Fujifilm: Why every AI strategy starts with better document intelligence
Every AI strategy starts with the information the technology will use. Research published by LexisNexis in September 2026 found that 62% of the legal professionals surveyed use AI to summarise documents. For firms using these tools, the time saved depends on how easily staff can find the relevant files, check scanned pages and identify the correct versions before the AI work begins.
A solicitor preparing for a client meeting may be able to summarise correspondence quickly but still needs to check a scanned letter against the original because a date is unclear. The extra check reduces the time saved by the AI tool and shows why its practical value depends partly on the quality of the source document.
Document intelligence prepares information for AI by making documents easier to find, search and process. Fujifilm’s Apeos multifunction printers help staff turn paper records into clear, searchable digital files, while connected software can reduce the manual handling that follows scanning.
Fujifilm, a leader in toner print technology for more than six decades, brings these capabilities together through Born Ready, an approach based on four benefits: Smart, Secure, Sustainable and Dynamic. In this context, the Smart pillar focuses on preparing information for AI by making documents easier for people and software to capture, find, search and use.
Time lost to document handling
An incomplete or unclear scan can create work for multiple people before a solicitor can use the document. Missing pages may require support staff to retrieve and rescan the paper original, while unclear dates or reference numbers can interrupt review and prompt further checks. These extra steps delay access to usable information and reduce the time AI is expected to save.
From paper to searchable information
Digitising a document does not automatically make its contents ready for AI. Signed forms, letters and supporting records must remain accessible after scanning, especially when colleagues work from different locations or responsibility for a matter changes hands. Once the file is stored where colleagues can access it, the quality and format of the scan can affect how easily they can search and use its contents.
A PDF may contain an image of a page without searchable text, so a member of staff might have to read through it manually to locate a name or reference. Optical character recognition, known as OCR, recognises words in the image and converts them into text that software can search or process. Its accuracy can be affected by faint print, poor contrast and other aspects of scan quality, which is why a clear digital copy matters beyond its appearance on screen.
For example, a poorly recognised reference number may be missed by a text search, while an unclear date may require someone to retrieve the paper original. Those interruptions reduce the usefulness of the digital file and create additional checks before its contents can be relied upon.
Document intelligence uses software to identify document types or extract details for another process, such as transferring information from a form that would otherwise require manual entry. Available functions vary by application and staff still need to check extracted information. The aim is to reduce the handling between receiving a document and making its contents available for further work, including AI-assisted review.
A practical role for the office printer
For paper-based information, AI readiness begins at the point of capture. Embedded technology in Fujifilm Apeos multifunction printers helps users improve scan quality and legibility, with searchable OCR available depending on the model and configuration. This can help firms create digital records that colleagues and software can search and review more easily.
The route a scanned document takes after it leaves the device also affects whether it is ready for use. A file sent to an individual inbox may still need to be renamed and transferred before the wider matter team or another system can access it. Repeating those steps for each incoming document adds administration and delays the point at which the information becomes available for AI-assisted work.
Fujifilm works with software providers to connect scanning devices with document workflows. Depending on the software and configuration, a scanned file can move into further processing without the same sequence of manual transfers. Reducing those handovers helps firms move from document capture to usable information more consistently within their existing systems.
More time for client work
Clear scans and well-organised files make source information easier to locate and compare with an AI-generated result. Staff still need to review that result for accuracy, but they can spend less of that review time searching for missing pages, unreadable details or the correct version of a document.
An AI strategy should therefore consider more than the time taken to generate a summary. It should also address how quickly staff can assemble the relevant material, whether the tool can work with the documents, how easily people can check the result and how much correction is required before they can use it.
Fujifilm Apeos multifunction printers can support this foundation by helping firms produce clear, searchable digital copies of paper records. Depending on the selected solution, connected software can also reduce manual handling between scanning and filing. Legal teams can then spend less time rescanning pages, searching documents manually and transferring files, and more time reviewing information and responding to clients. Better document intelligence gives an AI strategy information that people and technology can find, process and check.
