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Here are top tips on how to pick the best scanning software for your business needs .

1 . Take stock of your scanning needs

The truth is that there is no single “ best ” scanning or capture software that ’ s going to be right for everyone . Just as offices of different sizes and in different industries will be best served by different scanner models , they also need different software . The first step in discovering which scanning software is right for your business , then , is to take stock of your specific needs .

To start mapping out what you need from scanning software , consider :

• The size of your company

• How many offices or locations your company encompasses

• Your budget

• The type and volume of documents that you expect or need to scan

• How mobile is your workforce

• What kind of computer or cloud infrastructure you have or intend to invest in

• How tech-savvy is your workforce

• All these factors will help you determine how good a fit various software programs are for you and your business needs .

2 : The best scanning software will have OCR

If you were to nominate programs for the title of “ best scanning software ”, all the contenders would have at least one thing in common : OCR . OCR or optical character recognition is a feature that allows scanner software to translate scanned documents into files that are : Searchable , editable and accessible . The importance of this is almost impossible to overstate . For example , imagine that your business handles contracts . If you were to scan the draft of a contract using non-OCR software , you would end up with a picture of the contract . This would allow you to read the document and print an exact copy .

However , you would not be able to edit the document , you will be forced to retype the entire thing from

scratch if something changes . In addition , you will not be able to use a screen reader or other tool to make the document accessible to individuals with disabilities or find words or phrases in the document using

standard search tools .

These limitations cut down on what you can do with scanned documents . They also increase the amount of time and effort needed on your end to handle those documents every time they come up .

With an OCR-enabled software program , by contrast , the data in your scanned documents can be accessed , shared , and used in all of the same ways as files that you create digitally from scratch . No matter what your industry or digitising intentions , OCR is the way to go .

3 : Consider springing for software that auto-corrects

Very little is more frustrating than pulling up a document you need for work only to find that in addition to not using OCR , the previous user did a terrible job of scanning it . It might be cock-eyed . The coloring or shading might be poor , making it blurry and hard to read . They might have even spilled coffee on it before scanning .

Whatever the case , the result is the same : you , your coworkers , and your clients have to work with a subpar document .

Choosing auto-correcting scanner software means never having to deal with that frustration again . The best scanner software auto-corrects for sharpness and clarity , discoloration , including streaking or stains , orientation and skewing , cropping and brightness .

Naji Kazak , General Manager – Middle East , Africa , Turkey and Russia , Kodak Alaris

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