OCR Document Scanning & Backfile Conversion — From About 5¢ a Page
Ship us your boxes or we'll arrange courier pickup anywhere in the continental U.S. Your paper archives come back as organized, searchable PDFs — scanned in color at 300 DPI on air-gapped equipment, under a documented tamper-sealed chain of custody. HIPAA capable, with Bates numbering for legal work.
Document Scanning vs. OCR Services — What's the Difference?
They're two different steps, and you usually want both. Plenty of vendors quote one and quietly charge for the other. Here's the plain-English version.
Document Scanning
Scanning converts your physical paper into a digital image — essentially a photograph of each page. The result can be viewed and stored, but the computer doesn't know what the words say.
A scanned-only archive can't be searched. Finding one invoice in 50,000 scanned pages means opening files one at a time, just like the filing cabinet — only on a screen.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
OCR reads each scanned image and converts the words into actual machine-readable text. The page still looks identical, but now every word on it can be searched, copied, and indexed.
With OCR, finding that invoice takes typing a vendor name or invoice number into a search box — across the entire archive, in seconds.
What OCR Document Scanning Actually Costs
Most scanning companies won't publish a number. Here are real, recent ABT projects — pricing depends primarily on how deeply your files need to be indexed and named, not on hidden fees.
| Real Project | Indexing | Project Price |
|---|---|---|
| Security services firm — 100,000 pages, 1,000 client folders | Folder-level: one searchable file per client | $4,995 ≈ 5.0¢/page |
| Condominium association — 55,000 pages, 399 unit folders | Document-level: each doc named by unit, type & date | $3,250 ≈ 5.9¢/page |
| Property management — 17,500 pages of vendor files | Folder-level: named by vendor & period | $1,049 ≈ 6.0¢/page |
All projects: color scanning at 300 DPI minimum, OCR included, delivered as organized searchable files on a hard drive. Banker's boxes, tamper-proof security tape, and shipping documentation provided at no charge. Larger volumes and lighter indexing bring the per-page rate down.
Project Estimator
Range reflects indexing depth — folder-level batches price near the low end, document-by-document naming near the high end. Exact quotes are firm, in a written Statement of Work, before any box moves.
Get a Firm QuoteA Documented Chain of Custody, From Your Office and Back
These aren't marketing promises — they're the written security protocols attached to every scanning Statement of Work we sign. Your records are counted, sealed, photographed, and reconciled at every handoff.
Sealed & Counted at Your Office
We provide banker's boxes, tamper-proof security tape, and bills of lading at no charge. Your team boxes the files, records file and box counts, and seals every box before it leaves your sight.
Courier-Verified Transfer
The courier confirms box counts against the bill of lading and signs for custody — you keep a copy. The same verification happens in reverse when your originals come home.
Photographed & Reconciled
On arrival, every box is photographed to prove the security seal is intact, then opened and counted against your listing. Any discrepancy triggers immediate notification — before scanning begins.
Secured During Conversion
Files are held in a secure location for the duration of the project, and you retain the right to access your documents at any time while they're in our possession.
Counted Again on the Way Out
After scanning, files are re-counted against the original box and file counts, re-sealed with tamper-proof tape, and documented before the return trip.
Confirmed Back in Your Hands
You verify the seals and counts on receipt and confirm everything arrived in full. Your originals return exactly as they left — plus a drive holding the searchable digital archive.
Air-Gapped by Design
Every computer and scanner used for backfile conversion is air-gapped — never connected to any network, at any time, ever. Your documents physically cannot be reached from the internet during scanning. All ABT employees and contractors pass background checks before hire and annually thereafter, and our processes are HIPAA capable for protected health information.
Years of Paper Records, Converted in Days
Backfile conversion is the industry term for digitizing your accumulated archives — the filing cabinets, storage rooms, and off-site boxes holding years of records. It's what we do every week, at a pace of one to four boxes per day depending on indexing depth.
Folder-Level Indexing
Each folder is scanned as one searchable file, named to your convention — client name, vendor and period, matter number. The fastest and most economical option, ideal when you retrieve records by account or file rather than by individual document.
Real example: 1,000 client folders consolidated into 1,000 named, searchable files.
Document-Level Indexing
Every document within each folder is scanned individually and named by your schema — unit number, document type, and date, for instance. Maximum retrievability for records you search at the document level: leases, contracts, medical records, legal files.
Real example: 399 unit folders, every document individually named by unit, type, and date.
Deliverables arrive as organized searchable PDFs on a hard drive for your IT team to load — the format nearly every customer prefers, keeping outside vendors out of your systems. Direct delivery into your document management platform is available on request, as are alternative file formats. Bates numbering is available for legal productions.
Built for Records That Can't Be Compromised
Legal
Case files and productions with Bates numbering, documented custody, and air-gapped handling for privileged material.
Healthcare
HIPAA-capable conversion of patient records and charts, with background-checked staff and sealed transport.
Property Management & HOA
Unit files, vendor records, and association archives — indexed by unit, vendor, or period for instant retrieval.
Finance & Professional Services
Client files, contracts, and compliance records converted to searchable archives that satisfy retention requirements.
Anywhere in the Continental U.S.
Paper ships. Ship your sealed boxes to us, or we'll arrange courier pickup at your location — anywhere in the lower 48. Local pickup and delivery is available throughout our 20 service markets across 8 states.
Document Scanning & OCR FAQ
Scanning converts paper into digital images; OCR (optical character recognition) converts those images into searchable, machine-readable text. A scan without OCR is just a photograph of a page — you can't search it. At ABT the distinction never costs you anything: every page we scan includes OCR and is delivered as a searchable PDF, in one per-page price.
Our recent projects run roughly 4.5 to 6 cents per page all-in, including color scanning at 300 DPI, OCR, and indexing. The rate depends mainly on indexing depth: folder-level batches price near the low end, document-by-document naming near the high end. Real examples: 100,000 pages for $4,995; 55,000 pages with document-level naming for $3,250; 17,500 pages for $1,049. Every project is quoted firm in a written Statement of Work before work begins.
Backfile conversion is the bulk digitization of your existing paper archives — the accumulated filing cabinets, storage rooms, and banker's boxes of historical records, as opposed to scanning documents as they arrive day-to-day. It's our core scanning service: files are indexed to your naming convention, OCR-processed, and returned as an organized searchable archive alongside your original paper.
We scan one to two boxes per day on projects with detailed document-level indexing, and up to three or four boxes per day with lighter folder-level indexing. A typical 10-box project (roughly 25,000 pages) takes about 3–5 business days of scanning once your boxes arrive.
Yes — anywhere in the continental United States. You can ship your sealed boxes to us, or we'll arrange courier pickup at your location. We provide the banker's boxes, tamper-proof security tape, and shipping documentation at no charge, and the same documented chain of custody applies whether you're across town or across the country.
Through a written chain-of-custody protocol attached to every Statement of Work: boxes are sealed with tamper-proof tape at your office, counted and signed for at every handoff, photographed on arrival to verify seals, and reconciled against your file counts before and after scanning. All scanning is performed on air-gapped computers and scanners that have never been — and never will be — connected to any network. Staff pass background checks before hire and annually, and our processes are HIPAA capable.
Searchable PDFs, organized and named to your indexing convention, delivered on a hard drive for your IT team to load into your own systems — the approach nearly all customers prefer, since it keeps outside vendors out of your environment. Direct delivery into your document management system and alternative file formats are available on request, and Bates numbering is available for legal work.
Get a Firm, Written Quote for Your Archive
Tell us roughly how many boxes or cabinets you have and how you'd like the files indexed. You'll get a fixed per-page price in a written Statement of Work — with the security protocols attached — before a single box moves.