Document Digitization
Paper to digital transformation services. High-volume scanning, PDF conversion, document management, and archival solutions for businesses and agencies.
[ 01 ] Overview
Most businesses have a room. Sometimes it's literal — a back office stacked with banker's boxes, the cabinets nobody opens, the binders from the 1990s that nobody throws out because someone said once that they might be needed for an audit. Sometimes it's metaphorical — a shared drive with twenty thousand scans named IMG_4471.pdf. Either way, when the legal team or an auditor asks for "the file from 2019," nobody can find it.
Document digitization is the unglamorous answer. We scan, OCR, name, structure, and index paper records into a searchable archive that an actual human can use. Volume work — boxes by the pallet — done in batches, with quality control on every batch. Sensitive material handled under chain of custody. The output is a clean folder structure (or a document management system, if you have one) where finding a 2019 contract takes ten seconds, not three afternoons.
For government and regulated industries, we work to retention-schedule and records-management requirements as defined — California State Records Management, federal records management for civilian and DoD agencies, HIPAA where it applies. Documentation of process, custody, and destruction is part of the deliverable, not an afterthought.
What you'll get
- High-volume batch scanning. duplex, colour or grayscale, 300dpi standard or higher on request
- OCR with quality validation. searchable PDFs, not images-of-text
- Naming and folder structure. sensible, consistent, designed with you, not invented in the back office
- Optional document management system setup. SharePoint, Paperless-ngx, or whatever fits the budget
- Indexing and metadata. by date, client, matter, contract number, whatever the records actually need
- Chain-of-custody documentation. tracked from pickup to destruction, including for sensitive material
- Certified destruction or return of originals. your call, with shred certificates either way
Our process
- Pilot batch. a single box scanned, indexed, returned for review before full engagement
- Quote. fixed fee per box or per page, with a clear timeline and milestones
- Pickup. secured transport, signed inventory, locked storage at our facility
- Production. scanning, OCR, indexing, batch QC, delivered in agreed format
- Disposition. originals returned, securely shredded, or stored long-term per your retention schedule
[ 02 ] Common questions
How do you charge — by the box, the page, or the hour?
Per page is the most common, with a per-box estimate up front so you have a budget number before we start. Indexing complexity is a separate line — simple by-date is one rate, complex per-document metadata is another.
How sensitive a document can you handle?
HIPAA-protected medical records, attorney-client material, personnel files, and government records up to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) level. We sign BAAs and NDAs as required and document chain of custody from pickup forward.
What format do we get the files in?
Searchable PDF as standard. Other formats — TIFF, PDF/A for archival, structured CSV indexes — available on request. We'll deliver onto the storage you specify: your SharePoint, your file server, your DMS, or an encrypted drive shipped to you, whatever fits.
What happens to the originals?
Three options. Returned to you boxed. Securely shredded with NAID-compliant certification. Stored at our facility for a defined retention period and then destroyed. Most clients pick one of the first two; the third makes sense for legal-hold material.
We're a government agency — do you meet records-management requirements?
Yes. We're California DVBE certified and we work to State Records Management Act schedules and federal records management requirements where applicable. Process documentation, custody logs, and destruction certificates are part of every government engagement.
Want a quote on this?
Send a paragraph about what you're trying to do, we'll come back inside 24 hours.