A paper archive costs you floor space, staff time and retrieval risk. A file that takes fifteen minutes to find in a basement takes three seconds to find once it is indexed.

Total Shred provides document scanning services across the UK, from a single archive box to a full record room. Collection is vetted and logged, capture happens in a controlled facility, and once you have verified the digital files, the paper can be securely destroyed and certified in the same engagement.

What Our Document Scanning Services Cover

• Archive boxes, lever arch files, bound volumes, ledgers and loose paper
• Invoices, HR and personnel files, medical records, contracts and case files
• Student records, exam papers, historical archives and microfiche
• Formats from A5 up to A0 plans and drawings
• Colour or greyscale capture at 200, 300 or 600 dpi depending on the source
• Searchable PDF, PDF/A for archival retention, TIFF or JPEG output
• OCR text recognition so contents are searchable, not just filenames
• Custom index fields such as client reference, date, department or case number

How Our Confidential Scanning Services Work

1. Collection. Vetted staff collect in lockable containers. A chain of custody log opens at pickup and stays with the consignment.
2. Preparation. Staples, clips, bindings and tape are removed by hand. Torn pages are repaired so nothing jams or is skipped.
3. Capture. Production scanners image every page, with blank page detection and quality checking against the original.
4. Indexing and OCR. Files are named and indexed to your agreed structure, then run through text recognition.
5. Delivery. Output is supplied by encrypted transfer, on an encrypted drive, or loaded into your document management system.
6. Disposal or return. Once you sign off the digital set, the paper is either returned or securely destroyed with a Certificate of Destruction.

Secure Scanning Services and Chain Of Custody

Scanning moves your records outside the building, which makes the controls around the process matter as much as the scanners.

• Security vetted operators working in an access controlled facility under CCTV
• Signed confidentiality agreements covering every person who touches the consignment
• Chain of custody logs from collection through capture to disposal
• Encrypted transfer and encrypted media for delivery, never open email attachments
• ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified operations, with shredding to BS EN 15713

Under UK GDPR, Article 32 requires proportionate technical and organisational measures around processing, and Article 5(1)(e) limits how long you keep personal data in identifiable form. Digitising an archive does not satisfy either on its own. The controls wrapped around it do.

Legal Scanning Services And Regulated Records

Where a scan may later be relied on as evidence, the process needs to be documented, not just performed. BS 10008 is the British Standard covering evidential weight and legal admissibility of electronic information. It sets expectations for audit trails, version control and demonstrable process integrity, which is what allows a digital copy to stand where the paper original no longer exists.

Our legal scanning services suit organisations working to that bar:

• Law firms digitising matter files, deeds and wills
• Accountants holding records against HMRC’s six year retention requirement
• NHS trusts and private healthcare providers handling patient records
• Local councils, housing associations and schools
• HR departments consolidating personnel files

Scan On Demand Service For Live Archives

Not every archive justifies scanning in full. Where the majority of boxes are never opened, a scan on demand service is cheaper and faster to start.

Your boxes go into secure storage with a barcoded index. When you need a specific file, you request it, and we scan that file and return it digitally within an agreed turnaround. You pay for capture on the files you actually use, rather than for imaging an archive that mostly sits still.

Personal Digital Archiving For Households

Personal digital archiving applies the same process at domestic scale. Property deeds, share certificates, family papers, historic correspondence and photographs are captured, indexed and returned to you digitally, with the originals either preserved or shredded as you prefer. Useful ahead of a house move, during probate, or when consolidating paperwork held across several family members.

What Document Scanning Services Cost

Quotes are built from the work involved rather than a flat page rate. The variables:

• Total page count, and whether it is measured per image or per archive box
• Preparation effort, since bound volumes and heavily stapled files take longer
• Colour against greyscale, and required resolution
• Number of index fields and whether OCR is applied
• Delivery method and any hosting or storage element
• Whether originals are returned or destroyed afterwards

We provide a test file for review before full production begins, so quality and indexing are settled before volume work starts.

Finding a Document Scanning Company Near Me

We deliver document scanning services UK wide, with collection strongest across London and the South East. Most searches for secure scanning services London return national brands operating from a depot several counties away, so ask any provider three questions: who is vetted, where is the paper held between collection and capture, and what happens to the originals afterwards.

Tell us the volume, the document types and the postcode, and we will confirm a fixed quote.

 FAQs

How long does document scanning take?

Turnaround depends on volume and preparation. A few archive boxes typically complete within days, while a full record room is scheduled in phases so your live files stay accessible throughout.

Can I destroy the paper after scanning?

Yes, once you have verified the digital set. We destroy the originals to BS EN 15713 and issue a Certificate of Destruction. Some records must be kept in original form, so check your retention policy first.

Are scanned documents legally acceptable?

In most cases yes, provided the scanning process is documented. BS 10008 sets the framework for evidential weight, which is why audit trails and chain of custody logs matter more than image quality alone.

What file formats do you supply?

Searchable PDF is the default. PDF/A is available for long term archival retention, and TIFF or JPEG where your system requires it.

Do you scan on site?

Yes. We offer both on site and off site scanning. Where records cannot leave the building we bring the capture to you, though facility based scanning is faster and has stronger physical controls for most projects.

What is a scan on demand service?

Your archive is stored securely and indexed, and individual files are scanned only when you request them. It suits archives with low retrieval rates where full digitisation is hard to justify.