The first section of the paper shows how the numerical document is the result of a process made up of five levels of encased processes (from 0 to 4). They involve semiotical dimensions (signs and their meaning), technical dimensions (data recording, coding processes and signal transmission) and social dimensions (mediation and broadcasting). Given that it is impossible to separate these different entries, the second section of the paper examines more specifically two effects of numerization in terms of the emergence of new components of meaning. The first refers to dynamical transitions between layers of data coding. The second considers the Web as a tool dedicated to producing meaning, by bringing dissimilar fragments closer together, according to a notion of proximity based on a topological vision of documentary space.