these will be provided either free of charge or at pre-arranged cost effective pricing levels.

Finally, don’t get drawn into long contracts, there is no need for this and any business who asks to tie you in to a year long contract or 6 month cancellation clause have no faith in their ability to keep you consistently happy.

Thanks for reading and I hope this basic guide to document scanning and document management has been useful.

A very real fact in businesses today is that filing systems only ever seem to grow and grow, the reason being that legal requirements demands that documents detailing transactions, research and correspondence has to be retained for many years before finally shredded.

In this modern day of technology this working practice of retention of the hard copy has gone ‘out the window’ as at last technology has come to the rescue of companies overwhelmed by a mountain of paper.  As more and more businesses decide to take the jump of faith document scanning and electronic storage is growing more and more.

One of the reasons why businesses are sometimes reluctant to move towards document scanning is the legal aspect or admissibility of scanned documents, and directors and management of companies all over the UK are asking themselves, do electronic documents hold the same evidence weight as paper?

The BSI DISC PD008 is the current British Standard document relating to ‘Legal Admissibility and evidential weight of information stored electronically. And for a company to claim full compliance with the British Standard the implementation of rigorous document management systems should be in place.

Any company working with a specialist document scanning service with in-depth understanding of this standard can identify the best and most compliant system for their needs, and organisations can rest assured that implementation of an electronic document management system is much easier than one would think, Businesses can benefit by working with a specialist scanning company such as Click2Scan and can benefit from their great knowledge and experience.

Click2Scan with offices in London and Wiltshire concentrate on the one and only technology field of document scanning and digitizing hard copy, and can offer their clients expert advice and opinions, also provide support and backup every step of the way, they have on offer a ‘complete package’ in terms of services and products they offer to the customer.

The services include hardware and software sales, document management software, document scanning services, document scanner hire, photo, slide and negative scanning, and if you are looking for technology for your office, Click2Scan sell a range of document scanners from Canon, Kodak and Fujitsu and all the software you need to speed up labour intensive processes.  Click2Scan have solved UK wide problems and come up with solutions.

A spokesman for Click2Scan said “our real strength is understanding a clients needs and then tailoring a solution that will save time and money, and it doesn’t matter where you are in the UK we are able to assist, in fact whatever your needs, if it’s related to digitizing information, we are the UK’s experts and have a solution to suit”.

Click2Scan to the rescue handling everything from scanning data, microfilm scanning, photo scanning, if you have a problem, they have a solution.   Whatever a company wants to do, scan and shred, or scan and re-pack into long term storage, Click2Scan will help ensure your scanning is compliant.

For further information visit:  www.click2scan.co.uk

This topic raises its head virtually every day at our headquarters. Customers will often wrestle with the economics of whether to hire or buy a scanner and factor in their own labour costs for an in-house solution before requesting a price for bureau scanning from us, not a decision that can be taken lightly.

Clearly where your own internal labour resource is not an issue it will in most cases be more cost effective to do it yourself. However it’s not quite as simple as that as you also have to take into account the complexity of the scanning job i.e.:

*Does it require indexing or complex preparation?
*Are the paper sizes compatible with a document feeder or will you have to flatbed scan which can increase the labour intensity ten fold?
*What do you do with the originals – archive again or destroy?
*How long do you legally have to keep documents before destroying?

Any professional document management company should be able to answer all of these questions for you and indeed most are already answered on our website. So with an ever moving target comprising many variables is it possible to easily calculate the benefits of in-house scanning vs outsourcing? The short answer here is probably not, unless you have a penchant for spreadsheets and a keen understanding of document management in its many guises. However, the following will help you make some basic assumptions in your analysis.

ESTIMATED COST FOR OUTSOURCING DOCUMENT SCANNING

For a quick ball park guide we will assume that the majority of your archive comprises A4 documents, not stapled or clipped in anyway and therefore ready to scan. The price per sheet for bureau scanning (where a bureau scanning company do the work for you) will be in the region of 4.2 – 5.5p per scan, dependant on quantity or put another way, an average a four drawer filing cabinet can be scanned for circa £375. This includes collection, secure storage whilst awaiting scanning, subsequent scanning, digital transfer (normally to disc) and final destruction of originals if appropriate (some documents you CANNOT legally destroy such as Wills or EPA’s).

The obvious benefits here are that the final product/service is being carried out by experienced professionals and operator error or loss of documents have been factored out. Your resource has not been tied up for chunky periods of salaried time when they could have been producing revenue elsewhere in your business.

ESTIMATED COST FOR IN-HOUSE DOCUMENT SCANNING

This one is far more tricky and hinges quite heavily on whether, as previously mentioned, you have the resource, scanning hardware with the capability to handle the type and volume of documentation, associated software plus relevant knowledge to guarantee a satisfactory result.

Generally speaking if you combine archive scanning along with your day-to day scanning of current documents an in-house facility will in the long run prove to be the better option. A starting point for a document management/scanning system could be as little as one small scanner and some basic training, say £1000 or so. This will cope with the average demands of a small business. Companies with heavy paper usage will require more sophisticated solutions and these can run into several thousand pounds as a total investment with added costs for support and training.

SUMMARY

Taking all of the above into account its really a personal choice based around need vs available labour vs cost. If an electronic document management solution with all of its space and time saving benefits is part of your company’s strategic forward thinking then an in-house solution will probably make more sense.

One off demands for reduction in archive filing for example will probably be more suited to outsourcing. All companies will produce written quotations free of charge and our suggestion would be to get them to do exactly that and do the maths for you. The really good news is that document management really is within the grasp of even the smallest company and once you experience the facility to file and reference all of your documents without leaving your work station you will never want to return to the century old and time consuming tradition of treking off to the filing cabinets ever again!

Barcode scanning and the imaging of documents are two critical functions of businesses today. Until recently separate hardware devices were required to perform both tasks. A barcode scanner and a document imager. Having a single device that can perform both barcode scanning and document scanning would be a very low cost alternative for any business.

Some of the benefits of scanning barcodes are:

* Improved tracking of goods sold.
* Improved management of inventory.
* Better operating efficiency.
* Reduced data entry errors.
* Improved customer experience.

Document imaging benefits include:

* Quick data availability.
* Reduced or eliminated paper storage costs.
* Improved customer relations.
* Eliminated manual searching.
* World wide availability of the documents.

Today there is a solution that utilizes both barcode scanner and document imager. The Honeywell Scanning and Mobility 4800DR is a hybrid device that performs both barcode scanning and document imaging. The 4800DR has a 1.3 megapixel area image sensor and a custom stand system that places a document at the correct distance for imaging.

Barcode scanning with the 4800DR is conducted in one of two ways. The first and most recognized method is to simply align the scanner over the barcode, squeeze the trigger, align the aiming pattern and wait for the good read beep. The second way is to put the barcode scanner into presentation mode. When the scanner is in presentation mode it appears to be turned off because there is no aiming pattern or illumination present. When a barcode is placed in the field of view of the barcode scanner, the aiming pattern and scanner illumination activate and the barcode is read. Presentation mode allows the barcode scanner to be used while in the stand without having to depress the trigger to initiate scanning. Since the 4800DR uses an area imager it can read 1D and 2D barcodes in any orientation.

When used as a document imager the 4800DR can be integrated into just about any application. A suite of software tools is available to help with the integration effort. Twain and SANE drivers are available as well as an SDK (software development kit). Popular image formats are available, including JPEG, TIF and BMP. TIF support is extremely important since many legacy applications use TIF black and white images with Group 4 fax encoding compression for the smallest possible file sizes. The 4800DR also is equipped with a variety of image processing functions. Edge sharpening, gamma, histogram stretch, noise reduction, text enhancement and document auto-cropping. Auto-cropping is extremely useful as it removes the blank space around the edges of a document. The 4800DR acquires an area that is slightly larger than an 8.5″ x 11″ document. If a document the size of a standard business card was being imaged, the area encompassing the card is not wanted. The auto-cropping feature of the 4800DR crops the blank area surrounding the card and transfers an image that is only a little bigger than the card. Auto-cropping a document is another way to shrink the image file size.

The 4800DR is the first hybrid barcode scanner and document imager on the market. By uniting the functions of both devices the customer gets the benefits of both devices at a lower cost since a single device is bought.

To find out more about the 4800DR please visit the product page at Honeywell’s website. http://www.handheld.com/Site.aspx/na/en/product_center/hardware/?product=259

Are you planning to head up to the local office supply store and grab a scanner and start converting all your documents to a digital format? Did you do any planning ahead of time?

I know, you may think you only have a few documents to scan. I’m saying make sure that is accurate, take out all of the documents you plan to scan and see the pile.

• Is it a couple inches high?
• Is this the only batch you’re going to scan?
• Are you going to want these scanned in to Word? If so then OCR validation is incredibly important, and are you going to do that manually?

The point I am trying to make is simple actually, and that is that as humans we tend to minimize a lot of tasks and deny how much there is to be done. So follow this questionnaire to help you decipher exactly how big, or small, your document conversion project is and how it is going to get done.

1. Is this a new project or are you attempting to maintain an existing project?
2. How many sheets of paper, front and back, do you need to convert? Write down both how many to get started and how many per month to maintain your paperless office project.
3. Where will the digital format of these documents get stored?
4. How much security is needed for the stored documents? Outline the levels of security and put names within each level.
5. Who will do the scanning?
6. Who will do the verification that the scanned documents are accurate?
7. What software will you use to manage the digital documents?
8. How will the existing paper documents be handled after the completion of the conversion?
9. Who will manage and do Step 8?

There are just 9 steps to get you started in creating a much clearer view of your project, but even more importantly these steps will help you define the level of hardware you need to take on your document conversion project. A project of 100 documents per month will need a different scanner than the company that will be converting a warehouse of existing documents and 100,000 new documents per month.

The leaders in the document conversion hardware field are Bowe Bell & Howell, Canon, Fujitsu and Kodak fitting the needs of every size company project. The software you decide to use to manage your documents will also have an effect on the hardware you select, as not every scanner is compatible with all document conversion and management applications. That is why it is SO important to go through the 9 steps listed above; even if you cannot answer every question you now have a starting point to work with a professional company.

The above list was developed with the help of Digital Storage Solutions out of Long Island, New York. They specialize in document conversion for small businesses all the way up to enterprise level corporations. Be prepared before you speak with any conversion company.

Fast and easy retrieval of you information is critical to your business success. And your documents, both on hard drive and paper, are the lifeblood of your organization. So it makes sense to preserve them for any eventuality. But should you try to do it yourself of find a professional firm to do it for you? Read on to find out.

Document Storage: Why You Should Outsource

Fast and easy retrieval of you information is critical to your business success. And your documents, both on hard drive and paper, are the lifeblood of your organization. So it makes sense to preserve them for any eventuality.

But whether your documents are on paper or in electronic form, your data can still be at the mercy of natural or man-made disaster or hard-drive failure. Such loss could cripple your business so it’s essential to have an effective back-up system in place. So how to do it?

Transferring you paper documents and hard-disk data to optical media is the first step. This allows easy retrieval of any information you need. With an efficient indexing system, just pop the disc into the drive and voila. No need to search through dusty storerooms and cart out heavy boxes.

Once you’ve decided to go ahead and backup your critical data, you have to decide whether to do it yourself or outsource to a professional company.

It really depends on the volume of documents you have to work with. But considering the importance of your company information, it makes sense to bring in a professional firm for the following reasons.

Firstly, they’re up-to-date on the latest and most effective methods of data storage. For example, perhaps you’ve already backed up some of your hard disk data to standard Cd’s. After all, they last forever, right? Unfortunately not. Some statistics on the shelf life of recorded Cd’s might shock you. Unless you take great care, standard CD/DVDs can degrade to the point of being unreadable in as little to 2-5 years. Professional data storage firm will be knowledgeable of the latest media such as the latest Kodak Gold discs which offer effective lifespan of 80-300 years.

Another important reason to outsource to a document imaging solution provider is that their staff are trained and knowledgeable experts in data conversion. Scanning workflow, for example, is a complicated undertaking, especially if large volumes of documents and deadlines are involved. This really needs an expert’s touch. Solution providers also offer data entry services to key-in important meta data from documents to create a searchable database of your paper.

Then professional firms have the state-of-the-art equipment to handle any kind or size of job. The resulting efficiencies lower production costs which leads to lower costs for you. Buying, installing such hardware yourself and then training you own staff in its use would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming.

In addition, a solution provider will manage your entire document conversion project. This means there’s no need to tie-up any of your own resources in the conversion process. Such projects can be complex, requiring needs assessment, planning and estimating before the actual scanning begins. And the imaging company’s staff can work on-site on your own premises so there’s no need to your confidential documents to leave the building.

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