---
icon: "{fas}`print`"
date: "2024-11-13"
---

# Scanning Documents

Recently I archived a bunch of physical documents so I didn't have to carry them around with me. Here I will document my process to assist anyone facing a similar scenario.

## Where to find a scanner

First, use a document scanner at a library. Scanners at commercial stores like Officeworks actually cost money to use, while libraries are free.

## Pre-processing your documents

Second, pre-process your documents. This process will look like this:

1. Remove staples from your documents. Scanners work one page at a time, so you need all your pages loose. You can use either a dedicated stapler remover, or something sharp like a box cutter to gently uplift staples.
1. Organise your documents into single and double-sided piles. Regarding double-sided pages, you may want to decide whether the back page is really necessary as sometimes it only contains filler or boiler-plate content.
1. Split your piles into 20 page sets. The scanners at my library advised to only scan 20 pages at a time, so I used sticky notes to mark the intervals in my pile. On the sticky notes, I marked the letter 'S' or 'D' depending on whether the set was single or double-sided, and then I marked the amount of pages in the set (a number from 1 to 20).

## Scanning and redundancy measures

During the scanning process, I bring my big pile of sets, and with each set I:

1. Remove the sticky note from the set.
1. Place the pages into the scanner.
1. Set the scanner settings to A4, colour, standard PDF, and either single or double-sided.
1. For redundancy, I note the amount of pages scanned as recorded on the removed sticky note to confirm that no pages were missed.
1. Place the sticky note back onto the set, and put it aside.

After you have scanned your entire pile, for a second measure of redundancy, you can iterate through each of the sets and confirm that the number of pages on your digital file matches the expected count recorded on each sticky note.

## Scanning unusual documents

Along with typical A4 pages, I also scanned my Passport and various ID cards. The scanner I used required me to input specific dimensions for these items, which I have recorded here:

<table class="table">
    <tr>
        <th>Item</td>
        <th>Dimensions (Width x Height)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>Standard ID Card</td>
        <td>85.6 mm x 54 mm</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>Passport (Laid Flat)</td>
        <td>125 mm x 176 mm</td>
    </tr>
</table>