--- title: Document Scanning Cost Estimator | DTI description: Estimate what your scanning project could cost. Enter records boxes or file drawers for a per-box price, project range, timeline and next step. --- [Skip to content](https://www.dtiibs.com/scanning-scope-worksheet#main) [**DTI**Integrated Business Solutions](https://www.dtiibs.com/) Menu [Documents and records](https://www.dtiibs.com/document-management) [Document management](https://www.dtiibs.com/document-management) [Document scanning](https://www.dtiibs.com/document-scanning) [Large-format scanning](https://www.dtiibs.com/large-format-scanning) [PDF accessibility](https://www.dtiibs.com/pdf-accessibility) [Scanning Scope Worksheet](https://www.dtiibs.com/scanning-scope-worksheet) [Accounts payable](https://www.dtiibs.com/accounts-payable-automation) [AP automation](https://www.dtiibs.com/accounts-payable-automation) [Invoice processing services](https://www.dtiibs.com/invoice-processing) [Vendor payments](https://www.dtiibs.com/vendor-payments) [For Penta customers](https://www.dtiibs.com/penta) [AP Assessment](https://www.dtiibs.com/ap-assessment) [Insights](https://www.dtiibs.com/insights) [About](https://www.dtiibs.com/about) [336.346.1580](tel:+13363461580) [Talk with DTI](https://www.dtiibs.com/contact) # Estimate the size and cost of your scanning project Enter your records boxes or file drawers and a few details about the records. You'll get a planning price per box, a range for the whole project, what's driving the cost, a rough timeline and where we'd start. [Start the worksheet](https://www.dtiibs.com/scanning-scope-worksheet#worksheet) ## Estimate your scanning project How many records boxes?A standard records box, about 15 by 12 by 10 inches. A rough count is fine. What kind of records are they?Choose oneAccounting and AP recordsHR and personnel filesCustomer, client or patient filesProject, job or engineering filesGovernment or public recordsA mix, or not sure How will people look for a record later?Choose oneBy name, account or employee numberMostly by dateBy project or jobBy document typeSeveral of these, or not sure yet What condition are the pages in?Choose oneMostly loose letter and legal pagesLots of staples, clips and foldersBound, fragile or mixed sizesNot sure Any large-format drawings or plans?Optional. Number of sheets, if you know it. Is there a deadline?Choose oneNo fixed deadlineOffice move or lease endAudit, legal or regulatory dateAnother date Your planning estimate Enter a box count This is a planning range, not a quote. It's based on published industry averages for scanning to searchable PDF with basic indexing. Pickup or shipping, secure destruction and rush schedules are quoted separately. Your actual price comes from looking at a sample of your records. [Send us your numbers](https://www.dtiibs.com/contact) ## What to have ready You don't need exact numbers. These are enough for a first conversation. - Roughly how many boxes or file drawers, and where they are - What the records are, and how long they have to be kept - How people will search for a record later - Where the files need to end up: SharePoint, a network folder or a document system - Any deadline, such as an office move or an audit ![Records box with a tracking barcode label](https://www.dtiibs.com/hubfs/dti-website-2026/photos/scanning/scanning-box-barcode-label.jpg) ## Questions about scoping a scanning project How many pages are in a box of records? A standard records box typically holds between 2,250 and 2,500 pages. Boxes packed with folders, bound material or mixed sizes can hold fewer. How many pages are in a filing cabinet drawer? A standard file drawer, the deep front-to-back kind, typically holds about 3,200 to 4,200 pages. A lateral drawer, the wide side-to-side kind, holds about 5,500 to 6,300. Packed drawers hold more and half-full ones less. How much does it cost to scan a box of documents? Published industry averages for standard business records run roughly 8 to 15 cents a page, or about $180 to $375 for a typical box. Staples and folders, fragile pages, two-sided or color pages, detailed indexing and tight deadlines push the price up, and larger projects often price lower per page. We quote from a sample of your actual records. How long does a scanning project take? A typical 100-box project is usually complete in one to two months, depending on preparation, indexing detail and current production volume. Larger projects are usually phased. Do we have to sort through everything before we scan? Usually not, and trying to can stall a project for months. The approach that tends to work best is to make the easy decisions quickly: whole boxes or record types that are clearly past their retention period can go straight to secure destruction. Then scan the bulk of what's left and apply your retention rules to the digital files afterward, where sorting and deleting is much faster than going folder by folder on paper. That only works if the easy calls get made up front, so plan a short review of box labels and record types before production starts. Confirm your retention requirements with your records officer or legal counsel before anything is destroyed. ## Send us your numbers Box counts, what the records are and how people will need to find them are enough to start. We'll tell you what we'd scan, what might not need scanning at all, and what a realistic schedule looks like. [Talk with us about your records](https://www.dtiibs.com/contact) [Document scanning services](https://www.dtiibs.com/document-scanning) **DTI**Integrated Business Solutions DTI Integrated Business Solutions 3825 W. Market St., Suite 102 Greensboro, NC 27407 [336.346.1580](tel:+13363461580) **Customer support** [866.384.7378](tel:+18663847378) [support@dtiibs.com](mailto:support@dtiibs.com) [Support portal login](https://connectwise.dtiibs.com/v4_6_release/services/system_io/customerportal/portal.html?company=dtiibs&locale=en) #### Documents and records [Document management](https://www.dtiibs.com/document-management)[Document scanning](https://www.dtiibs.com/document-scanning)[Large-format scanning](https://www.dtiibs.com/large-format-scanning)[PDF accessibility](https://www.dtiibs.com/pdf-accessibility)[Scanning Scope Worksheet](https://www.dtiibs.com/scanning-scope-worksheet) #### Accounts payable [AP automation](https://www.dtiibs.com/accounts-payable-automation)[Invoice processing services](https://www.dtiibs.com/invoice-processing)[Vendor payments](https://www.dtiibs.com/vendor-payments)[For Penta customers](https://www.dtiibs.com/penta)[AP Assessment](https://www.dtiibs.com/ap-assessment) #### Company [About DTI](https://www.dtiibs.com/about)[Insights](https://www.dtiibs.com/insights)[Partners and referrals](https://www.dtiibs.com/partners)[Contact](https://www.dtiibs.com/contact) © 2026 DTI Integrated Business Solutions. 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