Listening to the Machine

I was chatting with Sophia Marchi, the director of sales for the Americas for BÖWE BELL + HOWELL Scanners at our recent Nexus event. She had just delivered a great break-out on scanner selection criteria and we started talking about how the users need to have input on scanner selection – they really know what they like and what works for them. Often, these aren’t the people consulted when purchase decisions are made, and it’s a shame. She related how at FedEx, there were 13 identical scanners deployed, and the staff had names them all – Annabelle, Karina, Chloe, Hannah, and so forth. Workers bonded with their machines, and would line up for their favorite – even to the point of coming in early to get their machine. Or switching to it the second in came available. Well what’s the attraction — they are all the same machines, right? Then I recalled my brother and I had the same Schwinn 2 speed bikes as kids, then in college we bought the exact same motorcycles (I stuck to silver, he to purple). 3K miles down the road, I’d borrow his bike. Felt a bit funny, compared to mine with the same mileage. Fast forward to when we had put over 45K miles – what a difference. Rider habits with braking, acceleration, maintenance, even storage – added up to make these bikes ride with distinct differences. I do remember mine being faster – I guess my throttle was used to more demands. It’s the same story with scanners. Properly maintained scanners – the ones that are doted on and listened to carefully – are bound to last longer with fewer unexpected breakdowns. Sophia learned from the users that with their favorite scanners, the operators can hear roller wear, hear double feeds, even hear the need for a cleaning. Scanning shops that listen to their operators, allowing them to use a particular machine when possible, and reward regular maintenance and cleaning will outperform shops that neglect these steps.

Peter Lang
ImageSource, Inc.

Tuning ECM Capture Systems – Is It Optional?

Recognizing forms and then performing successful OCR and ICR is a result of careful planning.   Then comes plenty of testing during development, exploiting every advantage you can discover.  Once rolling, are the results what you expect?  All of that testing should ensure the answer is YES.  But if they are falling short of expectation, it’s time to tune.  Are image enhancement/preprocessing settings set optimally (or are they in place at all?).  Are alphanumeric fields defined in such a way that the OCR engines aren’t trying to discern zeros from letter O’s?  For handwriting, do forms have text instructions coaching the users how to write ‘between the lines’?  Are you matching expected data with available dictionaries encompassing all possible entries?  These are just a few of the questions to ask while tuning a paper capture system.  At ImageSource, we’ll work to resolve recognition problems you are experiencing to maximize your ROI and data throughput.

Peter Lang
ImageSource

Enterprise Content Management (ECM): Best Practices for Backfile Conversion

The 2 main aspects of Backfile Conversion are Security and Quality.  Security within the document scanning process is tracking and maintaining records for each document through the workflow.  If a conversion workflow is tracked and accounted for efficiently, a quality product will be the result. 

In addition to maintaining records of documents it is not uncommon that someone will want to view one of the documents that are in the workflow.  If an itemized inventory list (tracking log) was created at the beginning of the conversion workflow and an entry to the tracking log was made every time the document was processed, it should take minutes to locate where the document is and provide either the hard copy or the imaged copy of that document for the individual looking for the document.

The conversion workflow process usually consists of incoming inventory, preparation of documents for scanning, scanning of documents, indexing, releasing of images into the Document Management System and outgoing inventory.  When an entry is made to the tracking log, the name and date should be included in the entry.  This will assign that technician the responsibility of the document during this stage in the workflow.  The goal with assigning responsibility is to add incentive for the technician to make sure the document is imaged clearly and indexed accurately.  Accountability ensures quality of work being produced.

Through the use of a tracking log documents are secure in that they know where they are at all times.  Technicians are held accountable for their work. 

 

Jeff Martin

Conversion Services Project Coordinator

ImageSource, Inc.

  

Kofax moves to a pay-per-incident (PPI) system. What are your options?

As of August 3, 2009, worldwide technical support via telephone for all versions of Kofax’s VRS has been convert to a pay-per-incident (PPI) system.  Fujitsu offers a toll-free technical assistance support line for all Fujitsu scanners and software during the warranty period.  The scanner warranty includes phone support for Kofax VRS products provided with the purchase of Fujitsu Scanners.  Contact ImageSource for Fujitsu Scanners with VRS and post sales support.

Leigh Woody

Program Manager

Does Your Scanner Like to Pull Multiple Pages or None at All?

Is your scanner refusing to pull one page at a time like it should be?  Try cleaning the pick up, seperation, and feeding rollers.  Most scanners have cleaning kits available with the necessary items.  Also check to make sure your documents are being properly prepped.  Proper document prep includes: removing staples and post-its, making sure the staple holes are not hanging on to each other, line up the corners of all the documents, and fanning the documents prior to scanning.

 

If you have done all of the above and the documents are still feeding poorly you may need to replace your rollers with are considered a consumable item. I know you can purchase all scanner comsumables from ImageSource, Inc.

Main Causes for Image Quality Issues on Fujitsu Scanners

Do you ever get those annoying lines on your scanned images and not sure what the problem is?  The majority of image quality issues experienced with Fujitsu scanners can be easily resolved by the user.  The first thing I would try is to clean the ADF glass.

On occasion there might be other hardware issues that could require a Service Technician to come on-site to resolve.  These include: dust on the optics and underside of scan glass assembly and old or defective lamps.  These issues can also give a back or front Optical Alarm error.

Another possible cause of image quality issues could be scratches on the glass assembly due to staples being feed through the scanner still on the paper.  Don’t forget to remove staples from paper before scanning!  The scratched glass would require a Service Technician to come out and replace that part.

If you think your image quality issues could be resolved with the simple cleaning or replacement of consumables, you can purchase any of these items from ImageSource.