Digitisation Services – Onsite & Studio Options

Drawing on decades of expertise, we offer high-resolution digitisation of historic paper documents using specialist equipment tailored to archival standards. Our digitisation services convert physical records into digital formats to preserve, protect, and improve access to historical information. These services are typically used by archives, libraries, museums, universities, government institutions, businesses, and private collectors.

Key Components of Our Digitisation Services

1. Assessment and Planning

• Condition evaluation: Documents are assessed for mold or damage with the customer notified accordingly.
• Metadata strategy: Together with our customers we define what metadata will be captured (e.g., date, author, document type).
• Prioritisation: We determine which documents to digitise first based on the overall project plan, in consultation with our customers.

2. Document Preparation

• Cleaning: We remove dust, staples, bindings, and other obstructions where appropriate.
• Repair: Any conservation work which may need to be done to stabilise fragile items is identified and reported to the customer prior to any digitisation.
• Organisation: Documents are organised for scanning based on material type and size.

3. Scanning and Imaging

• High-resolution scanning: We own and maintain a comprehensive range of high-quality scanning equipment which we deploy either in‑house or on‑site at the customer’s premises. This versatile setup means we can accommodate and safely digitise all types of historic paper documents. In particular, our flatbed, overhead, and specialised book scanners are designed to capture high‑resolution images while preserving the original document’s condition, which is often fragile.
• Colour accuracy: Ensuring faithful reproduction, especially for materials with annotations or illustrations.
• File formats: TIFF for archival quality; JPEG or PDF for access copies.

4. Image Processing

• Cropping and rotation: Ensure all images are aligned and clean.
• Enhancement: Adjust contrast or brightness if needed without altering the original content.
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Convert typewritten or printed text into searchable text. OCR is less effective for handwritten or degraded documents - we recommend our transcription services for these.

5. Metadata Creation

• Descriptive metadata: Title, author, date, subject.
• Technical metadata: Scanner type, resolution, file format.
• Administrative metadata: Rights management, source, digitisation date.

6. Digital Preservation

• Archival storage: Files stored in secure, backed-up, and redundant systems.
• Format standards: Use of long-term preservation formats (e.g., TIFF, PDF/A).

Benefits of Digitisation

• Preservation: Reduces handling of originals, preventing further deterioration.
• Access: Enables remote access to documents for researchers and the public.
• Searchability: Facilitates quick discovery through metadata and OCR.
• Disaster recovery: Protects against loss due to fire, flood, or decay.

Types of Archive Collections For Digitisation

• Books, manuscripts, ledgers.
• Documents, letters, diaries.
• Photographs, postcards, posters.
• Maps, plans, drawings.
• Index cards, catalogues, bound volumes.

Would you like help creating a proposal or plan for digitising a specific collection? Please contact us for more information.

Drawing on decades of expertise, we offer high-resolution digitisation of historic paper documents using specialist equipment tailored to archival standards. Our digitisation services convert physical records into digital formats to preserve, protect, and improve access to historical information. These services are typically used by archives, libraries, museums, universities, government institutions, businesses, and private collectors.

Key Components of Our Digitisation Services

1. Assessment and Planning

• Condition evaluation: Documents are assessed for mold or damage with the customer notified accordingly.
• Metadata strategy: Together with our customers we define what metadata will be captured (e.g., date, author, document type).
• Prioritisation: We determine which documents to digitise first based on the overall project plan, in consultation with our customers.

2. Document Preparation

• Cleaning: We remove dust, staples, bindings, and other obstructions where appropriate.
• Repair: Any conservation work which may need to be done to stabilise fragile items is identified and reported to the customer prior to any digitisation.
• Organisation: Documents are organised for scanning based on material type and size.

3. Scanning and Imaging

• High-resolution scanning: We own and maintain a comprehensive range of high-quality scanning equipment which we deploy either in‑house or on‑site at the customer’s premises. This versatile setup means we can accommodate and safely digitise all types of historic paper documents. In particular, our flatbed, overhead, and specialised book scanners are designed to capture high‑resolution images while preserving the original document’s condition, which is often fragile.
• Colour accuracy: Ensuring faithful reproduction, especially for materials with annotations or illustrations.
• File formats: TIFF for archival quality; JPEG or PDF for access copies.

4. Image Processing

• Cropping and rotation: Ensure all images are aligned and clean.
• Enhancement: Adjust contrast or brightness if needed without altering the original content.
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Convert typewritten or printed text into searchable text. OCR is less effective for handwritten or degraded documents - we recommend our transcription services for these.

5. Metadata Creation

• Descriptive metadata: Title, author, date, subject.
• Technical metadata: Scanner type, resolution, file format.
• Administrative metadata: Rights management, source, digitisation date.

6. Digital Preservation

• Archival storage: Files stored in secure, backed-up, and redundant systems.
• Format standards: Use of long-term preservation formats (e.g., TIFF, PDF/A).

Benefits of Digitisation

• Preservation: Reduces handling of originals, preventing further deterioration.
• Access: Enables remote access to documents for researchers and the public.
• Searchability: Facilitates quick discovery through metadata and OCR.
• Disaster recovery: Protects against loss due to fire, flood, or decay.

Types of Archive Collections For Digitisation

• Books, manuscripts, ledgers.
• Documents, letters, diaries.
• Photographs, postcards, posters.
• Maps, plans, drawings.
• Index cards, catalogues, bound volumes.

Would you like help creating a proposal or plan for digitising a specific collection? Please contact us for more information.

Drawing on decades of expertise, we offer high-resolution digitisation of historic paper documents using specialist equipment tailored to archival standards. Our digitisation services convert physical records into digital formats to preserve, protect, and improve access to historical information. These services are typically used by archives, libraries, museums, universities, government institutions, businesses, and private collectors.

Key Components of Our Digitisation Services

1. Assessment and Planning

• Condition evaluation: Documents are assessed for mold or damage with the customer notified accordingly.
• Metadata strategy: Together with our customers we define what metadata will be captured (e.g., date, author, document type).
• Prioritisation: We determine which documents to digitise first based on the overall project plan, in consultation with our customers.

2. Document Preparation

• Cleaning: We remove dust, staples, bindings, and other obstructions where appropriate.
• Repair: Any conservation work which may need to be done to stabilise fragile items is identified and reported to the customer prior to any digitisation.
• Organisation: Documents are organised for scanning based on material type and size.

3. Scanning and Imaging

• High-resolution scanning: We own and maintain a comprehensive range of high-quality scanning equipment which we deploy either in‑house or on‑site at the customer’s premises. This versatile setup means we can accommodate and safely digitise all types of historic paper documents. In particular, our flatbed, overhead, and specialised book scanners are designed to capture high‑resolution images while preserving the original document’s condition, which is often fragile.
• Colour accuracy: Ensuring faithful reproduction, especially for materials with annotations or illustrations.
• File formats: TIFF for archival quality; JPEG or PDF for access copies.

4. Image Processing

• Cropping and rotation: Ensure all images are aligned and clean.
• Enhancement: Adjust contrast or brightness if needed without altering the original content.
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Convert typewritten or printed text into searchable text. OCR is less effective for handwritten or degraded documents - we recommend our transcription services for these.

5. Metadata Creation

• Descriptive metadata: Title, author, date, subject.
• Technical metadata: Scanner type, resolution, file format.
• Administrative metadata: Rights management, source, digitisation date.

6. Digital Preservation

• Archival storage: Files stored in secure, backed-up, and redundant systems.
• Format standards: Use of long-term preservation formats (e.g., TIFF, PDF/A).

Benefits of Digitisation

• Preservation: Reduces handling of originals, preventing further deterioration.
• Access: Enables remote access to documents for researchers and the public.
• Searchability: Facilitates quick discovery through metadata and OCR.
• Disaster recovery: Protects against loss due to fire, flood, or decay.

Types of Archive Collections For Digitisation

• Books, manuscripts, ledgers.
• Documents, letters, diaries.
• Photographs, postcards, posters.
• Maps, plans, drawings.
• Index cards, catalogues, bound volumes.

Would you like help creating a proposal or plan for digitising a specific collection? Please contact us for more information.