How to Prepare Your Records for Scanning: An Additional Help Document for ADS 502

New Edition: 11/16/2012

How to Prepare Your Records for Scanning

This document has been prepared to assist your office or mission as you begin to scan

your paper records and convert them from paper to electronic format. Prior to scanning,

especially high-volume scanning, records have to be manually prepared. Time-

consuming and too often under estimated, poor record prep will also slow down record

scanning throughput (costing extra time and resources). The goal is to ensure that

records are successfully scanned while minimizing paper jams, misfeeds, double feeds,

and image quality.

There are two basic kinds of preparation:

1. Physical preparation of records. This includes removing all binding from

documents and files, such as paper clips, staples, binder clips, etc. Separator

sheets may be inserted in to keep track of pages that go together in a document

or file. It also includes mundane activities such as moving “Post-it” notes and

other items that may be affixed to the page. If such notes are a part of the record

they should be scanned separately as described below.

2. Batch preparation of documents. Activities include filing records, organizing

them by date, type, case, instance, occurrence, or whatever way your records

are sorted. Keeping your records organized and in series as you scan is

important and will make your scanning job efficient.

SPECIFIC TIPS FOR RECORD PREPERATION

1. Throw out unneeded documents that are not a part of the record. Folders

often include extra copies of the record and miscellaneous documents unrelated

to the record. Getting rid of them diminishes the number of pages that must be

scanned.

2. Sort out over-sized records that may be heeled or folded. Such records need

to be separated into separate sheets.

3. Fan the paper after removing staples. Fanning helps to separate sheets that

are stuck together where the document was stapled. This is also true for

documents with hole punches. Multiple sheets of paper that are hole-punched

together tend to stick together at the punch point.

4. On records with hole punches at the top of the page, turn the sheets upside

down to prevent scanner misfeeds. Scanner pick rollers are built to align with

the two-hole punches at the top of the page, which can result in mispicks. Many

high production scanners have settings that automatically rotate the image 180

degrees immediately upon scan, so documents may be scanned upside down,

then automatically rotated to the correct orientation prior to saving.

New Edition: 11/16/2012

5. Photocopy unscannable pages so they may be used for scanning. Keep

track of where to replace the original paper when scanning is completed.

6. Ensure that all of the paper sheets have been shuffled so that the top of all

of the pages are evenly stacked. Use a paper jogger to even out and align the

pages.

7. When scanning documents of different lengths, make sure they are at least

the same width. Check for odd-sized documents and scan them one at a time.

For documents such as paycheck stubs, W-2 forms, and so forth, photocopy the

document prior to batch scanning, or attach the document to a standard letter

size page. If smaller size documents need to be attached to a letter sheet, take

the following precautions:

● Photos, attachments, and varying types of paper affect scanning.

Eliminate unneeded materials and single feed the rest.

● Don’t use glue because it gums up scanners. Tape won’t. Cellophane tape

is slippery, and causes misfeeds by pick rollers, so avoid using it. A rough

surface transparent tape makes the pick roller less likely to slip.

● Tape the document in the middle of the letter sheet, not the top. A good

portion of the page should be loaded in the feeder before it hits the

attached sheet.

● Tape documents straight on the page. This will provide a better image and

ensure smoother feeding.

● Tape both the top and bottom of the document for most of the document

length. The scanner will most likely rip the document off the letter-sized

sheet if you don’t tape the bottom of the odd-sized sheet.

● Tape wrapped around a roller can be difficult to remove and clean. You

will need to clean the scanner more frequently when using a lot of taped

documents or the scanner will eat them.

8. Scanner maintenance. Cleaning instructions are there for a purpose, so adhere

rigidly to the daily maintenance instructions and follow these rules:

● Replace used ink and toner when recommended. Monitor the frequency of

misfeeds, double feeds, and mispicks for signs of scanner wear and tear.

● Periodically check the scanner feed areas to remove any staples, paper

clips paper fragments, or other objects that may have fallen into them.

New Edition: 11/16/2012

● Another cause of double feeds, jams, and mispicks is dust accumulation.

Clean the paper path daily with scanner cleaning fluid to remove dust

accumulation on the rollers, which makes them slippery.

● Clean the lamp lenses daily to insure that gunk does not build up. When

scanning, inspect images to check for vertical or horizontal black or white

stripes. If stripes appear, stop scanning and clean the scanner.

● When cleaning, also check the camera lens and lamp areas for scratches

that a staple or paperclip may have caused. Replace all scratched

components.

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