Split a stack of receipts into separate PDFs

The monthly routine

1. Stack them. Gather the month's receipts in the order you'll need them later — usually chronological.
2. Insert separator sheets (optional, but recommended). One printed sheet between every two documents — details and a template on Create a barcode separator sheet.
3. Scan in one pass. One PDF for the whole stack, not one receipt at a time — that's where the real time saving over scanning individually comes from.
4. Open it in StackSplitter and let it split. Choose barcode or text marker as the method, check the result in the page preview grid.
5. Name and export. Adjust file names, download as a ZIP — ready for your document system or accountant.

Why batch scanning is still faster

The intuitive objection: if you end up with separate files anyway, why not just scan them individually? Because the time loss in individual scanning doesn't come from the scan itself, but from the changeover — place the document, start the scan, wait, next document. With fifty receipts, that's fifty changeovers. In batch mode with automatic feed, the scanner runs through while you do something else. Splitting afterwards takes StackSplitter seconds, not minutes.

The second advantage: a single scan run means consistent settings for the whole stack — same resolution, same colour depth, no forgotten setting halfway through.

Naming files sensibly

StackSplitter auto-numbers the detected documents, but names can be adjusted individually before export. Schemes that work well tell you what's in the file at a glance, without opening it:

Sticking to one scheme matters more than finding the perfect one — search in a document system or file system only works if every file follows the same pattern.

What happens with multi-page documents

A separator sheet or text marker marks the start of a new document — every page after it belongs to that document until the next split signal. A three-page travel expense report stays intact as one file, as long as only its first page is preceded by a separator sheet. The most common mistake: a separator sheet accidentally placed mid-document, which tears it apart. The preview grid before export shows exactly that — split lines can be moved there manually before exporting.

Retention and originals

Statutory retention periods for receipts are typically several years and depend on document type and jurisdiction; the exact period is a question for your accountant or tax advisor, not a general rule. A well-named digital archive copy generally satisfies retention requirements equivalently to the original, provided the digitisation follows the applicable principles (complete, stored unalterably, readable when needed). Whether and how long paper originals must additionally be kept afterwards is likewise a matter to clarify with your accountant.