What do I receive back?

You will receive two electronic files from us: 1) A pdf which contains images of your cards exactly as they are, front and back, including any hand written notes and images. 2) A structured text file (csv) which can easily be uploaded to any standard address management software. Depending on your chosen service level, key fields will have been proofread so that you can upload this file as is. In addition, as an optional service we also send your physical cards back to you. Note that since you receive a pdf with images of your actual cards, most of our customers do not ask for their cards back. We will store them anyway for 6 months in case you change your mind.

How do I pay for the order?

Once we received your cards we will count them and send you an invoice (for pricing see our home page). We accept credit cards, Paypal or checks.

How long does it take to process my cards?

Once we receive your order we usually process it within a week. Often it is faster, during particularly busy weeks it may take slightly longer.

Security / Can my cards get lost?

We treat your cards with the great care they deserve. However, since the process involves shipping and handling of physical items, cards are not 100% secure from loss or damage, just as cards sitting in your drawer aren’t 100% secure. We therefore recommend that you take copies of any important, non-replaceable cards. In addition, we recommend that you use one of the services below (under mailing options) all of which offer tracking and are considered very reliable. Our process includes several safeguards to protect the integrity of your order once we have received your cards. However, we do not warranty any losses, however unlikely they may be. After the cards have been scanned and the electronic files have been mailed to you, we keep an electronic back-up for you on file, so in case you loose the electronic version we can always resend it to you. In effect we serve as your off-site ‘disaster recovery’ service.

Mailing options

In order to send us your cards, we recommend one of the following options:

  • Fedex / Fedex Ground
  • UPS / UPS Ground
  • USPS, registered mail
Of those, Fedex Ground is currently most cost effective at $4 to $6 for a typical shipment from within the United States. You need a Fedex account number to use it.

What if I have written notes on the business card?

We do process all cards, even if they have writing on them. Handwritten notes will appear in the pdf file, which contains images of your original cards. However they will not be transferred into the text file.

What if some cards contain letters outside of the English (latin) alphabet?

Our software still scans and recognizes these characters and they will be transcribed electronically. However we do not proofread non-latin characters.

Under the 'electronic only' option, what happens to my originals if I don’t ask for them back?

If you opt to receive 'electronic copies only,' we will store your originals for six months in case you change your mind. Afterwards we will destroy them securely.

How does ScanYourCards.com compare to do-it-yourself?

Do-it-yourself involves either manually transcribing the information on your cards – a highly time consuming and error prone task – or using whatever scanning equipment and software you have available. You will find that standard office scanners or even personal card scanners as well as OCR (optical character recognition) software is slow and not sufficiently accurate, requiring extensive manual clean up. ScanYourCards.com is a hassle free, low cost and accurate alternative.