How can I use barcodes or blank pages as Document Separators.

For processes that require fast separation for each document a barcode or blank sheet can be used.  Simply insert the barcode sheet (generic barcode sheet with the same value on each sheet) or blank sheet as the first page of each document before scanning or processing with SimpleIndex.

There are two different methods for document separation, which either use just one SimpleIndex Job Configuration file or two that run in tandem.  The advantage on just using one is that you can keep everything for the process together in one configuration file.  The advantage to using two is that you can have the barcode/blank separation process happen automatically and then once separated the user can view the documents for indexing the second job configuration.

How the separation works in SimpleIndex is by having the software increment an autonumber every time it sees a Barcode or Blank Page.  It then names the files with the autonumber or uses the autonumber to group the pages together depending on if you are using a one or two Job Configuration process.

One Job Configuration Instructions

  1. Create a Job Configuration.
  2. Set-up a Barcode Index Field in the Indexing & File Naming step or set the Blank Page Deletion in the Image Enhancement Step.
  3. Create an Autonumber index field in the Indexing & File Naming step.
  4. Set the number that you want to start on in the template of the  Autonumber index field.  Starting with “00001” is a good choice for this.
  5. In the Advanced Setting step expand Autonumber Settings and set the Autonumber Increment Event either to Barcode Field Found or Every Blank Page depending of if you are using Barcodes or Blank Pages as separators.
  6. Also check the box labeled “Combine pages into documents after processing” in this same step

Two Job Configurations Instructions

  1. Create a Job Configuration.
  2. Set-up a Barcode Index Field in the Indexing & File Naming step or set the Blank Page Deletion in the Image Enhancement Step.
  3. Create an Autonumber index field in the Indexing & File Naming step.
  4. Set the number that you want to start on in the template of the  Autonumber index field.  Starting with “00001” is a good choice for this.
  5. Check the Filename checkbox for the Autonumber field.
  6. In the Advanced Setting step expand Autonumber Settings and set the Autonumber Increment Event either to Barcode Field Found or Every Blank Page depending of if you are using Barcodes or Blank Pages as separators.
  7. Also check the box labeled “Combine pages into documents after processing” in this same step
  8. Create a second Job Configuration file that has the Input folder set to the same folder that the Output folder was set to in the first Job Configuration that separates with the Autonumber field.
  9. Uncheck “Split-Multi-Page Files” in the File Input step
  10. Configure the Index fields that you would like to assign to the documents that have been split in the first Job Configuration
  11. Open the first Job Configuration and set the second Job Configuration to run after it is complete by going to the Advanced Settings step, expanding Pre-Process & Post-Process and then putting in the full path to the configuration file in the Post-Process field. 
    EX. The second job configuration is named “Step 2 Naming.sic” and is in C:\Images then this would be put in the Post-Process:  C:\Images\Step 2 Naming.sic

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Why are my barcodes not being recognized properly?

Several factors can affect barcode recognition.

-Scan in Black & White instead of color. Barcode recognition must convert color to B&W which can decrease quality.

-Print barcodes with a laser printer. Dot-matrix barcodes are very difficult to read accurately.

-Check your Zone settings. If there are zone coordinates defined for any barcode fields, only barcodes in those regions will be recognized.

-Check the barcode format. Code 39 (the most common font-based barcode) requires a * at the start and end of each barcode for it to be readable. Many document barcodes are missing this character.

-Check the barcode engine.  SimpleIndex uses the DTK engine (included with Standard, OCR, Barcode and Pro) and the Accusoft engine (included with Barcode and Pro) to recognize barcodes on the page.  You can pick the one the desired engine or pick Voting to use both engines. 

-Check the barcode type. Select “Unknown or All” if you don’t know the type. If you do know the type, select it from the list to prevent false positives.

-Check the Template setting. If the template does not match the barcode exactly it will appear as though no barcode is read. Remove the template to see what is being recognized.

-Check the Pages to Process.  This option tells it which pages to process in the entire batch, so normally the default setting of Every Page is best, so each page is read to determine if it has a barcode.

-Check the “Minimum Confidence” value. A higher value will prevent false positives (incorrect values) but may cause fewer barcodes to be read. If a barcode is detected on a page it will be enhanced and re-read until all barcodes are read above the minimum confidence level. 0 will disable re-reading.

-Check “Enhanced Analysis (Slower)”.  By checking this box extra checks will be done on the each page to find the barcode at the cost of processing speed.

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