paperless treats it as a single ASN number row and reports the highest used.

This is OK as long as you consistently use the QR codes to assign ASNs.

If your scanner supports scanning to a network share, install Samba on your Pi and share the paperless-ngx incoming directory. My ScanSnap iX1600 supports this, but I’m not familiar with other models. I had to configure the scanner using the Windows app to add the SMB details, but once it’s configured, it works without a computer attached.

Paperless-ngx also supports email. You can set up a separate email account for it, then forward it any documents you want to keep to it.

For documents you need to keep a physical copy of, use ASNs (archive serial numbers) to correlate the physical and virtual copy. You can use QR code stickers to automatically set the ASN in paperless-ngx. I posted a nested comment with more details about this.

Consider using paperless-ai to use an LLM to tag and title your scanned documents automatically. It needs a webhook to be configured. Consider a local model if possible, and if you want to use a hosted model, review the provider’s privacy policy to ensure they do NOT train the AI on user content.

And file away your scanned papers separately,

I’d recommend using ASN (archive serial numbers) for documents you store a physical copy of, following the recommended flow

I printed ASN QR code stickers, using the smallest Avery labels I could find (Avery 5267 in the USA, L4731REV-25 in Europe) along with their free online design app.

For documents I want to keep, I stick a QR code sticker on them before scanning. Paperless-ngx automatically detects the QR code and sets the ASN. I then file it away in a folder that’s sorted by ASN. When I need to find the physical copy again, I first look in Paperless to find the ASN, then find the document in the folder (pretty quick since all documents are sorted).

You’ll need to set the following settings:

PAPERLESS_CONSUMER_ENABLE_BARCODES=true
PAPERLESS_CONSUMER_ENABLE_ASN_BARCODE=true
PAPERLESS_CONSUMER_BARCODE_SCANNER=zxing