Colour or greyscale for filings: a deliberate choice, not habit

Many batch scanners run in colour “to be safe”. That quickly doubles file sizes and strains portal limits - without colour being needed. Conversely, a blind greyscale pass destroys stamps, markings and photo detail that later matter.

Decision criteria

Keep colour when: coloured stamps/signatures are evidential, markings carry meaning, photos show damage or identity features, plans use colour coding. Choose greyscale when: plain text pages, judgment copies without colour elements, archive packs with a size problem.

Mixed packs can be hybrid: text exhibits grey, evidence images colour - then separate clearly in the schedule and filenames.

Colour checklist

• Set colour yes/no per exhibit type.
• Spot-check: is colour information lost?
• Hold size after greyscale against the portal limit.
• Do not “guess” colour later if the source was grey.
• Client photos: keep colour until selection decisions.
• Archive policy: store colour long-term only where needed.

Technique

Reducing colour before heavy compression is often wiser than extreme JPEG artefacts in colour. OCR is often stable on greyscale; the source still decides. LexLogik allows output choices in the workflow without overwriting the original scan.

Colour spaces and printers

What looks coloured on screen can vanish in a court’s greyscale view. Preview critical stamps in greyscale before removing colour.

Disable auto-colour on devices. On photos of bruising, mould or paint damage, colour is regularly evidential - do not economise there.

Hybrid packs

Text exhibits grey, evidence images colour - separate clearly in schedule and filenames. A one-line scan rule prevents endless debate.

Team standard

A one-line rule in the scan standard (“text grey / evidence colour”) prevents endless debate before every upload.

Colour only where proof needs colour

Mark exhibits where colour is decisive (highlights, photos, stamps). Everything else deliberately grey - smaller, often more portal-friendly, without information loss.

Stamps and highlights as a colour test

Use coloured stamps and highlighter as a test: if they lose meaning in greyscale, keep colour for that exhibit. If information survives, grey is fine and often more portal-friendly. Decide per exhibit, not for the whole pack at once. Conscious colour is sparing and reasoned.

Note the colour decision briefly in the exhibit schedule (“colour kept for highlighting”). Recipients and cover staff then understand the larger file. Transparency cuts questions about compression.

Greyscale default, colour as exception

Flip the habit: greyscale is default, colour needs a short reason on the matter. Unnecessary volume falls without sacrificing proof detail. The exception becomes visible and discussable.

Record the decision and responsible person in one line on the matter note. That shortens queries and makes quality transferable across cover. Small notes beat long rework after a failed portal attempt. Matter anchor: content day 27.

Roughly calculate the megabyte difference colour versus grey before the run. The figure makes the choice tangible. Without a figure, colour stays habit, not choice.

Colour or greyscale on filings is a conscious choice, not habit. Colour costs size and can hit portals; greyscale can lose proof detail. Check whether colour carries evidential weight, then choose calmly and with a reason.