Grandfather's Sense of Order
Extent: 4 folders - approx. 2,500 scans Duration: 2 weeks from pickup to return Challenge: Fixed date for return transport to Switzerland, due to personal delivery without mail or courier
From Zurich to Chemnitz and back
We are always very concerned when we send original documents by mail. Nothing must be lost. After all, we are dealing with irretrievable individual items from the family treasure.
We were even more worried when we received this request from Switzerland: We were to prepare a quote for the scanning of four well-filled file folders.
It is impossible to prepare an offer without viewing the documents to be scanned. The requirements and wishes of each customer are too different. One customer may be satisfied with a scan, but another may want to have letters "translated" from handwriting into a readable Word document (in technical jargon: transcribed). And our requirement is that a scan must be easily readable on the monitor and therefore must also be post-processed.
In order to make a concrete offer, we had to get an overview of the letters and documents ourselves, because despite video chats, we were unable to estimate the exact volume on the one hand and assess the condition of the individual sheets on the other.
By a lucky coincidence, it was even possible to pick up the documents personally in Switzerland and transport them safely to Chemnitz. The return transport could also be done personally, but for this we had a tight schedule.
A good 2,500 pages had to be scanned, processed, digitally stored, sorted again and packed. In addition, a new archive box had to be created for each folder, in order to better protect the documents in the future and to be able to store them more easily.
Maximum working time: 8 working day !
The clock is ticking
Despite the tight deadline, we scanned the documents and always handled them with care. It's a good thing that our large-format scanner works at the touch of a button and the required scan settings are easily retrievable.
It felt like preparing the individual pages was more time-consuming than scanning them. As best we could, we smoothed out wrinkles and bent back dog-ears. To do this, we had to remove countless staples, paper clips, nails and pins in order to be able to scan without any problems. And that was with paper that was paper-thin for typewriters.
Our time calculation was spot on. There was also enough time to rename and sort the scanned files. Finally, we were able to assemble the finished package for shipment to Switzerland without any stress:
- 4 archive boxes with all the delivered documents
- 2 USB sticks with the digital archive
- a personal greeting
Everything scanned and securely stored – and now?
Direct contact and detailed consultation are very important to us. We are also interested in what a customer intends to do with the documents after scanning and how they should remain in the family.
In this case, the letters should be returned to the folders and then most likely disposed of. But we were able to convince the customer to think about it again. And sometimes you do want to hold a letter in your hands.
We also thought about a comprehensive printed book, but rejected it because of its size. Our idea was to gradually create smaller books on a particular topic. The grandfather had written several travel reports for himself in diary form.
From these, one could compile a bound book as a nice gift for all family members.
This suggestion is now lying dormant in the family and will hopefully be implemented soon.
In any case, the customer was pleased with our suggestions and is more than satisfied with our work. Especially because of the very comprehensive advice and support.