The industry of document imaging has really picking up and it’s showing more and more why it’s import to do it, but for the most part I think the average person doesn’t do it.

I’m actually referring to home users. Document imaging is something you do at work and not at home- I guess. Some home users do this and they know the benefits, but I wanted to cover this a bit and see where it goes.

How many times have you been searching forever looking for your old tax returns or looking for that specific document? Those situations will really kick you in the butt, but if you imaged that document, you’d a had it in a few clicks.

So if your interested in making your life easier, you’ll need to start with a scanner; preferably a scanner with an ADF [auto document feeder] on it. The ADF doesn’t have to be fast, it just has to work- consistently. The killer to this process would be if you don’t have an ADF; this means you’d have to load each sheet of paper/picture one by one in to a scanner, scan it, remove it and repeat the process [over and over and over]- which is highly inefficient and things that are not easy to do, will most likely never make it has a habit; cause no one like doing stuff they don’t like… it has to be easy.

Take for instance a new MFM [multi-function-machine] that can print, scan, fax and copy. Almost off these MFM have ADF’s on them now and the price is surprisingly low [and getting lower].

The benefit of getting a scanner with an ADF is the fact they will have bundled software. This software is normally not that bad. The times that it’s bad is when there’s more fluff than function. Not every user is an idiot and not every user should be treated so.

My opinion is that most applications should have a basic and advanced user setting. This means that once the user has used the program in basic mode and has gotten to know it, they can scale up.

Regardless which software bundle you get, what your looking for is ease of use. A common software is Paperport from Nuance. It’s a prime example of something to get started with. Do you need a program like Paperport?

No. There are alternatives and if your computer savvy, it’s not hard to come up with something.

Your going to be looking for something that offers flexibility, ease of use and offers an option to store information the way your mind works/how you want to reference it.

Having a hierarchy or tree listing of this/your information is going to be to your benefit. Something that has folders and subfolders.

If and when you find something you like, make sure you TRY the software before buying it. A lot of vendors offer 30 day trials.

You don’t want to scan a bunch of information in to something you can’t stand or get locked in to. And it’s important to realize getting your information out of the software package you choose is even more important than putting it in. Yes, it should be easy to enter and it should be easier to find and export; because that’s the purpose- to save time and efforts.

When your dealing with document imaging, your looking for ease of use. Whether your using a software package or just scanning PDFs to a folder system, you really want to be able to view/change this information where needs be. It’s important to correct the orientation of the images once they’re scanned; do you really want to be turning your head sideways to be reading scanned documents? No. So being able to rotate the images and being able to crop [select/cut out specific areas] is basic editing.

There’s a lot more, but let’s keep it simple.

Let’s say you do this and you start imaging all your stuff; the best thing you can do is back it up. I can tell you form experience that losing large amounts of valuable data is NOT fun. And a small thing like a weekly backup will almost literally save your life.

Security of those documents is important as well, but either using the program or by using the Windows security for folders, you can setup who’s got access and who doesn’t.

I’ve been placed in situations where people will say I need this, and this and this and I need it by the end of the day. Most people would panic at this and suddenly say it’s not possible, but I’ve impressed people by having the information to them in 10-15 minutes. This is because I’ve my important information scanned in and I can easily select and fax that information at will. I’ve to print nothing; I just select and fax/email.

If your dealing with a realtor, bank or person that needs this information, they’ll be highly impressed with your organization and promptness.

Do you do this? Has it benefitted you?

What’s your document imaging program of choice?

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy.

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