FAQ

General question
Book and scanning answers
Ordering and shipping question
Other questions

General question

What is 1DollarScan?

1DollarScan is a book scanning service where anyone from all over the world can send in their books to have them scanned and digitized. The file of the sender's book is delivered in a PDF format through a secure login. We can scan other paper items like documents and magazines however, we consider our business to be primarily a book scanning service.

Can I see some samples?

Please download the sample file at https://1dollarscan.com/pdf/book.pdf

How does the 1DollarScan process work?

Here is a quick summary of 1DollarScan's operations:

SIGN UP: Users simply sign up. It is free to sign up to 1DollarScan.

Then, you can select whether to place a one-time order or subscribe to a monthly membership, Platinum or Platinum Lite (which is month to month and no long-term commitment, you can cancel at any time).
We offer many options that you can add.

PROCESS: After your books are mailed or dropped off, we check everything matches your order.
If there is something needs an additional charge, we will send a PayPal invoice which can be paid by credit or debit card.
The spines(bindings) are cut off and we scan the books into a digital file.
Then a quality check is done.

DELIVERY: The scanned files are delivered to “Order History” in your 1dollarscan account to download.
You may also use our FREE Fine Tune Service which will optimize the file for the devices such as iPad, Kindle, etc.

RECYCLING: The books are then recycled by a professional recycling company.

Do you only scan a certain type of book?

We can scan paperbacks, hardcover books, novels, textbooks, comics, dictionaries, magazines, cookbooks, photos, photography books, documents, medical books, old books, etc.
However, we would not be able to scan very thin paper like used Bible often.
Also, thick paper may not be scanned like Cardboard books for kids.
If you think your book pages may be very thin or thick,please email to info@1dollarscan.com to make sure it’s scannable or not.

Do you offer any affiliate programs?

Currently we do not offer any "official" affiliate programs. However, if you want to work with us in any way and have an idea, we'll be more than glad to hear it.

Did you invent book scanning?

Actually not. Many people are scanning their books by themselves.
Our business model originated from Japan.

How does your recycling process work?

After we process our orders, all material is sent to International Paper to be shredded and reborn as recycled paper. For more information about International Paper, please visit: https://www.internationalpaper.com/

Book and scanning answers

Any book you cannot scan?

A book should have an ISBN number.
Typical examples are novels, paperbacks, hardcovers, comics, textbooks, etc.
If your item does not sound like a book, then please see the "Others" page.
We CANNOT scan the publisher’s books which are listed at the link below. Please check this link BEFORE you ship.

Can you scan the front and back covers of books?

We scan the covers of soft cover books free(included) and do not scan the covers of hardcovers or dust jackets.
However, upon a customer's request, we can scan these covers with an additional charge. If you wish to scan the covers of hardcovers or dust jackets, please contact info@1dollarscan.com

Do you accept orders from foreign countries?

We are more than happy to scan your books!! Yes, we accept any order from outside of the U.S. and have many customers shipping daily from all over the world. We already scan books for customers in the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Norway, U.K., Nigeria, China, India, Ireland, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Turkey, France, Italy, Australia and many other countries.

Please understand that you are responsible for the shipping cost to send books to our California address in the U.S.
You may want to consider ordering books through an online bookstore with our "Bookstore Direct Option" which is explained in more detail here.

Are books ever returned?

We do not return books after cutting or scanning because there could be copyright issues.
Books are recycled.
We DO NOT resale or reuse the books after scanning.

We are able to return your book if
1)You have the copyright of your book.
2)Copyright holders allow you to return
3)Your book is Public Domain (No copyright)
And a few more.
If you think you meet one of the conditions or a similar exception, please contact at info@1dollarscan.com

The Return option is $25 + postage.
An invoice will be sent upon your request.

What's the average turnaround time once you receive the book?

Platinum and Platinum Lite Members: Guaranteed 5-10 business days from your package arrival date or from the full payment date in case there is an additional charge.

One-time orders: If an order includes the Express option, then turnaround should be in 5 business days or faster.
If not, turnaround time is as soon as possible, usually about 40 – 60 days depending on how busy we are.
If you rush your order, please add Express.

Do you scan magazines?

Yes, we accept Magazines. Please add Magazine Option when you place an order.
Magazines may need special handling and take a longer time to scan.
This is why the Magazine option needs to be added.

However, if you are a Platinum or Platinum Lite Member, then no additional payment or action required because the Magazine Option is included in the Platinum or Platinum Lite Membership.

How do I count the Books?

We use the term “Set” to count books.
1 set is 100 pages.
Less than 100 pages are rounded up to 1 set.
See the examples below.

How to convert a book to "Set"
1-100 pages = 1set
101 - 200 pages = 2 sets
201 - 300 pages = 3 sets
301 - 400 pages = 4 sets
401 - 500 pages = 5 sets
501 - 600 pages = 6 sets
601 - 700 pages = 7 sets
701 - 800 pages = 8 sets
801 - 900 pages = 9 sets
And so on.

How to count when you have multiple books:
Book A has 50 pages = 1 set
Book B has 820 pages = 9 sets
Book A(1 set) + Book B(9 sets) = 10 sets
NOT total = 870 pages (50 + 820) = 9 sets.

Please note, if you have multiple books,Each book should be counted into sets first then each set added for the total number of the sets.

How to count Magazines:
Same as “Books”.
However, for one-time orders, please add the Magazine option when you place an order.

What limitations do you have for scanning books?

Dimension limit
The limit is 11.7 inches either length or width after cutting off the binding
12” x 12” = unscannable
11”7 x 12” or more = scannable

Paper conditions
We would not be able to scan very thin paper like the Bible often uses. Also, thick paper may not be scanned like Cardboard books for kids.
Also, in case paper gets mold, damaged, torn, they would not be able to scan.
If you think your book may be fall into the conditions, please email to info@1dollarscan.com to make sure it’s scannable or not.

What is the Platinum Membership?

A Platinum membership is a Monthly subscription membership with the Price $119.99 per month.
The membership has 100 sets including all options except USB flash memory option and The High Quality Options.
Please see here. It is a $740 value (at maximum) with a lot of benefits.
- Free scanning up to 100 sets ($740 value for only $119.99 at maximum).
- Includes the following options: OCR, Book Title, Express Service, Bookstore Direct , Magazine and Re-Scan Insurance.
- Turn around within 5 - 10 business days.
- First access to new Features.
- Direct shipment from Amazon and other Online Bookstores without additional charge.
- No need to write an Order Confirmation # on your Box.
- Prioritized Fine Tuning also up to 10 Files at one time.

What are the limitations for the Platinum and Platinum Lite membership?

No roll over remaining sets to next month.
Once the membership fee is deducted, no refund is accepted.
Members can send up to the limit 100 sets or 10 sets per month.
Any extra sets may be charged in a different unit cost

What is the Re-scan Insurance option?

If Rescan insurance is added, your item is stored for 2 weeks after scanning in case you ask rescanning.
If Rescan insurance is not added, your item is not subject to rescan and recycle in 1 -3 days after scanning.

What is the High Quality Touch Up Option (HQT)?

HQT is recommended to add for text dominated books such as textbooks, paperbacks, Novels, etc.
Please refer more about HQT here.

What should I be aware of before sending documents?

Documents with staples, any attachments like sticky notes, folded pages(dog-eared) will NOT be accepted.
Your documents must be ready to be scanned.
If we need to organize your documents instead of you, a service fee may be charged besides the scanning fee.

What are the restrictions for Business Cards?

Only regular-size business cards (i.e., 2 inches x 3.5 inches) will be accepted.

What are the restrictions for Greetings Cards?

Any greeting cards with "frills" or "pop-ups" cannot be accepted. Thanks for understanding.

Can you tell me more about your Photo scanning?

The photo scan quality is 600 dpi. We believe that this is the best quality for the price. Photos are counted as "Set" per 5 photos.
All photos must be removed from the photo album or photo book on your end.
Please send photos ONLY.
Some very large size photographs may not be accepted.
The original photos will NOT be returned after scanned UNLESS specifically requested to be returned. Return cost is a $25 handling fee plus postage which you are responsible for.

What is the file format for photo scanning?

The file format is JPEG.

What is the average file size for a photo?

The average file size is 600k.

I have a lot of books that I wanted scanned how should I handle this? Or, I have more books than the Platinum Membership, how should we handle this?

For any large order inquires, please email to info@1dollarscan.com or contact us through“Customer Support” in your 1dollarscan account.
We might be able to suggest discounted prices for those people who have a lot of books to be scanned.

What is the quality of a scan?

Scanning in 300 dpi color is our default setting. The sample is here.
If you wish to scan at 600 dpi, then please add HQS 600 dpi. You can select Color, Grayscale or BW. If you are a Platinum (Lite) member, please contact us to add HQS.

What's the best HQS (High Quality Scanning) choice for my book, color, black & white, or gray scale?

In general, color is a good choice for lots of color, black & white is good for mostly text, gray scale is good for books with lots of text that contain black and white images as well.

What kind of file format do you provide for books?

The format is PDF in general. See the sample here.
If you need the format other than PDF like Word, ePub, JPEG, TIFF, etc, we are able to create it and please contact us.

Can you maintain the graphics, images, tables, diagrams, equations etc. in a book?

Yes, your book will be scanned as an image file in PDF format. You can download the sample of a scanned book file by clicking here.

Can I search the text after the book is scanned?

Yes, if you add the OCR option when you order or if you have a Platinum or Platinum Lite Membership where the OCR is automatically included.

What is OCR?

Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, is a technology that enables images to be converted into searchable data. After we scan your book, each letter in your book will be searchable. It is not 100% accurate but it works. You can download our sample book PDF file here and try to search for a few words.

What is the accuracy of OCR?

We will try our best but OCR is not 100%. (Please note that this is true with all OCR not just ours.) If you want High Quality OCR, please select the High Quality Touch Up option, this will be much more accurate than the standard OCR option.

What languages can OCR support?

Our standard OCR software works with 7 Languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese).
The HQT (High Quality Touch-Up) Option supports over 40 languages.
We have a page and video for the HQT Option that you can view here.
If you are sending non-English books, then PLEASE include a note for OCR language and send the note with your books.
If there are no notes for OCR language. OCR for English will be applied.
Redo OCR may be subject to additional charge.
If you have any questions about OCR, please contact our Customer Support.

What if I want to send a non-English book?

If you are sending non-English books, then PLEASE include a note OCR language with your books.
If there are no notes for OCR language. OCR for English will be applied.
Redo OCR may be subject to additional charge.
If you have any questions about OCR, please contact our Customer Support.

Can OCR recognize my handwriting?

No. OCR doesn’t work for handwriting or special fonts.

What is the definition of book? Is my research paper that I bound together considered a book or business documents?

In general, we consider "a book with an ISBN number" is “Book”.
Any other items with glue binding, spiral binding, punch hole binding, staple binding, clip binding etc, would be considered as "Document".
However, there are some items that we can handle as "Book" even if it doesn't have an ISBN number. If you are unsure or think it might be a book you can contact Customer Support.

What will the file size be for each book?

It depends on the book dimension, the number of pages, images, full color or BW pages etc.
General idea for a book with some color images then you can expect 0.4MB/page with about 400 pages will roughly be 160MB or so.
If it's basically black letter only and novel type it'll be the half size, meaning a 400 page novel will be approximately 80MB.
If you select the High Quality Touch Up Option, then the file size will be much smaller.

Can you scan any kind of book?

We have some limits for scanning books. Please see "Scope and Limitation of Services" under our Terms and Conditions
Generally, please be aware of the following.

- No more than 11.7 inches in length or width.
- We need to charge extra for scanning the covers of hard covers and / or dust jackets.

Ordering and shipping question

Do you accept shipments directly from Amazon or other Online Bookstores?

Yes, we accept direct shipping from Amazon and other online bookstores by selecting the Bookstore Direct Option. Platinum and Platinum Lite Memberships automatically include this option.

Where do I send my books and how?

Please send your books to the address below.

1dollarscan.com
2470 Winchester Blvd STE A Campbell, CA 95008
TEL: (669) 212-0185

How to Send:
All shipping and handling (including cost) is the customer’s responsibility.
On your envelope or box, please write your information such as your name, email address, order number(one-time order) or your 1dollarscan ID number(Platinum or Platinum Lite members).
Clearly, so that we can identify.
Make sure to print out this Order Confirmation email and include it in your shipment.
If you are sending a lot of materials, we recommend using a pick-up service from one of the following
USPS Pick-up: https://tools.usps.com/schedule-pickup-steps.htm
FEDEX Pick-up: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/schedule-manage-pickups.html
UPS Pick-up: https://wwwapps.ups.com/pickup/schedule?loc=en_US

Can I make a local Drop Off?

Yes, we accept dropping your books off at our office by appointment.
Please email to info@1dollarscan.com for an appointment.
We are located at 2470 Winchester Blvd STE A Campbell, CA 95008.
Available time is Monday through Friday between 10am to 4pm.
Please write your information such as your name, email address, order number (one-time order) or your 1dollarscan ID number (Platinum or Platinum Lite members).

What is the payment method?

Payment method is PayPal.
However, you do not necessarily need to have a PayPal account to make payment via PayPal.
You can pay by your credit card or debit card via PayPal.

PayPal is the only payment method that we accept so far. In the future, we hope to accept different types of payment methods.
Please do not send a personal check, money, cash etc.

What if I don't have a PayPal Account?

No Problem. You don't need one. If you do not have a PayPal Account then you can simply proceed to checkout after placing your order and click the link at the bottom of the page that reads: "Don't have a PayPal Account?" This will instruct you how to use PayPal securely for a one-time payment instead of creating a PayPal Account.

How will I know when my order is ready?

You will receive an automated confirmation email from 1dollarscan.com when you place an order, your order is registered on our end and your order completed.
Please check your spam folder and exclude 1dollarscan.com from your blacklist and spam filter.

If you do not receive any confirmation emails, please let us know.

When will I receive the order confirmation email from 1dollarscan? I already paid and received a confirmation from PayPal?

You will receive an order confirmation email from 1dollarscan.com, when you complete your payment at the 1dollarscan.com web site. (Please be aware that this is different from the PayPal confirmation.)

What is the Cancellation Policy and cost? How Do I cancel the Platinum or Platinum Lite Membership?

The Platinum membership fee:
Membership will automatically be renewed every month. Members need to proactively cancel the subscription by simply cancelling the Recurring Payment at PayPal. Once the membership is renewed for a new month it is not refundable.

Other fees: You may cancel an order by sending an email to [email protected] with the Order# but the refund amount varies based on timing. We will always be fair, honest and reasonable.

Before sending the package:
We will fully refund.

After the scanning process:
We will fully refund if a user doesn't require the packages to be returned. If a package return is requested, we will subtract a $20 return process fee and postage fee from the original shipping charge amount and refund the remaining.

After the package arrives, and after the scanning process:
All the work has been done at this point. Cancellation is not accepted and we cannot refund at all.

How should I ship books from Amazon directly?

Sometimes we receive orders from online sellers without any user information.
To identify your order please fill out the shipping label to the best you can at Amazon or the other online merchants in the following manner:

Full Name : 1dollarscan.com c/o [YOUR NAME]
Address Line1 : 2470 Winchester Blvd STE A
Address Line2 : *Order Confirmation Number or User ID
City : Campbell
State : CA
ZIP : 95008

* If you are a Platinum member, then you do not need to fill in an ORDER CONFIRMATION NUMBER, but please fill your USER ID into Address Line 2.

* If you place an order as one=time order, please fill in the first 2 sections of your Order Confirmation Number.
E.G. fill "1234-23456" if your Order Confirmation Number is "1234-23456-48-1-1-0".
If it seems that your book should have arrived at 1DollarScan and you have heard nothing from us, then please first check with your seller and shipping service to make sure that the package has been delivered. After that, please contact us.

How does a Platinum or Platinum Lite Member make an order?

Platinum( or Lite) Members no need to place an order. The members can just send in their books (up to 100 sets or 10 sets per month).
Please note that if there are any extra sets which are over the monthly limit may require additional fees.

If the above does not solve the problem, please contact us.

Operational hours: Mon - Fri, 9am-5pm
Email: 24/7

Address: 2470 Winchester Blvd STE A
Campbell, CA 95008

Contact Number: (669)212-0185

CONTACT

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