Prepare Scanning and File Submission Standards

Before testing Payables Agent, define standards for scanned invoices and invoice attachments.

Consistent file preparation improves recognition accuracy, reduces invalid file errors, and helps prevent supporting documents or multiple invoices from being processed incorrectly.

Area	Standard
Scanned invoice format	Use PDF or TIFF for scanned paper invoices.
Resolution	Scan invoices at 300 DPI.
TIFF compression	Use CCITT Group IV compression where supported.
Page size	Use standard page sizes such as Letter or A4.
Orientation	Ensure invoices are scanned in the correct orientation.
Image quality	Avoid blurred, cropped, skewed, low-contrast, or unreadable images.
Multipage invoices	Keep all pages of a single invoice in one file.
Multiple invoices	Prefer one invoice per attachment. If multiple invoices are included in one file, separate them with blank pages.
Supporting documents	Include supporting documents in the same file as the invoice and separate them clearly from invoice pages.
Unsupported content	Avoid password-protected files, embedded email attachments, and noninvoice content images such as signature images.

Use these standards for supplier communication, internal scanning teams, and Payables users who submit invoice documents manually.

During testing, validate scanned invoices from high-volume suppliers and adjust scanner settings before broader rollout.

The scanning standards apply to scanned invoice documents. A custom CSV file can contain multiple invoices, with one row for each invoice line. Use the custom CSV and XML preparation guidance for structured files.