ScanDocs - Manual

Quick Start

1. Start the program 'ScanDocs' from your start menu.

2. Choose 'Options' from the 'File' menu.

3. Set the required options. (the program will remember those options).

4. Put the labeled documents into the scanner.

5. Press F9 or select 'Scan and process' from the 'File' menu.

6. After scanning and processing the documents can be found in the output folder.

Steps 2 and 3 (setting the options) are only required for the first scan job.

More on barcode detection

What setup/settings do you use?

We get perfect scanning results using:

  • 200 DPI scanning
  • a code 39 barcode printed by a normal 300 dpi laser printer on standard labels
  • the height of the printed barcode is about 1 cm.
  • a Canon DR-3080-CII scanner.

Using this setting we get 100% detection results using the Inlite Pro scanner. Even when barcodes are rotated and placed at completely random locations on the page.

Note: to prevent detection of other barcodes on a document we always use the prefix option. (More information about this option can be found below).

How fail safe is the recognition process?

If the barcode on the document is in a good condition the chances of failure are absolutely minimal. The chance of failure increases when the barcode is damaged or rotated.

It is impossible to guarantee a 100% pefect recognition. However for usage on normal documents this method has proven to be very reliable.

Have you got tips for enhancing the barcode detection process?

  • Experiment with the printed size of your barcodes.
  • Position the barcode on a fixed location on the document.
  • Experiment with the DPI settings.

When to use the area option?

Area's are usefull when you are sure the barcode is locates on a fixed position. (E.g. you might have printed it there when the document was produced).

The area option is required when the internal recognition method is used. The internal recognition method cannot locate barcodes at random positions.

When to use the prefix option?

If a document contains other barcodes, there might be no way to discriminate between the codes. Unfortunately setting the barcode type is not enough. Most engines detect a code 39 barcode even when a code 129 is expected.

What happens when a document contains other barcodes?

To prevent confusion between 'your' barcodes and other barcodes the document a prefix can be used.

Options

Active Scanner

Click the 'Select' button to select one of the installed TWAIN compatible scanners.

Settings

  • Output folder

This is the folder where the program stores the result files. (Also used for temporarily files)

  • Display page after scanning

Previews the page after it has been scanned.

  • Display scanner options before scanning

Shows the setup options of your scanner before scanning. The exact layout of the screen depends on your scanner. For most scanners this box controls settings like quality and speed.

  • Save images as PDF Files

Store the output documents embedded as an PDF file. Please note this is actually a PDF format that wraps the actual TIF images. The scans are not converted into a combination of text and font information (which happens when you print to PDF from a texteditor).

  • Use barcode area

Scan only for barcodes in the selected area. This area can be selected using the 'Load Image' and 'Select Area' options in the main menu. Using area's imcreases performance and accuracy, and is required for in combination with the internal barcode detection.

  • Store scanned pages

Stores the scanned pages as one multi-page tiff file in the Output Folder.

  • Required barcode prefix

You can enter a barcode prefix here. Each barcode should have this prefix before it is accepted as a document barcode.

Barcode engine

  • Barcode Engine

Click here for more information on the support scanners.

  • Scan for barcode

Specify the barcode format of your document barcodes here.

    • This option is only applicable for the Inlite Basic and Pro engines.
    • Please note 'cross detection' is possible (e.g. when for example code 128 is entered in this box a code 39 barcodes is still detected).

Area's

To set an barcode scanning area:

  • Load an example scan from your harddisk using the 'Load image' option from the 'File' menu.

] Note: this size (A4, Letter etc) and resolution (200 DPI) must match the size and resolution of the pages to be scanned. The area coordinates are based on those parameters.

  • Choose 'Select area' from the 'File' menu.
  • Use the mouse to mark the area on the document.
  • Choose 'Select area' again from the 'File' menu to store the area.
  • Make sure the 'Use barcode area' option is selected in the 'Option' window.

Prefixes

Prefixes can be used a precaution measure to prevent detection of other barcodes on your document. Suppose you print labels from DX000001 to DX999999. The characters DX are now used as prefix to distinguish your document barcodes from other barcodes.

To enable the prefix feature simple enter the 'DX' prefix into the 'Required barcode prefix' field of the 'Option' window.

Error messages

Unable to open twain resource.

There is a problem with the communication between your scanner and your PC. Please consult the manual of windows or your scanner to solve the problem.