How to ask for (and insist on) the essentials – Here we explain how to set requirements so you can choose digitisation solutions that deliver quality, safety and efficiency, without falling into the most common traps: starting digitisation before you’re ready and choosing purely on the lowest price.

Before comparing equipment, decide why and for what purpose you will digitise, what quality level is required, and how quality will be proven. Only then can you avoid re-digitising items and protect the collection. This guide helps you brief internal teams or suppliers properly.

It’s not “buying a scanner”: it’s planning for outcomes

A frequent mistake is to start by looking for a brand/model that fits the item size. The right decision starts by defining the outcome: what is acceptable for your goal? Without this, proposals are hard to compare and the risk of “doing it again” increases. Doing it right the first time is always cheaper than fixing problems with unsuitable equipment.

What’s the goal: access, preservation… or both?

There is no such thing as “universal quality”.

• Access/outreach prioritises speed, legibility and common, easily usable formats.

• Long-term preservation requires files, formats and metadata ready to migrate over time and support future uses.

  Many projects combine both, but with distinct levels and deliverables (the final digital objects). Define the goal from the outset and ask bidders to respect it. Below we refer to the Preservation Digital Object (PDO) — also called preservation master — to mean files intended for long-term preservation.

Quality is verifiable (and it’s a workflow, not just a final check)

Image quality can be measured and proven. References such as the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI), Metamorfoze, or ISO image quality standards (e.g., ISO 19264) help frame quality levels.

Note: More important than knowing these in detail is requiring a verification method and calibration records using test charts (calibration targets).

Brief note on DPI/PPI

Asking “at how many DPI do you scan?” doesn’t guarantee quality. DPI/PPI is just sampling rate. What determines legibility and fidelity is the system’s real optical capability and an objective verification (e.g., sharpness/MTF, noise, colour). Practical takeaway: instead of asking for “DPI”, request test samples with a target and a QC (quality control) report.

“Quality isn’t an opinion — it’s verifiable.”

IMPORTANT: Capture is only one phase of digitisation. Before that come object preparation (cataloguing and archival processing; confirming the item can be safely handled from a conservation standpoint). You also define metadata, operating methods and file/derivative sets. Only then: capture, quality control (QC), digital preservation and access. If any phase fails, the project fails.

Internal collaboration: the project belongs to the whole team

Criteria-driven digitisation needs cross-functional work: leadership, conservators, archives/library, IT, communications and capture operators. Define clear responsibilities: who sets policies, who prepares and handles items, who validates, who manages changes. Everyone’s contribution is essential.

Recommended first step: basic training for the internal team on digitisation readiness to align concepts (goals, quality levels, handling risks, QC evidence and deliverables). One hour of training can save weeks of rework.

The 5 questions that steer the conversation with a potential provider

1. What is the end use? Who will use it, how will it be available, in what contexts?

2. What is the quality level? Reference to FADGI/Metamorfoze and/or ISO standards.

3. How is it validated? What QC evidence is provided (testable samples, reports, test charts and calibration records).

4. What are the risks for the collection? Handling, lighting, contact/non-contact, operating limits and when to pause for conservation review.

5. What are the deliverables and post-project sustainability? Preservation/master and derivatives, minimum metadata, storage, digital preservation and access/publishing plan.

Prepare the collection before switching equipment on

It’s important to set priorities by benefit/risk/cost, identify potential “problem cases” (fragile bindings, non-standard formats), and coordinate logistics with conservation: when to disbind an object and scan in parts, when not to disbind; when to use a support, when to refuse contact-based scanning methods. The conservation team helps prepare so there are no surprises or delays just because a document isn’t fit to be digitised. You should also define the framing (image with/without borders and peripheral elements) and the background to be used, to ensure visual and technical consistency. Check, too, whether the collection can be split into batches of identical formats. This preparation reduces frequent configuration changes and increases efficiency (quality and time) without sacrificing the object’s safety.

How to compare proposals without being a specialist

Ask every proposal to include:

• Workflow description (from preparation to QC and delivery), with roles and responsibilities.

• Testable samples made with your material (or equivalent), not just generic portfolios.

• QC report with the verification method used, test charts and calibration records, and example results.

• Clear deliverables: preservation/master files, derivatives, metadata, reports and other documentation.

• Post-delivery support: timelines, corrections, warranties, transfer format and final validation.

Red flags (when to hit the brakes)

• “We control quality by looking at the image to see if it’s fine. We have trained staff who check everything.

  • ”Having trained operators is excellent, but you must require objective, measurable quality-assessment methods aligned with FADGI / Metamorfoze / ISO.

• “We’ve got the camera with the most megapixels.”

  • Megapixels are not the same as quality. What matters is effective resolution and measured sharpness.

• “We scan at XX dpi.”

  • DPI alone isn’t enough and doesn’t indicate, for example, legibility. You must require objective, measurable quality-assessment methods.

• “We set the same quality for everything; it’s faster.”

  • Different projects require different levels. You can’t use the same parameters for a book, a photograph, and a print.

• “Metadata? We’ll sort that later.”

  • Defining minimum metadata upfront and integrating it in the workflow prevents unnecessary rework and errors.

• “There’s no need to involve conservation.”

  • It is necessary! A fragile document or an atypical format can delay the work. They are often set aside to “digitise later” and end up excluded, forgotten, and undervalued.

Conclusion: specify well to preserve better

Digitisation is not just technology — it’s a collection management strategy and a form of preservation. With clear goals, verifiable criteria and an aligned team, comparing proposals becomes straightforward and results last. Planning also means budgeting the ongoing cost of maintaining the PDO (storage, management and migrations) so you can justify the investment and keep it valid over time.

To support that first step, we prepared a practical checklist: what to request and validate so your project starts on the right foot.

Also recommended. This independent technical resource on calibration, objective evaluation, and sampling efficiency in cultural-heritage digitisation: Land to Landscape – Reprodução Digital de Bens Patrimoniais. It covers targets, ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles, results validation, and preservation master files.

👉 Get in touch to adapt the parameters to your context and define a strategy (intro training, requirements, vendor selection or execution).