A Virtual scan is a "frozen" electronic copy of a document. It is referred to as "frozen" because it cannot be modified. Therefore, a virtual scan is a copy of a document that cannot be edited. Such copies are normally used to store formally approved documents electronically to protect them from tampering after they are signed.

A virtual scan is usually a graphics file in one of the more common formats (JPEG, TIFF) or a PDF document without a text layer. Conventionally, such documents are created by printing followed by scanning into the desired format.

Using virtual printer conversion software, such as the Universal Document Converter, is a more efficient way. This approach helps reduce both the time and the cost required to create a virtual scan.


See also: Virtual Printer, PDF Server, PDF SDK.