Imaging and Digitizing Documents Are Two Different Things – Don’t Get Confused Between The Two!

 In the modern era of computing, almost all documents are digitized. With more and more people entering the profession of document imaging, it is imperative to understand the differences between imaging and digitizing records. Many argue that understanding prevents business professionals from failing to make a wrong decision about digitizing their business documents. 

For a business that uses lots of paper daily, scanning their documents and making digital copies can be an ideal option to reduce carbon emissions and ease the processing of their database. However, first, you need to understand the significant differences between imaging and digitizing documents. 

• Imaging Documents

Image scanning or imaging is the process of digitally storing and manipulating images or photographs. Image scanners convert analog photos into digital values that can be stored, used, and transmitted to another computer. However, as technology changes and becomes more proficient, new alternatives to imaging are introduced. 

Usually, imaging is used by businesses that are required to fasten up their time processing any document. In addition, storing documents in image format makes it easier to share, replicate and arrange them as per your requirement. 

• Digitizing Documents

Digitizing documents is an option when you want a copy of a paper-based document such as contracts, drawings, articles, and other similar documents. Digitization of paper records uses optical character recognition technology to create a computer version of your document. Then, relevant data from the document is extracted from the text to have a more formal business record. This process is mainly used for creating forms, sharing information, or putting it in storage.

• What's The Difference Between Imaging and Digitizing Documents?

On the other hand, digitizing documents is a process by which specific characters or words are extracted from a document using OCR technology. This helps users to retrieve only essential words or phrases from their documents, making them searchable. 

Different scanning programs by file center allow you to digitize any document, receipt, or essential paper using advanced scanners. You can digitize any document, but it must first be fed into the system. With imaging, you can extract data from a document, like images, illustrations, or text, but there is no need to scan the entire document.

Additionally, digitizing allows users to store their documents more conveniently without keeping them physically. Since they are in digital format, they can be easily transmitted through emails, websites, or intranets. 

What To Choose For Your Business?

When selecting the best option for your business, you must consider your storage capabilities and budget, as well as your needs and requirements. For example, digitizing is ideal for you if you want to make a copy of a paper-based document. However, scanning is more beneficial for you if you want to store the document digitally or search for it later in the future. 

Digitizing documents is a better option for those that want to save money on printing and storing paperwork. Another important thing we must remember is that upgrading your company's old scanner can improve the quality of the document scan.