PaperSurvey

Surveys that still depend on clipboards, classrooms or clinic waiting rooms need a way to turn paper answers into data. PaperSurvey.io is an online service for that: a person designs a questionnaire, prints it, collects the completed forms and scans them in, and recognition software reads the answers. The company says a first survey can be set up in about fifteen minutes with no training.

Designing and printing

The online survey builder offers more than a dozen question types, including multiple choice, checkboxes, text fields and rating scales, with text formatting options and sample templates. A survey is downloaded as a print-ready PDF with clear response areas laid out for accurate scanning. When a survey spans several pages, each page carries a unique identifier, which helps the software sort pages and avoid duplicate uploads. Surveys can be made in several languages, and a merge tool or Microsoft Word mail merge pre-fills forms with information about each respondent.

Scanning and recognition

After the forms are handed out and returned, the user scans them and uploads the files. The service detects page order and rotation by itself. Optical mark recognition reads checkmarks, and the company claims an accuracy of 99.99 percent. Intelligent character recognition reads characters written in boxes, suiting short text, digits and dates, and handwriting recognition handles open answers.

Getting the data out

Results can be analysed online or exported as CSV, Excel or SPSS files. Data can sync automatically to Google Sheets for analysis or for business intelligence tools. Recognition triggers and upload actions link PaperSurvey.io to other applications, and a connection to a customer's own database or application passes new data across as it is collected.

Why paper

The site argues that paper surveys draw more responses in some settings, and that scanning removes the manual typing that normally follows. A fourteen day free trial is offered without a credit card, along with a short demonstration video.

PaperSurvey is an online tool for running surveys on paper and capturing the answers digitally. Users design a questionnaire, print it, collect completed forms and scan them back in.

What PaperSurvey offers

• Survey builder: an online editor with over a dozen question types and text formatting options.
• Print-ready forms: multi-page surveys carry unique page markers to help scanning and avoid duplicates.
• Mark recognition: reads checkboxes and multiple choice answers from scanned pages.
• Handwriting recognition: uses AI to read characters and written responses, in more than fifty languages.
• Export and sync: sends results to Excel, CSV, SPSS, R or Google Sheets, with integration options.

Who it works with

Organisations that collect feedback in person, by post, in classrooms or at events.

Key facts

• Languages read: over fifty
• Setup: page orientation and order are detected automatically