The Calculator is Coming Soon
For now, here are some rough guidelines:
SCANNED PAGES
1 scanned lettersize page (8 1/2 by 11 inches, A4) = 50 KiloBytes (KByte) (onaverage, black & white, CCITT G4 compressed)
1 file cabinet (4 drawer) (10,000 pages on average) = 500 MegaBytes (MByte) = 1CD (Compact Disc) (ROM or WORM)
2 file cabinets = 10 cubic feet (cf) = 1,000 MegaBytes = 1 GigaByte (GByte)
8 file cabinets = 1 DVD-R (WORM)
2,000 file cabinets = 1,000 GigaBytes = 1 TeraByte (TByte) = 250 DVDs
1 box (in inches: 15 1/2 long x 12 wide x 10 deep) (400 x 300 x 250 mm) (2,500 pages) = 1 file drawer = 125 MegaBytes
1 box (packed) = 2 linear feet (500 mm) of files (loose enough for active filing) = 25 (rounded) linear inches = 125 MegaBytes
1 linear inch (~20 mm) = 100 pages = 5 MegaBytes
1 thousand linear inches = 100 thousand pages = 5 GigaBytes
1 cubic foot (cf) (~.025 cubic meter) = 2000 pages = 100 MegaBytes
10 cubic feet (~.25 cubic meters) = 20 thousand pages = 1 GigaByte
8 boxes = 16 linear feet = 2 file cabinets = 1 GigaByte
8,000 boxes = 16,000 linear feet = 1,000 GigaBytes = 1 TeraByte
1 pulp tree (loblolly pine) = 1/10th cord of wood = 10,000 pages = 1 file cabinet = 4 boxes = 1/2 GigaByte = 1 CD
DERIVATION OF DIGITAL DOCUMENT SIZE ESTIMATES
These size estimates are based on actual system metrics taken over a long period of time. Storage is a small part of total system cost, so even moderate errors in size estimates do not affect overall system cost very much. After even one percent of a project's documents have been scanned, a very accurate estimate of the per document and per file cabinet (etc.) can be made. If the actual size of the digital images of the average scanned document is 10 percent larger than the above estimate, then the overall storage system estimate can be increased by 10 percent (with very little effect on overall system cost).
These metrics are also chosen in rounded form so that system estimates come out to exact rounded numbers which make the systems easier to describe and discuss. These metrics are of greatest benefit in bringing design meetings to closure on the topic of system sizing by liminating the need to discuss (ad infinitum) whether the average size of an image is 50 or 51 KiloBytes.