Subscription free OCR refers to “on-premises optical character recognition software”, aka Sunshine Software. Why Sunshine? Because sky is clear and there are no clouds
On-premises OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, refers to a technology or software system that performs character recognition and text extraction from images or documents locally, within an organization’s own infrastructure, rather than relying on external servers or cloud-based services. In other words, the OCR process takes place on the organization’s own hardware or servers, rather than sending data to a third-party cloud service for processing.
Here are some key points about on-premises OCR:
- Local Processing: On-premises OCR software is installed and operates on the organization’s own servers or computers. This means that sensitive or confidential data doesn’t leave the organization’s premises, which can be a critical requirement for companies with strict data security and privacy regulations.
- Data Privacy and Security: Organizations that deal with highly sensitive information, such as medical records, legal documents, or financial data, often prefer on-premises OCR to maintain better control over their data and ensure compliance with privacy regulations.
- Network Independence: On-premises OCR doesn’t rely on an internet connection for processing, making it suitable for environments with limited or unreliable internet connectivity.
- Customization: On-premises OCR solutions can often be customized to meet specific business needs and integrated into existing workflows and systems.
- Cost Considerations: While on-premises OCR provides greater control and security, it typically requires more substantial upfront investments in hardware, software, and IT infrastructure, compared to cloud-based OCR services. Additionally, organizations are responsible for maintenance, updates, and support. However, many cloud solutions make you to sign contracts charging you annually. Because of that accumulated costs of cloud solutions are often more expensive than it seem. On-premise Sunshine solutions are offered for onetime fixed payment, thou. Here is a study on Total Cost of Ownership for OCR solutions exploring the costs.
- Scalability: Scalability with on-premises OCR may require additional investment in hardware and software licenses as the volume of OCR processing increases.
In contrast, cloud-based OCR services rely on external servers and infrastructure to process OCR tasks, offering scalability and reduced upfront costs, but they may raise concerns about data privacy and security, especially for organizations dealing with sensitive data. However, remember that cloud is just someones’ server that you do not have any control of.
The choice between on-premises and cloud-based OCR depends on an organization’s specific needs, regulatory requirements, and available resources. Some organizations may opt for a hybrid approach, where critical or sensitive data is processed on-premises, while non-sensitive data is processed in the cloud for efficiency and scalability.
Automatic Image Splitting
Speed up scanning of multi-page layouts and spreads with SimpleIndex’s built-in tools
Magazines, pamphlets, booklets and similar documents can be a scanning headache, particularly when you want to capture each page, or even each block of text, as its own separate file. Splitting the pages and cropping each one to its final format adds hours and tedium to an already laborious scanning process. Fortunately, SimpleIndex has built-in tools to simplify these tasks. Horizontal and vertical splitting, magazine scanning and repeatable cropping of multiple zones per page save you hundreds of clicks per scanning session, creating time for more important tasks.
Multi-crop: Set and forget page breakdown
There are times when you need to capture more granular contents than just an image of a page. For example, you may need to separate out the images, illustrations, ads and body text of a publication. The crop tool in SimpleIndex allows you to draw zones around each section of a page and create a discrete file from each one when you click Save Index. What’s more, if you have a series of pages with identical layouts, then there’s no need to redraw the zones, fly through them all with a click of Save Index and you’re done.
Split pages horizontally or vertically
Pages with a 2-up layout, either side-by-side or top-to-bottom, can be automatically split into separate files. When setting up a SimpleIndex job, the Advanced Scanner Settings panel allow you to choose Split Pages Vertically to split left-side and right-side images, or Split Pages Horizontally to split top and bottom images.
Magazine Scan
Magazines and other types of spread layouts – items with staples in the center typically – pose an interesting scanning challenge. When separated to the individual sheets, you find the pages out of order. For example, an 8-page booklet will be printed on 4 sheets and the first sheet will have pages 1 and 8 on one side and pages 2 and 7 on the other. The Magazine Scan feature not only performs a split as discussed above but reorganizes the pages to their correct order.
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CRM Integration with RPA
Stop adding files to your customer records manually. That’s what robots are for!
In this prior demo, SimpleIndex generates reader-friendly PDFs when given a fillable form and XML data. Now let’s look at how to efficiently upload these completed forms into our CRM’s corresponding customer records.
These operations are possible because SimpleIndex generates a log file, including a searchable customer name and the file path where the generated PDF is stored.
In manual scenarios, users would typically carry out the following steps:
- Open a web browser to the CRM site
- Search for the first customer with an attachment pending
- Click the Add Attachment button
- Browse to the correct attachment
- Complete the process by clicking the Attach button
- Repeat the above steps for each customer
AstroRPA significantly simplifies this process by creating a robot that automatically performs all of these steps for you. Even better, these automated robotic processes can operate even while you are away from the system.
Watch this video to see just how quickly this robot moves through the upload process.
Note: Here we use Zoho CRM, but this process will work with any platform.
Unlike other document processing that require users to prepare documents, RPA eliminates tedious actions such as downloading docs and data files from a website or third party app; splitting and sorting files; and post-processing functions such as uploading files and required metadata to other websites or third-party apps.
RPA, you can fully integrate all these steps into one single automated workflow no matter what applications or websites are used, no API integrations or custom coding needed.
Contact Us to find out how our automation experts can put SimpleIndex and RPA to work for you!
PDF Form Filling, XML & RPA Integration
How to create reader-friendly PDF documents from XML or JSON data–automatically!
This demo also shows how to harness the efficiency of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), powered by our partners at AstroRPA, to take a tedious multi-step work routine and turn it into a hands-off process completed in a fraction of the time.
In this scenario, our user receives survey responses in the form of XML data attached to an email. For the purposes of making the information easily readable to the average person, they would like to fill that data into actual forms and store those PDFs in their document management system for viewing later. This allows them to view both electronic and paper responses in a human-readable format in the same repository.
SimpleIndex can read data from XML, JSON, or simple table formats like CSV or Excel, into fillable PDF forms. But there’s some prep work that must be done because the XML data arrives in a single file, but SimpleIndex needs individual XML and PDF files for each survey to generate the documents.
In our scenario, the user has to carry out the following steps:
- Move the XML attachment from email to a folder
- Open the XML and copy each survey results block to its own individual XML file
- Save those individual XML files to the “Input” folder of the SimpleIndex job
- Copy one blank PDF form for each XML file to the “Input” folder
- Name each blank PDF form with the same name as the XML file e.g. “Patient-001.xml” and “Patient-001.pdf”
- Run the SimpleIndex job to create the filled-in PDF forms
Using AstroRPA, we can create a robot that performs all these steps while the user goes for a cup of coffee 🍵 Is there truly a time savings? Watch the video to see both the user and the robot (hint: the robot is about 9 times more efficient 🤖).
Automated XML to Forms with SimpleIndex and AstroRPA
Many document processes require you to prepare documents for processing, such as downloading docs and data files from a website or third party app, splitting and sorting the files, etc.. After processing, they often need to be uploaded to another website or third-party app along with the required metadata. Using RPA, you can fully integrate these steps into a single automated workflow no matter what applications or websites are used, without any API integrations or custom coding.
Contact Us to find out how our automation experts can put SimpleIndex and RPA to work for you!
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Patent ID and Title Extraction
To avoid manual data entry, pattern matching is used to automatically read the Patent ID Number and Title from any US patent application straight out of the box.
This job configuration is available for free for SimpleIndex users from the link below.
SimpleIndex Patents Demo Job Configuration
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KB Articles for Patent ID and Title
- Language Pack for Standard/Tesseract OCR
- Languages Supported in SimpleSoftware OCR Engines
- What is Document Imaging?
- Change the Dictionary Separator Value
- Change the OCR Font or Type
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Autonumber Increment Value
- I'm using full page OCR. The information is all appearing in the txt file but it is losing format about half way through. Data to the right is ending up at the end of the txt doc. Can this be fixed?
- Is there a way to just use part of a bar code or OCR value? For example, extract "50" from the value "124450"
- If I have a form which is filled manually by hand, can SimpleIndex read the data from it?
Take control of Sales Tax exemption forms
Automatically fill and file sales tax forms
Ben Franklin once noted, “…nothing is certain except death and taxes.” In the case of state sales taxes, they may be unavoidable, but managing your customers’ sales tax exemption forms and making sure you’ve sent current exemption certificates to your vendors doesn’t have to feel like a terminal condition.
SimpleIndex has the power to recognize the forms you receive from customers and file them automatically so you can find them in seconds.
SimpleIndex also fills out sales tax exemption PDFs from every state to create a complete set of your forms ready for emailing to your vendors.
Link both processes to your customer and vendor data sources to streamline the process. Even without those lists, the state, certificate number and expiration recognize automatically, leaving you with the simple task of clicking on the customer name to file the document away.
You’ll never have to dig through old emails or piles of paper to make sure you have that exemption on file again!
When it’s time to send your vendors the proper state certificate to get your sales tax exemption, simply open up the Fill Vendor Form job, select the vendor, and all your state exemptions are filled out automatically and assembled into one PDF file suitable for framing emailing.
Manage your customer sales tax exemption forms:
- Scan customer sales tax exemption certificates submitted on paper
- Process e-mailed PDF sales tax exemption forms
- Use OCR or read the filled-in forms from PDF files to file them automatically
- Search and view customer tax forms in seconds
- Receive automatic e-mail notifications when exemptions expire
Fill out and e-mail vendor sales tax exemption forms:
- Standardized, fillable PDF sales tax forms for every state
- Select a vendor and fill in all the relevant name and address information automatically
- One click fills in every state form with both your company’s information and your vendor’s
- Packages saved to bookmarked PDF files and e-mailed to vendors
- Receive automatic e-mail notifications when exemptions expire
Find out more!
The sales tax management solution is available for free to SimpleIndex users!
Download SimpleIndex – Download the Sales Tax Jobs
Some initial setup is required, and we can help you out with that too. Our Professional Services department can have you up and running in just a couple of hours.
Please Contact Us to find out more about automating your sales tax time thieves with SimpleIndex!
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Reduce Click Charges for Data Capture
If you operate a high-volume scanning department or service bureau, chances are you use software like Kofax to scan and index documents for your clients. If you do then you are well aware of the high cost of click charges and the inevitable mad rushes to purchase additional clicks at the end of a peak volume month.
There are some scanning jobs that need the multi-user batching and indexing features of these systems, but many do not. SimpleIndex® can help you save big on click charges by supplementing your primary scanning infrastructure, letting you perform smaller, less complex jobs in a separate workflow.
Many data capture and forms processing applications charge for every page you process, even if all the data being read is only on the first page. Starting SimpleIndex 9, you can automatically send a copy of the first page from each exported file to a separate folder for data processing, helping you avoid unnecessary processing time and license costs.
Jobs like these can be easily processed with SimpleIndex:
- Simple scan-to-file with no indexing
- All indexing is done via bar codes or database lookup
- No custom export or API integration is required
The following scenarios usually require a more robust solution:
- Multi-user workflows
- Complex data extraction and forms processing
- Direct application integration with APIs
Basically, SimpleIndex is great for 1-2 user workflows where a single user performs the whole scanning and indexing process, or where one person scans and another indexes on a separate workstation. When more than 2 users are required to keep up with indexing volume then it makes more sense to use a system designed for multiple users.
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KB Articles for Reduce Click Charges
- Language Pack for Standard/Tesseract OCR
- Languages Supported in SimpleSoftware OCR Engines
- What is Document Imaging?
- Change the Dictionary Separator Value
- Change the OCR Font or Type
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Autonumber Increment Value
- I'm using full page OCR. The information is all appearing in the txt file but it is losing format about half way through. Data to the right is ending up at the end of the txt doc. Can this be fixed?
- Is there a way to just use part of a bar code or OCR value? For example, extract "50" from the value "124450"
- If I have a form which is filled manually by hand, can SimpleIndex read the data from it?
Affordable Document Management
SimpleIndex® is a great solution for small businesses and departments that need a quick and affordable way to scan, organize and view documents. SimpleIndex provides a wide variety of retrieval options, many of which require no special software to find and view documents.
The most basic solution uses Windows folders and filenames to organize and find documents on a shared network drive or synced to a cloud storage platform.
SimpleIndex lets you use index field values to create folders and filenames automatically, automating the process with barcodes, OCR and database lookups where possible.
You can also use SimpleIndex with SimpleSearch to create a keyword-searchable database that lets you find and view documents based on one or more index values.
There are several advantages to using SimpleSearch instead of Windows folders:
- Find documents based on specific keywords or phrases
- Drop-down lists to select possible keyword values
- Use “And” and “Or” logic to search multiple field values
- Search the full text of OCR’d documents, Office and PDF files
- Search results are returned instantly
- Quickly browse through all matching files, even if they are in different folders
- Integrated file viewer with zoom, annotation, print and email functions
- Index data stored in a database and can be re-used for reporting and other applications
Integration with Third Party Document Management
SimpleIndex is able to integrate with Enterprise Document Management Systems using a variety of integration methods.
- SharePoint integration is built directly into SimpleIndex.
- Cloud Storage platforms like Google Drive, Box and OneDrive can be integrated via sync apps.
Output standardized and organized folders and filenames. Full-text search for Office and PDF files. - Popular document management systems like Digitech PaperVision and ImageSilo, Computhink Contentverse, Laserfiche, and others are supported out-of-the-box using SimpleExport to create custom import files.
- Integration with many other systems can be done via the default CSV data file format.
- If a custom import file format is required, SimpleExport can be configured to produce it.
Lowering the Cost of Document Management
Many small businesses are going digital with their documents. However, many also find that the document management systems available are too complex, expensive, or labor-intensive to be practical in a small office.
SimpleIndex was designed to solve this problem by removing many of the costly and cumbersome “gotchas” that make practical implementation of these systems impossible.
Here are some of the ways SimpleIndex saves you money:
- Standalone scanning, indexing & retrieval license starts at $500.
- No limitations on processing volume (“click charges”).
- Files are stored in standard formats using logical folders and filename structures
- Exported files can be synced any cloud storage platforms
- Key data is embedded in the file names and metadata tags to ensure they can be found without a third party database or app
- SimpleView provides both free and low-cost options to browse, search and view exported documents.
- SimpleSearch provides a client/server document management system with index field and full-text search for a minimal cost per workstation.
- SimpleIndex integrates with any custom database, allowing you to use existing infrastructure or free/open source database platforms instead of buying expensive licenses.
- SimpleIndex integrates seamlessly with most document and content management systems available on the market today. Leverage the low cost and enhanced feature of SimpleIndex as an alternative front-end for migrating documents to your DMS.
- SimpleIndex uses OCR, barcode recognition, database lookups and advanced pattern matching algorithms to automate the indexing and filing of captured documents. Combined with its streamlined workflow, SimpleIndex gives the highest level of automation you can get in this price range.
KB Articles for Document Management
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- Using alternate database schemas
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- Will your SimpleQB allow me to scan in old invoices or bank statements directly into QuickBooks?
- How do I use the Media Wizard to create searchable DVDs or thumb drives?
- How do I export index data to a database?
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Indexing Solutions with Barcode Recognition
Barcode recognition is the most efficient way to capture index data printed on documents. If you are unfamiliar with the use of barcodes in document scanning, you can learn more about barcodes in our Barcode Scanning Guide, but if you want to know more about barcode use with SimpleSoftware products, read on.
Some documents already have key information in barcode format on them. In many cases adding a barcode to a document is as simple as changing or adding a font. Adding barcodes to new documents is preferable as all the index data is on the document at the time it is created and in a format that can be read with near 100% accuracy.
As an alternative to placing barcodes on the individual documents, it is possible to print out a barcode cover page and place it on the file before it is scanned. The SimpleCoversheet application was designed to make this easy by providing a simple interface for selecting index values and printing a standard coversheet that contains these values in barcode format.
Barcode recognition can also be useful when you have documents with a variable number of pages that will all receive the same index values. If it is not possible to generate an indexed coversheet for these at the time they are created, a generic barcode coversheet can be used to separate the scanned images into multi-page files, one for each document. A second process can then be used to index these images one file at a time instead of one page at a time, greatly increasing throughput.
Barcode Recognition Features
With SimpleIndex Barcode you can:
- Read barcodes printed on scanned paper documents
- Read barcodes embedded in PDF files
- Automatically rename files based on barcodes
- Export barcode data to CSV file or any database
- Separate multi-page documents with cover pages
- Recognize 2D formats like PDF417, DataMatrix, Aztec and QR Code
- Recognize 30 different 1D barcode formatsCode 39, Codabar, UPC, Code 128, EAN 13, 2 of 5, etc.
- Recognize postal barcodes like Planet, PostNet, Royal Post and Australian Post
- Lookup barcode values in a database for additional data
- Complete list of document scanning & indexing features
With SimpleCoversheet you can:
- Create barcode coversheets for use with SimpleIndex and other scanning applications
- Print barcodes on Avery label templates that can be applied to documents
- Affordably enable every employee to print barcodes
- Create coversheets that allow SimpleIndex to automatically index and file documents
- Enable scanning and indexing from MFPs, network scanners and digital copiers
- Perform “mail merge” with barcodes to print many coversheets at once
- Supports many 1D and 2D barcode formats
Learn More:
KB Articles for Barcode Recognition
- Turn On Replacement Characters for Barcodes
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Autonumber Increment Value
- What are some other terms for Bar Code Scanning Software?
- Can SimpleIndex read bar codes from existing PDF files?
- I cannot recognize PDF417 or QR Code bar codes. What does "Advanced "Only" mean?
- Can I split TIFF or PDF files based on barcodes as a separator and also name the file with the barcode value?
- Will SimpleIndex read multiple barcodes on a page and save the value to the appropriate index field?
- Is there a way to just use part of a bar code or OCR value? For example, extract "50" from the value "124450"
- How can I delete the barcode or blank page cover/separator sheet that I don't need to save?
Accounts Payable Automation with RPA
In just a few clicks, you can an inbox full of invoices to data entered into QuickBooks Online (or any other accounting system) with SimpleIndex and Astro RPA.
The first step is to run our SimpleInvoice job to capture the data from your invoices. Then, with one more click, fire up the robot and grab a cup of coffee while it takes over the job of entering the vendor names, invoice numbers, dates, dollar amounts and expense categories into your QuickBooks Online company file.
Both processes require minimal configuration to get started, so an hour or two of configuration replaces endless time spent manually entering your bills into QuickBooks. End the tedium. It’s why we created robots, right?
Use SimpleInvoice and a Astro RPA robot to:
- Automatically process and capture the data from your invoices
- Enter the data into any accounting system (QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, NetSuite, etc.)
- Brew and drink instead of copy and paste
SimpleInvoice comes with any SimpleIndex license. Our Accounts Payable Automation Bot can be added and customized for your accounting software and workflow.
If your invoice workflow requires line item capture, GL coding, or other advanced features, check out these Enterprise Invoice Processing solutions.
Of course, you can create a similar AP automation bot using any RPA platform, such as UiPath, BluePrism, Automation Anywhere, or any other. The SimpleIndex command-line interface is supported by all of them. But Astro RPA is the most affordable, and allows you to re-use our already configured bots.
Some initial setup is required, and we can help you out with that too. Our Professional Services department can have you up and running in just a couple of hours.
Please Contact Us to find out more about automating your data entry time thieves with robots made in Astro RPA!
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TaxStacker: Sort & Classify Federal Tax Documents
This is a great way for accountants and tax preparers to organize complex tax returns in a way that makes it easy to find specific documents. It can also be used to ensure all required schedules and supporting documents are present in the finished return.
Use our out-of-the-box TaxStacker configuration to automatically identify all the forms and schedules that make up a U.S. federal income tax return. These can then be sorted into separate PDF files or combined into a single file that has bookmarks to indicate each section.
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Imprint, Endorse, or Bates Stamp Images Electronically
Many legal applications require documents to have a sequential number, called a bates stamp, printed in a specific location on each page. Usually this requires the purchase of a much more expensive scanner that has a built-in printer, called an imprinter or endorser to print the number on the pages as they are scanned. However, if documents are being submitted electronically, the bates stamp does not have to be physically printed on the page. SimpleIndex‘s Electronic Imprinting feature lets you apply the bates stamp to the images after they are scanned, saving you thousands on specialized scanning hardware.
New in SimpleIndex v9.0 you can now apply image-based semi-transparent watermarks for PDF files to add logos, trademarks or backgrounds.
Electronic imprinting is also useful for anyone looking to apply a page numbering scheme, scan date, copyright notice or any other text to document images as they are scanned.
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KB Articles for Imprinting & Watermarking
The All-In-One Scanning & Sorting Tool
SimpleIndex® has the ability to perform a wide variety of scanning and document organization tasks quickly and easily.
This makes it a must-have tool for IT departments and consultants who often need to:
- Scan and store various documents on network shares or cloud storage
- Organize existing MS Office, PDF and other files on your network
- Attach files to records in a custom database
- Integrate scanning into custom business applications
- Add document capture to Robotic Process Automation bots
- Automate data entry from paper or electronic documents
- Reduce click charges for centralized scanning departments
With a cost and setup time that is negligible compared to other enterprise capture platforms, SimpleIndex makes sense even when your company already has one. For example:
- When SimpleIndex has unique features your other software doesn’t, like Office and PDF text parsing, PDF Bookmarking or Electronic Imprinting.
- When setting up a new workflow requires extensive setup time and management approvals to use the central system.
- When click charges make a project prohibitively expensive.
The wide variety of scanning and indexing tasks you can do with SimpleIndex make it an incredibly useful tool to have in your arsenal.
Find Out More
- Download or get an Online Demo
- SimpleIndex Feature Guide
- Wiki Manual Pages
- Compare Versions & Licensing
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KB Articles for Document Management
- Oracle database is slow to respond
- What is Document Imaging?
- Using alternate database schemas
- Multiple Sort Fields on Search
- Access Database Connection String
- How do I delete an image and it's database entry?
- Is it possible to search for and retrieve documents with Windows desktop search?
- Will your SimpleQB allow me to scan in old invoices or bank statements directly into QuickBooks?
- How do I use the Media Wizard to create searchable DVDs or thumb drives?
- How do I export index data to a database?
Network Scanners & Copiers
Most digital copiers have the ability to scan a TIFF or PDF file to a shared folder on your network. However, getting an image with a recognizable filename and index fields you can search on is usually a labor intensive, if not impossible task. SimpleIndex with SimpleCoversheet provides a way for the whole office to organize documents they scan with your existing digital copiers.
SimpleIndex uses barcodes to automate the process of tagging and filing documents. This can be accomplished by embedding barcodes in the documents when they are printed, or by using SimpleCoversheet to create barcode index pages that are encoded with the filing data.
SimpleIndex can be configured to run fully unattended as a Windows service or scheduled task. It monitors the folder for new scanned files, reads the barcodes and files them accordingly. The key values from the barcodes are used to tell SimpleIndex when a new file starts, what folder to store the document in, what to name the file and other tags to use for searching.
The advantages of this approach to scanning are:
- Use your existing digital copiers instead of buying dedicated scanners
- The person creating the document is responsible for indexing it
- Scan the document and forget it
Learn More:
KB Articles for Network Scanners & Copiers
- Connect SimpleIndex to FTP Site
- FastImport to Disable Automatic Processing During Import
- Stop/Turn Off Image Deletion when Blank is Recognized
- Disable StopFile
- Continue with Post Process Command Line if Input Folder is Empty
- Check and Repair All PDF Files
- How do I limit the number of files pulled from the input folder?
- Can SimpleIndex read bar codes from existing PDF files?
- I have a scanner/copier that creates PDF and TIFF files and saves them to my file server. Can I use SimpleIndex to create a searchable CD/DVD from these files?
- How do you select what types of files to process?
Indexing from Applications with Screen OCR
Some documents are difficult or impossible to automate with OCR. For example, documents with non-standard layouts, unconstrained handwriting or very poor scan quality. In applications like invoice processing, fully automating the data entry can require expensive software and weeks of consulting. Even after all that expense, many users miss the interface and data validations that their accounting software entry screens provide.
In cases like this, SimpleIndex can help improve data entry efficiency while archiving your scanned originals at the same time. Here’s how it works:
- Scan a batch of documents for data entry
- Place the SimpleIndex window side-by-side with your data entry window
- Enter the data normally, reading from the scanned image in SimpleIndex
- Press the hotkey combo to transfer the data to SimpleIndex
- Save the image and repeat with the next one
In this configuration, SimpleIndex captures an image of the data entry window, then uses OCR to read the data and index the image. Since the data entry screen has a consistent layout and clear, readable fonts, it can be reliably recognized with OCR.
There are several advantages to this approach:
- Configuration and training takes hours not weeks
- Scanned images are indexed with no extra work
- All the advantages of digital docs–security, searching, sharing, etc.
- Use all the data validation features of your software
- No flipping through paper documents
- Operator keeps eyes on the screen and hands on the keyboard
- Data entry can be done remotely
- Data entry performance improves and files are archived at the same time
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FAQ Related to Screenshot OCR
Remote Document Capture
SimpleIndex is designed around the idea that it is more efficient to have a scanner in every office, making imaging a part of the daily routine instead of a new company division.
SimpleIndex makes this possible by greatly reducing the cost and complexity of the capture interface and providing unique features that make it easy to implement throughout an organization. Distributed scanning is also made possible by the latest advances in fast, inexpensive desktop scanners.
By moving to distributed scanning, a company with many locations earn huge ROI on shipping costs alone – not to mention the many dedicated employees necessary in a centralized scanning operation. Even with all these savings, turnaround is still greatly improved.
SimpleIndex brings imaging into a whole new era by making it possible for small companies to afford just one and for large companies to afford one in every office.
Learn More:
KB Articles for Remote Document Capture
- Exclude Index Field from Index Log
- Turn Off Prompts and Pop Ups on Job Configurations
- Change the Font Size of Index Fields
- Large Documents (>500 pages) are Slow to Process
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Index With Non-Latin Character Sets
- Skip to Blank Index on Save Index
- Stop Autorun When Double Clicking Configuration
- Autonumber Increment Value
- Overlap of SimpleView Viewer in SimpleIndex Display
Automatic Indexing Using Existing Data
Automatic Indexing Using Existing Data
The Autofill feature of SimpleIndex is an easy way to associate many index fields with one document without retyping data that already exists in another database. Autofill uses a database lookup to retrieve records that match a key value entered by the user. Blank index fields are then filled in automatically with the data from this lookup. The result is a document database with many different possible search fields, of which only one needed to be entered during scanning.
The key field may be typed by the user, or it may be read from the document automatically using barcode recognition or OCR. The lookup is performed either when the user changes this field or when the index values are saved. If the lookup finds multiple matching records, the user will be notified and the first set of values will be used by default.
When used with pre-index batches, key information can be read automatically from barcodes or OCR and matched to database records with a single click. Search on up to 99 index fields without a single keystroke!
Learn More:
KB Articles for Automatic Indexing
- Exclude Index Field from Index Log
- Turn Off Prompts and Pop Ups on Job Configurations
- Change the Font Size of Index Fields
- Large Documents (>500 pages) are Slow to Process
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Index With Non-Latin Character Sets
- Skip to Blank Index on Save Index
- Stop Autorun When Double Clicking Configuration
- Autonumber Increment Value
- Overlap of SimpleView Viewer in SimpleIndex Display
OMR Optical Mark Recognition
Simple Checkbox Recognition
Some forms require scanning software to recognize the presence or absence of a mark in a particular location, such as a checkbox, without worrying about the specific shape or symbol drawn therein. The ability to do this is called Optical Mark Recognition, or OMR. Let’s take a look at how this feature can help you index your documents and how SimpleIndex improves upon the standard OMR process:
Optical Mark Recognition
Optical Mark Recognition lets you define check box regions on scanned images. OMR is very fast and can be used for a variety of applications:
- Business reply mail
- Simple surveys
- Separate multi-page documents
- Document routing control
- Verify presence of signatures
To configure OMR, use an unfilled form to obtain baseline counts of how many black “pixels” are in the box. When processing, SimpleIndex compares the amount of black in each image to the baseline value to determine if the box is checked or not.
With OMR, it is very important that the check boxes appear in the same place on every scan, and that other text on the document does not move into your check box zone. For best results, use large boxes with plenty of white space around them.
We wouldn’t recommend using the SimpleIndex OMR feature to grade the SATs, but if your documents include a few check box values that you want to capture the SimpleIndex OMR feature is what you need. For more advanced OMR and forms processing solutions, please visit ScanStore.com.
OMR Document Separation
SimpleIndex includes a unique use for mark recognition that can save you thousands on document separator pages. One of the most labor-intensive parts of scanning multi-page files is detecting where one document ends and the next one starts. Traditionally this has been done with blank pages (which doesn’t work with 2-sided documents) or barcodes and patch codes (which must be printed). All of these solutions require someone to insert a piece of paper between each document before scanning, wasting time, money, and paper.
- Using the OMR feature in SimpleIndex, create a checkmark field in the upper-left corner of the page.
- Create an Autonumber field that increments a document number each time the checkmark is found.
- Use this job file to scan and separate documents into multi-page files.
- Create a 2nd job file to index the multi-page files.
- Use the Post-Process feature to run the two jobs consecutively.
When prepping files, simply take a felt tip pen and put a small mark the upper-left corner on the first page of each new document. This can be done very quickly, creates no additional paper and has a negligible effect on scan quality.
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