Scan Quality Issues

Resolving Scan Quality Issues

C-Band Mailbox is committed to providing clear, accurate, and complete scans of your mail. However, occasionally a scan may not meet the expected quality standards due to equipment issues, document condition, or processing errors. This guide helps you identify common scan quality problems, request rescans, and report persistent issues to ensure you always receive the quality you deserve.

Minimum Quality Standards

Every scan delivered through C-Band Mailbox is expected to meet the following minimum quality standards:

• Resolution: All scans must be at least 300 DPI (dots per inch), providing clear and readable text at normal viewing sizes.
• Full document visibility: The entire document must be visible in the scan, with no text, images, or content cut off at the edges.
• Correct orientation: Documents must be scanned in the correct orientation (not upside down, sideways, or skewed).
• Focus and clarity: The scan must be sharp and in focus, with no blurring that prevents reading of the text.
• Completeness: For multi-page documents, all pages must be scanned and included in the correct order.
• Accurate color reproduction: Color scans should accurately represent the colors of the original document.

Common Scan Quality Issues

Here are the most common scan quality issues renters encounter and their typical causes:

Blurry or Out-of-Focus Scans

Blurry scans are usually caused by:

• Scanner equipment needing calibration or cleaning at the operator location.
• Documents that were wrinkled, folded, or not flat during scanning.
• Scanning speed set too high for the document type.

What to do: Request a rescan from your dashboard. The operator will re-scan the document with proper equipment settings.

Cut-Off Edges or Missing Content

Cut-off content occurs when:

• The document was not properly aligned on the scanner bed.
• The document is larger than the scanner's maximum scan area.
• Automatic cropping software incorrectly trimmed the edges.

What to do: Request a rescan and note in the request that the previous scan had cut-off edges. The operator will ensure the entire document is captured.

Wrong Orientation

Documents scanned upside down or sideways are usually the result of:

• The document being placed incorrectly on the scanner.
• Automatic orientation detection not working properly for the specific document layout.

What to do: Request a rescan with a note about the orientation issue. In many cases, our system can also rotate the scan digitally without requiring a physical rescan.

Color vs. Grayscale Issues

If you received a grayscale scan when you expected color, or vice versa:

• The scanner may have been set to the wrong color mode.
• Some documents may default to grayscale if the operator determines there is no color content.

What to do: Request a rescan and specify that you need a color scan if that is your preference.

Multi-Page Document Issues

Common issues with multi-page documents include:

• Missing pages (not all pages were scanned).
• Pages out of order.
• Pages scanned from the wrong side (back instead of front).

What to do: Request a rescan and specify the issue. Indicate how many pages you expect and the correct page order if known.

How to Request a Rescan

If a scan does not meet the quality standards described above, you can request a rescan at no additional cost. Here is how:

1. Log in to your C-Band Mailbox dashboard.
2. Navigate to the scan in question.
3. Click the "Request Rescan" button.
4. Select the specific quality issue from the dropdown (blurry, cut-off, wrong orientation, missing pages, etc.).
5. Add any additional notes to help the operator understand the problem.
6. Click "Submit".

The rescan will be prioritized and typically completed within 24 hours during business days.

Quality Guarantee

C-Band Mailbox offers a quality guarantee for all scans: if a scan does not meet our minimum quality standards, you are entitled to a rescan at no additional cost. This guarantee applies to all subscription plans and all scan types (exterior and interior).

As outlined in our Terms & Conditions Section 7.3, operators are responsible for maintaining their scanning equipment in proper working condition and for delivering scans that meet our quality standards. C-Band Mailbox monitors scan quality and works with operators to address any persistent issues.

What Affects Scan Quality

Several factors can influence the quality of your scans:

• Document condition: Wrinkled, torn, stained, or damaged documents may produce lower-quality scans regardless of equipment settings. If a document is in poor condition, the operator will scan it to the best possible quality.
• Envelope size: Unusually large or small envelopes may require special handling during scanning.
• Document type: Glossy paper, photographs, and thick cardstock may scan differently than standard paper documents.
• Multi-page stapled documents: Stapled documents must be handled carefully to avoid damaging pages during scanning.
• Ink and print quality: Documents with faded ink, light printing, or dot-matrix printing may have reduced OCR accuracy and visual clarity in scans.

Reporting Persistent Quality Issues

If you experience recurring scan quality problems, it may indicate an equipment or process issue at your operator location. Please report persistent issues so we can investigate and work with the operator to resolve them:

1. Navigate to Help > Report Issue in your dashboard.
2. Select "Scan Quality" as the issue category.
3. Describe the pattern you have noticed (for example, "all scans from the past week have been blurry" or "multi-page documents are consistently missing the last page").
4. Attach examples of problematic scans.
5. Submit the report.

Our quality assurance team will review the report, investigate the operator's scanning processes, and implement corrective actions as needed.

For more information about requesting scans, see our guide on requesting mail scans. For other issues, see reporting issues. For additional help, visit our Help Center or submit a support ticket.