FAQ

Who uses Blue Leaf's Book Scanning Services?
Our customer base is quite broad; from everyday on-the-go readers who want to listen to their books in the car, to book collectors looking to digitize their libraries of valuable out-of-print books, to educational agencies conducting research on new projects. We also receive many orders from authors and those in the professional/academic setting.

Why are your prices so low compared to your competitors?
It is part of Blue Leaf's philosophy to help make book scanning services accessible to more people, which will encourage the preservation of valuable books (most especially out-of-print books) that otherwise would have been lost forever as soon as the pages deteriorate. The most effective way to achieve this end is to lower prices and make our services proprietary to and more attractive for the consumer, who typically may not have ready access to such services.

Why do you not have a contact number?
In an effort to keep our prices low, Blue Leaf does not offer customer service by phone. However, our contact email is regularly checked throughout the day, including weekends. We typically respond to email inquiries within 24 hours.

I have valuable books. Can I be assured that they will not be harmed?
Our scanning process is gentle on book spines, with only slight pressure applied from a glass window pane. Generally speaking, if a book can be opened without damage, then it can also be scanned without damage. However, if you are concerned about the condition of your books, please contact us to discuss our "white glove" service.

What is included in the base conversion package?
Our scanned output files are delivered in a ZIP archive, and includes in the base package the following (per book);
    1. Two (2) editable Word documents (formatted, unformatted)
    2. Two (2) searchable PDF files (high resolution for printing, reduced size for screen reading at 100% magnification)
    3. One (1) full color image of the cover (if applicable*)

What is included in the additional options?
     Kindle: One (1) PRC file and one (1) HTML file (No images. Text-only.***)
     Sony, Nook, iPad: One (1) ePub file, and one (1) HTML file (No images. Text-only.***)
     PDF Configured for online Publishers: One (1) PDF Configured for Online Publishers
     mp3 Audiobook: Multiple mp3 files, split into 15 minute tracks.***

What if there is a problem with the order?
No problem. Just let us know, and we will regenerate the files as needed, free of charge.

What if I want to make changes to the final PDF files?
If the changes are to correct an oversight on our part, we will handle this for you free of charge. However, sometimes customers will want to make additional changes to the final PDF files, such as deleting certain pages, re-ordering pages, rotating, cropping, splitting, combining, changing the resolution, reducing the file size, etc. All this can be performed using a PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat Pro or PDFill Tools. PDFill is a completely free program, and does not require you to register or give any personal information. Adobe Acrobat Pro is not free, however, but Adobe offers fully functional 30-day trial copy. To download these programs, simply click on the links listed above.

Will online publishers such as Lulu.com accept your files for PDF publishing?
Yes. If you choose the option "PDF tailored for online publishers", we will be sure to configure the PDF settings for the greatest compatibility with online publishers. Although the exact requirements of some publishers may vary, they all generally require the same "essentials", such as; minimum bleed of .375", flattened text layer, .zip image compression, etc.

What is OCR? And does Blue Leaf guarantee 100% OCR accuracy?
OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It is the process by which we convert the scanned images of your books into an editable text-based file format such as Word, TXT, HTML, etc. (Please note, PDF files are based directly on the scanned images, and do not depend on OCR accuracy. However, the PDFs will contain the OCR text layer behind the images to make the text searchable and selectable).

In an effort to keep our prices low, our staff does not perform manual page-by-page inspection for OCR accuracy. To do this would significantly increase our per-page cost. Thus, we do not guarantee perfect OCR results. If a customer is publishing from a Word document or other text-based file and requires 100% error free results, it is understood that it is the customer's responsibility to perform the necessary proofs to the final Word files before publishing.

Are there limits to what books can be scanned?
Most books in circulation today should scan without a problem on either our Non-Destructive or Destructive scanning stations, with a few limitations to each (see limitations listed below). If you feel your book may pose a potential scanning problem, please contact us first before ordering, so that we can review the request. Some abnormal items may incur a custom processing fee ($16 one-time or $8 per-item).

Limitations of our Destructive scanning stations:
Minimum inner margin of 1/4". Maximum page width 8.5".

Limitations of our Non-Destructive scanning stations:
Minimum inner margin of 1/2". Maximum page width 9". Maximum book thickness 2.0".

How do I know if my books require a "Custom Processing" fee?
A custom processing fee is required for the following items; 1) books with fold-out pages, 2) books with dust covers, 3) hardcover books using our Destructive service option (only if the customer requires the hardcovers scanned). In addition, certain antique books may require a custom processing fee, as well as books with irregular sizes that require manual modification of our scanning equipment or process. The fees for such books are as follows;
     1-2 Books, $16
     3-5 Books, $26
     6-14 Books, $36
     15-24 Books, $46

Destructive or Non-Destructive? Which should I choose?
If the customer can go either way, we typically will recommend the Destructive service, as it is more efficient for us, and eliminates the potential for human error (though we have only had two cases of a missing page on our ND service). The Destructive service also produces slightly cleaner results, since it eliminates the need for curvature correction. However, our Non-Destructive service tends to produce slightly sharper full color/greyscale images.

What is your turn-around time?
Please see our list of estimated lead times for further details.

Do I qualify to use Blue Leaf's services?
In order to use our services, you must agree to our Terms and Conditions and meet at least one of the following;

Ownership of Rights - You are the author, you own the rights to the copyrighted material, or you have received written permission from the publisher to copy the material.
Startup Company or Small Business - For internal and lawful use of business related material.
Non-Profit Organization - You are an NPO or CSO and meet at least one of the 501c provisions (1-28)
Research or Educational Agency - For internal and lawful use
Non-Profit Personal Use - You are an individual interested in our services for personal use

What other limitations are there for using Blue Leaf's services?
While Blue Leaf is happy to make book scanning services more accessible to the consumer, there are certain materials that are in violation of our policy. The following list includes examples of such material (see list below). Please be sure that you understand and comply with this policy before ordering. All such material considered to be in violation of our policy will immediately be returned to the customer with a full refund (minus our shipping costs).
     -any explicit, obscene, libelous material, or material with adult content (this includes "adult fiction")
     -romance novels that explicitely promote or encourage extramarital affairs
     -any activism/political material that promotes recourse to violence
     -any material that promotes the destruction of property (such as a pipe bomb manual)
     -any material that promotes the destruction of human life

What about copyright law?
It is the responsibility of the customer to insure compliance with all copyright laws, as stated in our Terms and Conditions, as Blue Leaf cannot be held liable for any unlawful activity. By placing an order, the customer certifies full compliance with our Terms and Conditions and all applicable copyright law. For information on US copyright law, please contact the US Copyright Office.

What is the fee for international orders?
Shipping and handling for international orders also incurs a custom processing fee. This fee is only necessary when using our Non-Destructive service, as our Destructive service does not require return shipping. To place an international order, you may use our standard online order form, and choose the corresponding custom processing drop-down box (above the "Buy Now" button). No more than 24 books per order.

Can I have my books sent directly from Amazon or another book vendor?
Yes. All we ask is when you order the books from the vendor, to write a note on your vendor's order form with your BlueLeaf Order# (you may need to choose a "gift" option to write the note, depending on which vendor you are ordering from). This is very important. This will allow us to process your shipment once it arrives. Otherwise, we will not be able to process your order, and your books may remain in holding indefinitely.

Does Blue Leaf offer volume discounts?
Although Blue Leaf no longer offers percentage discounts, we do offer discounts built in to our pricing model. For example, our ebook conversion options--such as our Kindle conversion for $12--are a flat one time fee, no matter if the order is for one book, ten books, or two-hundred books. The cost for the conversion will always be the a flat $12 fee. Thus, the more books that are included in an order, the more the customer will save.

How do I properly count my pages?
Our counting system is similar to that of standard page numbering in a book (one physical leaf equals two separate pages). We typically advise our customers to flip to the end of the book to the last page number, then add an additional few pages for the Index, Table of Contents, Appendix, etc. The few blank pages at the very front and very back of a book need not be counted. However, it is important to note that any blank pages between the starting point and ending point must be scanned and thus counted as a page, even 50 out of 100 pages are blank/unwanted. (This is because our scanning stations are not set up to discriminate blank/unwanted pages from content pages. Thus all pages between the beginning and end of the book will be scanned, and will require the same amount of time and labor as a book with content on every page). You may mark where we can begin the scan and end the scan, but every page in between we must scan.

What charities does Blue Leaf donate to?
10% of Blue Leaf's profit is donated to charitable organizations. We donate to legit international charities, as well as those who serve the poor and infirm within our nation's borders, such as homeless shelters, organizations for people with mental or physical disabilities, nursing homes, and other charities.

*Hardcovers cannot be scanned on our Destructive station. If the customer chooses our Destructive service, and requires any hardcovers to be scanned, then there will incur a custom processing fee for setup and scanning on our Non-Destructive station. The fee is our standard "custom processing" fee listed on our order form. Additionally, dust covers also require a custom processing fee as well.
**ebook and audiobook options are intended for personal use only.