A selection of the most commonly asked questions are listed and answered below.

How much does it cost to scan A4 documents?
All quotations are priced individually based on the volume, the amount of preparation (destapling), indexing requirements, and the urgency. However typical prices for scanning range from £25.00 to £40.00 per 1000.

Document preparation and indexing charges are usually levied, although we sometimes present them as an "all-in-one-price". As stated, to obtain the most competitive price, it is best to contact us.

Do you have a minimum order value or number?
We are a large-volume scanning bureau, so volumes under 1000 pages (or a small number of drawings etc.) are subject to a minimum order charge of £75.00 +VAT. However some clients send in small volumes to us on a daily / weekly basis and these are scanned within 48-72 hours depending on the service.

Can you scan in colour?
Yes we can scan any paper size from A5 to A0 in colour.

What output file formats can you produce?
Single or multi-page TIFF, JPEG or PDF. PDFs can be image only or searchable.

What format is the index data returned?
We can present meta data in whatever format you require, subject to confirmation by our technical team. Common methods include csv, txt or dat files. Alternatively the files can be renamed with the index data, or presented in one of our retrieval solutions.

Who are you Clients?
We have approximately 150 regular Clients across public and private organisations. Most prefer that we keep their identity discreet, although we do hope to present some case studies on the website.

Our clients in the public sector include at least 12 Borough, County and City Councils. Other bodies include Universities, a Police force, NHS trusts / PCT's and Home Office departments.

MTL's private sector clients include utilities, food distribution, security companies, electronics distribution and MoD contractors. Many are household names, others vary in size from 20 employees upwards to having national depots.

Do you have provisions for sensitive documents?
Yes we have a secure, caged area of the archive for documents with heightened sensitivity. These typically include medical, probation and social care records, or classified MoD contractor documentation.

Do you scan to BIP008 standard for legal admissibility?
All of our scanning methods are documented and adhere to the latest guidelines for legal admissibility.

Are you registered with the Data Protection Act?
At present we have no requirement to be, as we are not processing personal information. The act of scanning or microfilming is seen as a standard business process by the Information Commissioner.

What happens to the paperwork upon completion?
We store the paperwork for 30 days after completion. Thereafter the paperwork is confidentially destroyed, unless separate arrangements have been made with the Client to return the documents. MTL has a contract with a professional paper recycling company based locally.

Documents can be retained beyond the 30 days but they will be subject to offsite storage charge. A certificate of destruction can be provided to the Client upon request.

If you have a specific question please feel free to email us.