What does it cost to have plans scanned? (Price overview 2026)
All price factors at a glance: format, quantity, colour – with concrete sample calculations and saving tips for larger holdings.
Anyone digitising a collection of plans for the first time faces a simple question with a surprising number of answers: what does it actually cost? The honest answer is “it depends” – but on what exactly can be stated precisely. This article breaks down all the price factors and shows, with concrete examples, which amounts you need to reckon with.
The four price factors at a glance
With practically all scanning service providers, the price is made up of the same building blocks:
- Format: An A0 plan requires more scanning area and handling than an A2 plan – the unit price rises accordingly with size. Oversize formats and oversized lengths, for example with utility line plans, form the top price bracket.
- Quantity: Large holdings can be processed more efficiently than individual items. That is why the unit price falls in tiers – with us from 50, 200 and 500 plans.
- Options: Colour scans cost more than black and white, because the data volume and processing effort increase. Naming files according to your list is a typical add-on option with a moderate surcharge.
- Fixed costs: A small-quantity surcharge for small orders and a flat fee for insured return shipping cover the basic effort of every order – intake, quality control, packaging.
Concrete sample calculations
Using the current reference values from our price calculator, the following orders of magnitude emerge:
| Order | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|
| 20 plans A0, black and white | around 140 francs |
| 100 plans A1, black and white | around 350 francs |
| 250 plans A0 in colour | around 1,200 francs |
| 10 lever arch folders, black and white | around 450 francs |
The exact amounts including VAT and return shipping are provided by the calculator down to the last rappen – with no enquiry and no waiting time. Important to know: such online prices are reference prices. The amount becomes binding once the provider has received your originals and checked the quantity as well as the condition.
Where the saving potential lies
Bundle your holdings. The biggest lever is the quantity: anyone who sends in two partial holdings separately may forfeit a discount tier and pay twice for the return shipping. So before ordering, check whether the archive of the neighbouring department should not be digitised at the same time.
Choose the colour mode deliberately. Pure line drawings do not need a colour scan. Colour is worthwhile where coloured revisions, stamps or markings are relevant to the content – often this concerns only part of the holdings, which can be declared separately.
Bundle the smallest quantities. For orders under CHF 100, a small-quantity surcharge is added. Anyone combining a single dossier or a few plans with further documents often avoids it and at the same time saves a second return shipping.
Beware of these cost traps
You can recognise a reputable offer by the fact that all incidental costs are visible from the outset. Ask if any of these items remains unclear: return shipping costs, surcharges for folded or damaged plans, costs for data delivery (download, data carrier) and express surcharges. With us, return shipping and standard delivery via download link are included in the stated price; what the calculator shows is the amount on the invoice – subject to the quantity check on receipt of goods.
Invoice instead of prepayment
One final point that often gets overlooked in budget planning: the payment method. We deliver on account with a 30-day payment term – so you only pay once the digital files are with you. This considerably simplifies approval in companies and public administrations, because no credit card and no advance payment is required.
Conclusion: a reliable budget in one minute
Instead of studying price lists, the quickest way is to work out your specific case yourself: choose the format, estimate the quantity, tick the options – the price calculator shows the total straight away. For estimating the quantity, incidentally, an approximation is enough: a well-filled plan cabinet holds 200 to 500 plans depending on its construction, and a lever arch folder around 500 to 700 pages. How the entire process from order to download works is shown on our How it works page.