How big is your archive? Measure before you buy

The most common question we get: I have a big archive, which scanner should I buy? That is impossible to answer without a number, because big is not a unit. This article turns cabinets into numbers in about fifteen minutes.

Step one: count the paper

Do not count sheet by sheet. Use centimetres: A standard ream (500 sheets) is about 5 cm thick. So each centimetre is roughly 100 sheets. Measure the thickness of the files on each shelf and multiply by 100. A cabinet with four shelves, each 60 cm and full, is 240 cm x 100 = about 24,000 sheets. The…

Step two: account for both sides

If your documents are printed on both sides, the number of images scanned is double the number of sheets. Modern scanners capture both sides in one pass, so the time does not double — but device specifications sometimes quote images rather than sheets, so watch that when comparing.

Step three: work out the real time

Do not calculate from the headline speed. A device rated at 60 sheets per minute will not give you 3,600 sheets an hour — there is paper preparation, loading batches, checking, and the occasional jam. A practical rule: assume 50% of the rated speed as your realistic sustained throughput across a ful…

Step four: choose for the ongoing load, not the one-off project

This is the important one. Most people choose a device based on the initial digitisation project — and once it is done, the machine is far larger than the daily need. Ask yourself: after the old archive is finished, how many sheets will arrive each month? If the answer is few, it is usually cheaper …

Things that matter more than speed

• Double-feed detection — stops a page passing through unscanned Automatic deskew — raises OCR accuracy Feeder capacity — a bigger stack means fewer interruptions Handling of cards and small receipts The bundled software — this is what does the indexing and naming