Scanner rage! -

I’ve been known to have a little bit of a temper with inanimate objects, such as sloppy sandwiches, chairs that stub my toes and document scanners that don’t scan correctly. What they all have in common is that it’s most likely my fault that they end up broken or in the trash. With a sloppy sandwich, I could have used a fork, with the chair, I could have planned better furniture placement, with the scanner, I could have done a better job with document prep.

Yes document preparation, in an age of technology, is the last thing we want to put effort into before scanning. After all why can’t the scanner remove staples for us! Document preparation is one of those things that if you don’t do it well, you will cause much more frustration and pain later. Worst case you scan poor quality images, and destroy your original document, in the best case you spot the issue but waste time with a re-scan. Even on scanners with an ADF as small as 30-sheets, if you run a paperless office like I do, you need to think about doc prep. Here are some tips of things to consider:

1.) The first and most obvious cause of scanning irritation / double feeds is staples. My trick with staples is ripping them off at the corner. This has never proven to be an issue for me, except when I put torn corner edge first into the scanner. If you use this approach keep the torn corner edge up when scanning, use conversion software to make sure it’s right-side up. The torn corner can cause feed problems noted in item 4.

2.) Miss-matched page sizes. This seems a little obvious when you are considering horizontal size difference, such as the difference between a letter and a business card, but the vertical size difference is important too, for one basic reason. If documents in the ADF tend to flop over, and the taller pages flop over the shorter, they are putting pressure on the tops of the documents, which could impact how they are fed. Try to standardize vertical and horizontal page sizes.

3.) Sticky pages can be very annoying; they will try to sneak all other pages into the scanner with them. One trick I use in all batches of scans is fanning pages before scan to try to create some air buffer between them. By doing this they separate more easily.

4.) Torn pages aftermath. This is probably not common for all scan environments; it all depends on what you scan. If you scan, for example, notes torn from a notebook, expect that the fringe of the pages will leave some remnants in your scanner. It can build up too. If you don’t remove this clog, proceeding scans no matter how well you prep, will be problematic. Bottom line, open the scanners and check the rollers, especially the left and right sides, every now and then.

5.) For heaven’s sake, the sliders are there for a reason, they work, use them.

I hate document prep, but I don’t hate it more than the abuse I show my scanner if I get a double feed, or have to perform a re-scan. Take some time preparing your documents for their new digital life, and it will save you some frustration.

Comments

Document Prep - The Necessary Evil

Submitted by R. Elan Eisen April 10, 2011 - 8:39 AM

Thank you Chris, for sharing those words of wisdom regarding document prep. I particularly like your suggestion regarding the removal of staples by ripping them off at the corner.

As the owner of a facility that specializes in the scanning, storage and custodial management of medical records, I still remember my initial dream of having every record that passed through our doors scanned, followed by the reward of having the corresponding paper shredded. But alas, the dream never fully materialized.

Given the amount of time necessary to prep old medical records, it became clear that some things are better left unscanned... Older, inactive medical records, whose internal clocks have already started ticking towards shredding typically don't qualify for scanning . The amount of prep required for one banker's box of old medical records can easily hit 3-4 hours or more. The math just didn't work unless the client wanted to foot the scanning and prep bill, which they often do not. Retrieval is seldom to nil, and the retention is manageable as a stored paper record.

Scanning and prep go hand-in-hand. Good time and productivity management at the prep stage is an absolute must. Let's keep the dialogue going (Thank you Chris!) so that we can all benefit from the little tips that can make big differences.

We'll be experimenting with the ripping of staples starting tomorrow.

Report

Was this helpful? Yes No

Bashing scanners

Submitted by April 11, 2011 - 3:10 PM

I can certainly relate to your rage comments. I have witnessed scanners receive various forms of abuse.
In one case documents were contaminated and needed to be scanned "out" of the hazardous area. The scanner once introduced to the area was also contaminated and so had to be discarded as hazardous waste when finished. This was a foul end for this useful device.
Time can cause scratches on the optics from the repeated metal on glass contact when staples are not eliminated from the documents completely. Scanners equipped with removable glass flats or guides can recover relatively cheaply from the abuse of staples running through the scanner. Scanners with the glass integrated with the scanner cameras may be more costly to replace if the optics becomes damaged.
My favorite abused scanner symptom is where the rubber rollers become swollen as a result of contact with chemically treated carbonless papers. I remember being told, “Don’t use alcohol on rubber rollers” since it can dry out the rubber. That is nothing compared to the distortion achieved by the chemical treatment delivered by scanning carbonless forms. If the rollers are considered wear items and easily replaceable by the user then there is an elevated cost associated with replacing the rollers more often than expected, but if the rollers are a service item replacement can be costly.
Future abuse: The Honda musical groove roadway idea could be adapted to scanners. As the pages pass through the scanner it could hum out a tune letting the user know everything is running smoothly.

Report

Was this helpful? Yes No

Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance

Submitted by Geanine Garcia-Poindexter April 12, 2011 - 11:03 PM

Funny to see this in today’s Connect; especially after spending 30 minutes explaining how maintaining a scanner is like maintaining a car-- one must keep it up to date or expect bad performance. Thank you for this great posting!

Report

Was this helpful? Yes No

Whoa

Submitted by Jon Zalinski April 13, 2011 - 11:30 AM

As a scanning service bureau you are to make an image of the original document. By cutting the staples out you are altering the original document. I don't think this is good protocol.

Report

Was this helpful? Yes No

Staples

Submitted by Chris Riley, ECMp, IOAp April 13, 2011 - 11:33 AM

In some cases yes. But I have seen fairly high volume service bureaus do this. it depends of course on the client, and the documents, but very often the requirements is to not impact the contents of the document, and this usually does not impact the content in anyway. But as a service bureau you know your client drives these requirements, and by no means would I tell you to oppose that.

Report

Was this helpful? Yes No

Scanner Rage!

Submitted by Mary Fisher April 13, 2011 - 1:30 PM

Excellent article! I have about 15 vertical file drawers to prep and scan, and the hint about ripping the staples off at the corner is brilliant!

Report

Was this helpful? Yes No

This post and comment(s) reflect the personal perspectives of community members, and not necessarily those of their employers or of AIIM International

The Global Community of Information Professionals

Community

Scanner rage!

Rate Post

Add a Comment

Comments

Blog Search

Information in Motion

Remove Paper. Improve Business

Paper-free Process Revolution

Latest Comments

Get The Research

Grow Your Expertise

Expand Your Network