Paper surveys can be photocopied, but it is not recommended. While many PaperSurvey users have successfully processed photocopied surveys, the quality degradation often leads to recognition issues that require manual intervention. Understanding the tradeoffs will help you decide whether photocopying is appropriate for your situation.

Why Photocopying Causes Problems

Each time you photocopy a document, the print quality degrades slightly. This degradation compounds with each generation of copies, leading to:

• Blurred text and checkboxes that are harder to read
• Loss of fine detail in QR codes
• Uneven contrast across the page
• Distorted grid lines and form elements

These issues directly impact PaperSurvey's ability to accurately recognize and process responses.

If You Must Use Photocopies

Sometimes photocopying is unavoidable due to budget constraints or last-minute needs. Here is how to minimize problems.

Best Practices for Photocopying

1. Always copy from originals: Never make copies of copies
2. Use high-quality settings: Select the highest quality option on your copier
3. Check the first copy: Verify all elements (corner marks, QR codes, checkboxes) are clearly visible before making multiple copies
4. Clean the copier glass: Dust and smudges create artifacts that interfere with recognition

What to Expect

• Increased manual verification: Plan extra time to review and correct recognition errors
• Corner mark issues: Corner marks may not be detected
• QR code failures: Unique page identifiers might become unreadable

Better Alternatives to Photocopying

Consider these options before resorting to photocopies:

1. Print additional copies directly: Generate fresh PDFs from PaperSurvey and print what you need
2. Digital distribution: Email PDFs to locations for local printing
3. Professional printing services: Often more cost-effective than photocopying for larger quantities

Planning Ahead

To avoid photocopying issues entirely, estimate your needs generously when ordering initial prints, keep a master copy specifically for making additional copies if needed, and consider enabling unique page marking only for controlled distributions.