What resolution should I scan records at?

It depends on what you’re scanning and what the digital copy needs to do — but rather than guess, follow a recognized standard. In the U.S., the FADGI guidelines are the most widely used benchmark for digitization quality.

Common baselines

• Standard text documents (typed/printed office records): 300 DPI is a common minimum that captures text cleanly and supports reliable OCR.
• Documents with fine detail, small text, or annotations: higher resolution (e.g., 400 DPI) may be warranted.
• Photographs, maps, and special materials: typically require higher resolution and careful color handling — and specific FADGI targets.

These are general baselines, not universal rules. The right setting depends on the source and on how faithful the surrogate must be.

Resolution isn’t the whole story

A trustworthy scan is about more than DPI. FADGI’s star-rating system also addresses color accuracy, tone, and other measurable characteristics, and a defensible program adds:

• File format suited to long-term preservation.
• Metadata so the image is identifiable and manageable as a record.
• Quality control to confirm every page was captured, legibly and in order.

Why standards matter

If the goal is to dispose of the paper originals afterward, the digital version must meet quality and metadata standards and the disposal must be authorized. Scanning at a recognized standard like FADGI is exactly what makes the digital copy defensible as a replacement — so “what resolution?” is really part of the bigger question, “what standard are we meeting?”