Digitizing Data: Key Tips and Tricks to Save You Time and Hassle

Digitizing data is becoming a norm in recent working culture, and rightly so. You get information quickly accessible at your fingertips, streamlining workflow and helping you boost your productivity. However, key tips and tricks for digitizing data are seldom known.

In this post, we aim to highlight such techniques to help you save time, reduce manual efforts, and maintain organized records. We will also cover some best practices and tools that you can utilize for a better workflow. So, let’s get started.

What Is Data Digitization and Why Is It Important?

Data digitization refers to the process of converting physical pieces of information, handwritten notes, images, or printed documents into digital formats. 

It is a vital process to make your data available all the time by leveraging cloud storage solutions. Plus, word-processing software and file managers on PCs, laptops, etc., ensure that searching and indexing data is rapid and accurate.

Reasons to Digitize Data

Although there can be many reasons to digitize data, the main and most common reasons are discussed below.

• Saves Time: Digital files are much easier and faster to find as compared to piles of paper.
• Reduces Hassle: Organizing physical data can be a nightmare. Digitized data can be categorized and stored efficiently.
• Boosts Security: There are many options to secure digital data, like encryption and secure backups.
• Enhances Sustainability: By going digital, you reduce paper usage, contributing positively to the environment.

Other reasons include saving overheads for storing physical files in vaults or storage units, reducing labor to take care of such documents, etc.

Identifying Data Suitable for Digitization

Even though we do know that digitizing data is helpful, sometimes it is not clear which documents are worth the effort. 

If we are strictly talking about documents, you can have contracts, financial records, meeting notes, etc. 

Images can be of many types and shapes, like photographs or historical records, screenshots of crucial information, infographics, and more. You can also have handwritten notes with a scanned copy of notebooks or brainstorming sessions.

The true questions that you want to ask yourself when determining whether to digitize data or not are

• Will this data be referenced regularly?
• Does it contain critical information that needs secure storage?
• Is it likely to degrade or become damaged over time?

If your answer is yes to any of the given questions, then you must consider digitizing that data for secure storage, better accessibility, or both.

Choosing the Right Digitization Tools

To digitize data effectively, you’ll need reliable tools that can do the job according to your needs.

However, since this space is taken up by a lot of tools on the internet, finding good digitization solutions has become a bit difficult. This is especially true for users who have little to no prior knowledge about such technology, which is why we are here to help.

We scavenged different tools online to come up with the following options for your convenience:

1. Picture to Text

Credits: https://www.picturetotext.org

The Picture to Text tool converts images in PDF, PNG, JPG, TIFF, and other file formats to editable text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology.

Key Features:

• Extract complex data, including mathematical equations.
• Batch-process images (3 at a time).
• Provides an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface.
• Facilitates free functionality with no signups required.

Best For:

Professionals working on contracts, handwritten notes, or screenshots.

2. Image to Text

Credits: https://www.imagetotext.cc

The second tool on the list quickly extracts text from documents, photos, and handwritten notes like meeting notes, memos, etc.

Key Features:

• Provides multi-language support for global users.
• Handles low-resolution images with high accuracy.
• Includes options for copying text to the clipboard or downloading as text files.
• Enables batch uploads for faster digitization.

Best For:

Automating data extraction for bulk files and multilingual documents.

3. Prepostseo Image to Text

Credits: https://www.prepostseo.com/image-to-text/

This image to text converter from Prepostseo extracts text from images and scanned documents into editable text for free.

Key Features:

• Works with low-resolution images and complex content like mathematical equations.
• Supports multiple file formats for convenient digitization processes.
• Allows users to download text and Word files for seamless integration.
• Provides high data security as no data is stored or shared.

Best For:

Educators and researchers are digitizing notes or articles.

Each tool is effective in its way. So, you have to choose the one that best fits your requirements.

Step-by-Step Guide to Digitizing Data

Digitizing data is a must to compete with current organizations and businesses in your niche by making information easier to access, manipulate, visualize, and analyze. 

However, where should one start with this process? To answer this, we’ve picked one of the given tools in our list to help you get started with a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

First, you need to gather all the documents, images, or notes you want to digitize. You must ensure that these files and records are not damaged or stained to ensure maximum word-for-word accuracy during scanning and extracting processes.

To put things into perspective, we’ve provided a sample image below, which is ready for text extraction.

The following are the notes from a content writer that we think need to be digitized for aided guidance throughout their crafting process.

Step 2: Select Your Tools

Choose one of the tools we mentioned above, depending on the format and type of data. For demonstration purposes, we will pick the first option on our list to show you the process, however, you are free to pick any digitizing solutions you want.

Step 3: Upload Your Files

For scanned documents or photos, simply drag and drop or upload them to the tool. You can also grab the file directly from an online link using the ‘URL’ feature.

After uploading the file, you can crop the unnecessary parts out of the image for better conversion results.

Step 4: Convert to Editable Text

Click the ‘Convert Files’ button to proceed with the digitization process. You may have to wait out a CAPTCHA load, so don’t worry about it.

Step 5: Save or Backup

Soon, you’ll see that the information is made into digital form, ready to be downloaded and saved as a .TXT file. 

You can also copy the digital text to your clipboard for easy access and later use in other work activities.

Tips for Efficiency in Data Digitization

While digitizing data, you need to learn about the following tips to ensure maximum accuracy and efficiency.

• Align the Camera with the Text Area: Align the desired text area in an image with the capturing device. Ensure the least horizontal or vertical tilts to avoid warping the content.
• Get No Brightness Hotspots: Take images in well-lit areas and make sure that all parts of the text are equally visible. There should be no blurriness or brightness hotspots in the scan.
• Ensure Better Resolution: Ensure at least a resolution of 300 x 300 pixels (or 300 DPI) for better accuracy in the digitization process.
• Keep Doing Manual Checks: Regularly check your digitized data for formatting errors or missing information.

Once your data is digitized, the way you manage it will determine its long-term usefulness.

Best Practices for Managing Digital Data

Below are some of the best practices that we think you should know about digitizing data to save you time and hassle in the future.

1. Backup Your Data

Use cloud storage platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox for automated backups. Store sensitive files in encrypted, secure environments.

2. Organize Smartly

Categorize documents using clear, consistent folder names to avoid losing them on your computer, laptop, or other devices. This also facilitates teamwork as all members can access the required files quickly and efficiently.

3. Regular Maintenance

Audit your folders every few months and delete outdated or irrelevant files. You must keep file formats updated to prevent data corruption over time and preserve the format, layout, and key content in the documents.

Final Words

Digitizing data is essential for businesses to compete in the industry by gaining quick access to crucial insights and information. The said process is also important for other fields, allowing people to organize and secure their data in a better manner.

By using the right tools, you can easily categorize information into meaningful patterns and streamline your workflow. Make sure to follow the best practices mentioned in this post to help you carry out key activities without any hassle.