The Scanlation Workflow Explained: All 8 Steps

Scanlation is not a single queue. The text track and the art track run in parallel, merge at typesetting, and end at quality check. Groups that model it as a straight list keep work waiting that could already be moving.

The eight steps

1. RAW sourcing. The source chapter is found and uploaded. Resolution is decided here; you cannot add it back later.

2. Translation. Text is moved into the target language. The output is usually a line list: page, panel, bubble order, text.

3. Proofreading. The translation is smoothed and checked for term consistency. If the group has no proofreader, this falls to the typesetter or editor — and then you need to decide, up front, where line-level feedback goes.

4. Cleaning. Original text is removed from the art; watermarks and page furniture go with it.

5. Bubble cleaning. Speech bubbles are tidied: edges, bleed, grey residue.

6. Typesetting. The translated text is placed onto the art. This is where the two tracks merge — you need finished text and cleaned art to start.

7. Editing / redraw. Effects, SFX placement, reconstructed backgrounds.

8. Quality check. Final read. Typos, overflow, missing bubbles, wrong panel order.

What runs in parallel?

RAW ──┬── Translate ── Proofread ──┐
      │                            ├── Typeset ── Edit ── QC
      └── Clean ── Bubbles ────────┘

The key point: steps 2–3 and 4–5 do not wait for each other. While the translator writes, the cleaner can prepare the same chapter's art. Serialising this doubles chapter time for no reason.

Where does it stall?

Three measurable bottlenecks:

• Typesetting. It is the merge point, so delays from both tracks accumulate here. It is also the slowest step technically.
• RAW sourcing. It does not feel like work, so it rarely gets assigned, and lives in "someone will handle it" territory.
• QC. Re-reading a chapter that looks finished is the hardest step to stay motivated for.

A chapter that has sat in the same step for 14 days is not usually a capacity problem. It is a visibility problem — someone forgot, and nothing surfaced it.

Can you use fewer steps?

Yes, and most small groups should. Common merges:

Merge	When it makes sense
Proofread into Translate	Experienced translator with a glossary
Bubble cleaning into Cleaning	Clean digital source, few effects
Edit into Typeset	Little redraw needed

The limit is QC. A group that drops QC learns about its mistakes from readers.

Does every series need the same chain?

No — and systems that assume otherwise misbehave eventually. An SFX-heavy manhwa and a dialogue-driven webtoon do not need the same steps. Being able to define the workflow per series means every rule written as "if this step exists" needs a fallback.

Next

With steps settled, the question becomes distribution: who owns what, how permissions work, what happens when someone is away. See roles and permissions, or the glossary for the terms used here.