According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus and method for simultaneously managing paper-based documents and digital images of the same are disclosed. When used in conjunction with a digital filing apparatus, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,165, users of the present invention will be able to deploy a comprehensive
system to manage both paper-based documents and the corresponding digital images of the paper-based documents in a digital filing operation. In this context, digital filing refers to the efficient management of paper-based information from its
receipt at the desktop through an indexing, scanning,
image storage and retrieval process, for both the paper-based document and the
digital image of the paper-based document. The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide for easy and effective indexing, imaging, storing, retrieving and managing of paper-based documents, transforming them into electronic documents, and then tracking and selectively retrieving either or both the paper-based document and / or a
digital image of the paper-based document, based on the information captured prior to the imaging operation. The user may create a single entry in a digital filing
system that will provide an electronic link to the
digital image of the paper-based document and, simultaneously, information regarding the physical location of the paper-based document in a paper repository allowing for quick and easy retrieval of the paper-based document and / or the digital images of the paper-based documents.