e-skills UK Guide

Online document storage

Online document storage

For many small businesses it is very useful to have copies of documents held on a PC in “soft” format. For example just before you send off your latest VAT return why not take a copy and store it on your PC for future reference? Why not store copies of contracts on line so they can be safely stored away from the originals?

In some cases, where you have lots of documents to copy it makes sense to invest in a photocopier. For smaller and ad-hoc volumes a scanner attached to your PC can do the job just as well, and is far cheaper to run.

Choosing a scanner

A scanner is a piece of computer hardware that plugs into your PC and enables you to copy a document and convert it into an image for storage on the computer’s hard disk. It can be used for copying photographs, documents, files or paperwork. 

There are two main types of scanner;

• Flatbed scanners are the most common type of scanner for small office use. They look like a small photocopier and work in a similar way. Documents are placed onto a glass plate and a scanning arm moves underneath the document converting it into an electronic version.
• Sheet feed scanners move the document in front of the scanner drum in the same way that a fax machine will process a document. 

Scanner resolution is one of the key attributes a manufacturer will talk about. Basically the higher the resolution then the better the scanned in document will look. The resolution is normally described in dpi or dots per inch. The more dots per inch the better. For standard business documents 300 – 600 dpi is perfectly acceptable. Up to 1200 dpi can be used for photographs. This is really as high as you are ever likely to need.

Note: If a scanner resolution is given as 300 x 600 the actual resolution is always the lower of the two numbers, in this case 300 dpi.

You may hear a term called bit depth. This relates to the way the scanner handles colours and most scanners are 24-bit, some are either 30-bit or 36-bit. Don’t let the term confuse you – 24-bit is perfectly fine for most small businesses. Dynamic range is another term you may hear. The range goes from 0 – 4.0. Most scanners for small businesses are about 2.4 which is perfectly adequate.

A scanner should cost you between £30 and £150. For details on where to purchase a scanner take a look at Finding Hardware products and suppliers Guide.