Document Capture Tools

Scanning your documents into a Document Management System is a great way to improve efficiency and reduce the amount of paper in your office.  And, depending on what kind of paper you are scanning, there are lot of document capture tools available.  Tools such as Full Text OCR, Zonal OCR, and ICR can greatly reduce time spent indexing and validating your documents once they are scanned.

Full Text OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is software that captures every character in the document being scanned and processing it into a fully searchable PDF.  One effective use of this technology is when government users needing to search hundreds of pages of agendas and meeting minutes for a certain topic.  The process of searching these documents is quite time-consuming and most OCR processing occurs overnight when there is less use on the company’s day-to-day activities. 

Zonal OCR is similar in that it captures information, but in this case, the software is programmed to look in the same location or “zone” every time.  This is helpful when scanning in documents where the information is in the same location, such as an invoice number.  Most invoices are in a set format so zonal OCR is very effective in this scenario.  When the operator is validating this information, the Zonal OCR zooms in on the zone area that has been predetermined where the information is captured from so they can easily read if the information captured is correct or not.  Hence, one of the biggest advantages of Zonal OCR is that it improves the efficiency of searches which translates into a savings of both time and money.  Some software available that features Zonal OCR also allows the user to draw a box to establish a zone around required text rather than typing in keywords therefore allowing the document to be automatically indexed.

ICR (Intelligent Character Recognition) is the ability for the software to read hand-written information and process this into searchable information.  This is especially beneficial in the financial industry.  And although this tool can be very useful in some situations, the error rate is much higher because handwriting is so varied from person to person. 

Andrea Latham, CDIA+
Inside Sales
ImageSource, Inc.
Phone 360.943.9273
www.imagesourceinc.com

  

Network Scanners, Living in a Connected World

Network attached scanners have been available for quite a while. But the early version were extremely limited and didn’t always work as expected. The current version of network scanners come with a good sized user interface, touch screen or Keyboard and usual have a version of windows imbedded allowing for an easier setup and a familiar feel. These new units allow for quick deployment in a low volume setting and they are easy-to-use and they manage, secure, and operate as stand-alone solutions.

Many different manufacturers offer a network version of their scanner line.  Canon offers a great Network Scanner, the ScanFront 220.  With this scanner, you can simplify and standardize document management across your local branches or across the globe. Simply load your documents, log into the network, select the destination, and press the scan button.  It allows many users to access the network via one scanner using their person authentication logons.  Specific user settings can restrict the types of documents the user has access to scan, index, and view. 

Fujitsu’s network scanner, the fi-6010N, includes many enhancements for greater ease of use, simplified device management and additional security feature for compliance or to assist with adherence to regulations.  This network scanner provides functionality including scan to e-mail, network fax, folder, printer, FTP website, and searchable PDF in a small footprint which enables document sharing amount departments or the entire enterprise.

The Kodak Scan Station 500 is designed as a walk-up capture station that requires minimal user training and is easy to use. The Scan Station 500 is a standalone solution that works with an existing network and makes use of existing network shared services to communicate with other network devices or destinations. The color touch screen is easy to use and allows you to quickly send your documents via email, fax, to networked drives, networked printers or USB flash drives.

No matter which network scanner you think might work best for you or your organization, having the ability to scan directly to your network without the requirement of a PC is a great innovation in the document imaging environment.  You can purchase all these types of network scanner at ImageSource, Inc.

 

Andrea Latham, CDIA+

Inside Sales

ImageSource, Inc.

Phone 360.943.9273

www.imagesourceinc.com