Document Scanning

  • Reduces the cost of off-site paper document storage and per-page retrieval costs.
  • Frees up a significant amount of office space.
  • Reduces the risk that a flood, fire, or theft will cause detrimental loss to your business, provided the media are duplicated and stored off site.
  • Converts paper documents to common digital formats like PDF and TIFF

How Document Scanning Works

Also known as document imaging, it is the process of converting a paper document to a digital image format. Document scanning software is ideal when you need long-term and archival storage of your documents. Scanned documents can be quickly and easily retrieved from the archives by using your customized indexing fields and terms that you set. You can think of document scanning as an electronic filing cabinet with the same limitations as a physical paper filing system, but without offsite storage and retrieval costs.

Optix Product Features

Standardized Interface — Our drivers employ a unique easy-to-learn application-level user interface that is standardized across all scanners. The XML-based setups you create today will be usable tomorrow – even if you upgrade to a new model scanner. Support for similar scanners are gathered into “family” drivers with XML-based USB configuration. This means that we can often support new scanner models without adding a single line of code. Specify post-scan image filters such as rotation, deskew, noise removal, and auto page cropping to ensure the images you create embody the quality you need.

PC screenshot for the document capture standardized interface

Standardized Interface (PC)

Standardized Interface — Our drivers employ a unique easy-to-learn application-level user interface that is standardized across all scanners. The XML-based setups you create today will be usable tomorrow – even if you upgrade to a new model scanner. Support for similar scanners are gathered into “family” drivers with XML-based USB configuration. This means that we can often support new scanner models without adding a single line of code. Specify post-scan image filters such as rotation, deskew, noise removal, and auto page cropping to ensure the images you create embody the quality you need.

Mac screenshot for the document capture standardized interface

Standardized Interface (Mac)

Change scanner settings with a single click — Our scanner setups are listed on the desktop, selectable with a single click. They allow you to specify the number of pages to be scanned, brightness, contrast, page size, simplex or duplex, and the type of image to be created (Black and white, grayscale or full color). Create and save multiple settings for a variety of document types and name them as you wish – you can even switch settings on the fly by using your named setup and a barcoded patch card.

PC screenshot for changing scanner settings

Scanner Setups (PC)

Change scanner settings with a single click — Our scanner setups are listed on the desktop, selectable with a single click. They allow you to specify the number of pages to be scanned, brightness, contrast, page size, simplex or duplex, and the type of image to be created (Black and white, grayscale or full color). Create and save multiple settings for a variety of document types and name them as you wish – you can even switch settings on the fly by using your named setup and a barcoded patch card.

Mac screenshot for changing scanner settings

Scanner Setups (Mac)

Document Capture Tasks — Scan batches of documents with our Capture Tasks application. Create custom jobs by dragging and dropping your scanner setups and destination specifications into a new scan task. Scan to PDF or TIFF with destinations that can be email, FTP folders, print/fax, desktop folders, Optix Server repositories, workflows, and server-based queues. Use custom file-naming schemes to name your documents. Have a special processing need? Drop in a custom Applescript (on the Mac) or VB or JScript (on the PC). Step through your task to verify proper operation or click Run for full scanning automation.

PC screenshot for document capture tasks

Capture Tasks (PC)

Document Capture Tasks — Scan batches of documents with our Capture Tasks application. Create custom jobs by dragging and dropping your scanner setups and destination specifications into a new scan task. Scan to PDF or TIFF with destinations that can be email, FTP folders, print/fax, desktop folders, Optix Server repositories, workflows, and server-based queues. Use custom file-naming schemes to name your documents. Have a special processing need? Drop in a custom Applescript (on the Mac) or VB or JScript (on the PC). Step through your task to verify proper operation or click Run for full scanning automation.

Mac screenshot for document capture tasks

Capture Tasks (Mac)

Patch Cards — These provide scan-time instructions to Optix using barcoded patch cards. Create and print as many patch cards as you need to meet production goals using the Optix Workstation.

Patch card instructions can include switching scanner settings, image rotation, image border cleanup, simple document separator, and many more.

patch card scanning screenshot

How to Accomplish Your Document Scanning Goals

  1. Identify which document types need to be retained for regulatory compliance or occasional reference. These documents are good candidates for cold storage (CD/DVD) or long-term redundant cloud storage.
  2. Identify which records need to be referenced frequently. These documents are good candidates for server or cloud drive storage.
  3. Create a structure and file naming convention that makes sense and allows people to find documents they need.
  4. Identify which roles should have access and program file stores accordingly.
  5. Create a subject matter expert role for scanning documents, monitoring the process, and verifying that documents are being stored correctly.
  6. Identify the right software to be used for managing storage on CD/DVD.
  7. Establish an archiving calendar that informs teams when certain documents have aged and need to be moved to archive storage. Have the person responsible for the on-going success verify that archiving is taking place.