SimpleIndex 11 is Here!
The most significant update in years, SimpleIndex 11 introduces major new features like handwriting recognition and email processing, while optimizing existing features to dramatically improve processing speeds for large batches and files.

Some other major new features are:
- ClearImage barcode engine with highest extraction rates available
- Integrate custom code for Autofill and Export using APIs
- XML and JSON metadata file parsing
- Intelligent Autocorrect based on data type
- Service Hotfolder runs any job saved to the designated folder
- SharePoint MFA and Modern Authentication support
- Improved Cloud OCR support and simplified configuration
Get the full list of new features and fixes on the SimpleIndex Wiki.
Renew Your Maintenance
To upgrade to version 11, you must have a current Annual Maintenance subscription. Unsure if you’re company is current? Use our Subscription Portal to check and renew, or just reply to this email and we’ll let you know!

New License Options
Did you know you can get Concurrent, Subscription, Temporary, Sitewide, and other flexible licensing options? We are proud to still offer software you can truly own, but we’re also happy to work with you to ensure your usage and budget goals are both met.
Archival Solution for EDI Documents
Do you have EDI transactions that you receive via XML or JSON, along with PDF and paper from other sources? Want to be able to search and view both in the same repository, in a human-readable format? Use SimpleIndex 11 to turn that electronic data into formatted PDF files automatically. A fantastic new use case for SimpleIndex’s unique feature set!
I Like Big PDF Files (and I cannot lie)
Some people say a 5,000 page PDF file is just way too big. But SimpleIndex 11 knows that PDF was stuffed (with MRC compression). It’s is hooked and it can’t stop exporting. Code optimization got it goin’ like a turbo ‘Vette. If that PDF is round, SimpleIndex 11 is ready to throwdown.
In all seriousness, even though creating PDF files that large is not recommended due to the number of programs that are not designed to handle them (previous versions of SimpleIndex included), SimpleIndex will now happily export your huge PDF files over 100x faster, taking seconds instead of minutes.
The SimpleIndex Wiki
If you’re still reading, you must be the kind of person that likes to take a deep dive. Since version 10, the wiki is the home to all product documentation, training videos, use cases and knowledge base data. We’re constantly adding and improving the information to help you put SimpleIndex to work for your business. It’s more than just a help file!
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex 10.0
New Year, New SimpleIndex! Simple Software is proud to present the next major release of SimpleIndex – 10.0!
Version 10 is the biggest update to SimpleIndex in years. While there are several exciting new features, the most significant changes are under the hood. Legacy imaging components, software activation, OCR and bar code engines have all been upgraded to allow maximum performance and compatibility with all types of images, PDF files, virtualization and network security environments.
Version 10 of SimpleIndex is now available for download.
New Features:
- Updated FineReader OCR Engine
FineReader Engine upgraded offering improved speed and multi-core processing for large documents, better accuracy for hard-to-read images, and support for a variety of new output formats. - Atalasoft Bar Code Engine
Atalasoft Bar Code Recognition engine has been integrated to provide an alternative recognition for hard-to-read bar codes and support for additional bar code formats. - New licensing platform
New software licensing platform offers more flexible license options, improved QOS, and fixes a number of issues caused by the previous licensing module. - All supported OCR output types are enabled
FineReader OCR now supports output to Text (txt), PDF or PDF/A (pdf), Word (docx), Rich Text (rtf), Open Office (odt), Excel (xlsx), PowerPoint (pptx), ePub Zip (epub), FictionBook (fb2), HTML (htm), XML (xml), Alto XML (alto.xml) - MRC compression for PDF files is enabled
FineReader MRC compression option is enabled for PDF files, providing significant reductions in file size for document images without loss of quality. - Enhanced PDF/A + Text Processing
Support automatically processing of text layers for PDF/A formatted files. - Viewer support for HEIF, TLA, PCD, PCX, TGA, EMF, PSD, JP2 and JPE formats
HEIF files used by iPhone can be viewed and processed. PhotoShop documents, JPEG 2000 and a variety of other formats are also supported. - Output support for PNG, GIF, BMP, JPEG2000 file formats
Convert from any viewable file format to PNG, GIF, BMP, or JPEG2000, as well as TIFF, PDF, PDF/A and JPEG. - Keep existing file format option
Process files without conversion to a common output format, retaining the original file format and extension. - PDF and Color Auto-Rotate
Auto-Rotate feature now works with color images and PDF files without having to convert to TIFF. - Detect and move bad PDF files to Backup folder before processing
Invalid PDF files are a persistent issue due to transmission issues and non-standard PDF libraries. This feature automatically detects and removes these from the batch before processing to avoid processing errors. - New fixed field options
Several new image, PDF and GPS properties added to list of fixed field options. - Any image tag read into a Fixed field
Get the value from any valid EXIF, TIFF, File Property, IPTC, COM, GPS or Extended tag if present in the image file. Create a fixed field with %TAGNAME% to get the value from any valid tag if it is present. - PDF Sorting Jobs
Sample jobs that highlight new fixed fields for PDF feature detection. Automatically separate PDF files by encryption status, PDF version, images versus text or the presence of form fields. - Third autofill field option is added to wizard
Configure up to 3 lookup fields for Autofill to determine a unique record. - Obsolete libraries have been removed
Several specific features used older libraries that have not been updated and cause increased compatibility issues. These features have all been replaced with modern libraries that are fully supported and regularly updated. - Imprinting is upgraded
Imprinting function has been re-implemented with new libraries providing faster processing and improved file format support. - Support for Unicode input filenames
Import and export files with Unicode characters in the filename, not just in index field values. - Support for Unicode in SimpleExport and BIF file output
XSLT format translations with SimpleExport now support Unicode characters. - Ability to add or subtract numeric fixed fields
Add or subtract two or more numeric values and put the calculated result in an index field. - Find and Replace options are enabled for all field types
Use the find and replace options to automatically correct any type of field, including fixed fields. - Find and Replace list is easier to edit now
Improved UI for find and replace options making it easier to edit. - Make Stopfile usage as a setting
Ability to disable multi-user lockout for improved performance and reduced errors when two users would never write to the same file. - All job options are moved to wizard
The legacy job options screen has been removed and all features are now configured in the settings wizard. Scanning and compression settings have been moved from the Scan menu to the Wizard as well. - Right-click option to Edit or Open without running a job
Open a job from its icon without automatically running it. Edit option is automatically added to all SIC files when you right-click. - Selective enable editing of fixed and autofill fields
Configure fixed and autofill fields to be editable by the user without having to click “Edit Fixed Fields” menu option each time. - Default database format is upgraded to .accdb
New job files that use the default database wizard will get the modern ACCDB format instead of the legacy MDB file, for improved performance and concurrency.
Fixes:
- Database field lists are refreshed automatically
Database field lists refresh automatically when editing a job without having to click the “Load” button. - SQL Server autofill lookups with Unicode field values
Support for Unicode SQL Server autofill lookups using the N’value’ format. - Fixed service configuration and job scheduling options
Fixed issues with the Schedule Job screen that prevented adding scheduled tasks. - File locks are ignored when moving files in update mode
If the source file is locked by another process, the file will be copied to the destination and the error ignored instead of failing to perform the update. - Issues with printing PDF files from viewer are resolved
Fixed issues with printing PDF and other file formats from the viewer. - Index Grid is hidden automatically when using Save All
Save All function is significantly slower when the grid is displayed since it gets updated after each file. Automatically hiding the grid ensures Save All always runs with optimal performance. - SimpleView ribbon bar is hidden by default
SimpleView ribbon toolbar is not needed for most applications so it is now hidden by default. Hover over any of the tabs to display the bar or double-click the tab to unhide it. - Memory usage is improved for large format images
Reduce screen resolution for image display to avoid memory issues with very large images, such as engineering drawings. - Ignore unprocessed files when processing subfolders
When using the Process Subfolder option, if there are files that are not processed due to input masks, these files will be skipped and processing will continue. In previous versions this could cause the job to get stuck on the folder that has the unprocessed files. - Template tester in Wizard gives the same results as batch
OCR template tester in the Wizard will also apply the same replacement functions prior to matching that would be applied in a live batch, ensuring the test behavior is identical to production. - Path not found on export when space at end of file or folder
Spaces were not being stripped from the end of folder names when they were generated using a Fixed field, resulting in a “Path not found” error on export. Spaces are now removed in all cases. - SharePoint authentication is improved
Enhanced and optimized SharePoint authentication functions for greater compatibility with various Office 365 authentication configurations. - Zones are shown on PDF files
Set OCR Zones function now works with any image file format, displaying the zone regions on the file in the viewer and letting the user redraw them on any image. - Two Barcodes with the Same Value to Read
When an image has two barcodes with the same value, both values will be read and matched to the template separately instead of treating each unique value as one barcode.
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v9.2 Announcement

- Published in Announcements, Release Notes
SimpleIndex v9.2
A New Year and a New Release! Simple Software proudly announces the release of version 9.2 of our flagship scanning, indexing and capture solution SimpleIndex!
The biggest updates include a new Atalasoft bar code recognition engine, performance optimization for the SimpleView viewer, and the ability to import, view and export several new image file formats.
Here are the most notable changes in SimpleIndex 9.2:
- Atalasoft Barcode Engine has been added, providing an alternate method for reading bar codes that are not detected with the other engines, particularly broken Code 39 images that are missing the start/stop characters.
- SimpleView Viewer is optimized to render images and thumbnails at a lower resolution than the one used for processing, providing significant performance improvements and avoiding memory issues with very large files.
- New Image Formats are supported in new version. SimpleView viewer now supports PCX, TGA, WMF, EMF, PSD, WBMP, TLA, PCD image formats.
- Scanning, conversion and export to BMP, GIF and PNG added.
- Fast Import is added as setting in Wizard. This option disables reading file properties and sorting to improve the speed of importing files, especially from folders that have more than 1000 files.
- SharePoint export has improved performance by reducing redundant requests, support for various authentication types, and integration into the Processing Log for troubleshooting.
- IndexFontSize is a registry key that permits resizing the display font of index fields, useful for 4k displays.
- Tesseract OCR engine upgraded from 3.02 to 3.04.
- Smaller Download size and addition of new Tesseract language files to the Language Pack download.
- Localization Support in the settings wizard allows translation of user interface into other languages.
- Improved performance and stability for document exports.
- Plenty of bugs were caught and fixed.
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v9.1
Simple Software is happy to announce the latest version of our easy-to-use scanning and indexing flagship product. SimpleIndex 9.1 offers dramatic improvements to performance and reliability for anyone working with large, high-resolution images or files with hundreds of pages.
Here are some notable changes to make your automation OCR process even faster:
- Dramatic improvements to viewer performance, especially high-resolution color images
- Updated imaging components, improving performance and PDF compatibility
- Tesseract OCR upgraded from version 3.02 to 3.04
- Settable render resolution for thumbnails and images
- Improve keyboard navigation in viewer, including Tab to switch between File and Page navigation
- Unsupported PDF annotations no longer rendered as “Unknown Annotation”
- New fixed field value %CREATOR% that captures file creator/owner
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v9.0
SimpleIndex v9.0
Simple Software is pleased to announce the latest iteration of our easy-to-use scanning and indexing flagship product. This latest revision adds a host of new features both user-facing and behind-the-scenes.
- Additional language support for Tesseract OCR: includes Chinese, Arabic, Hindi and other languages. Installing the language pack will enable recognition in all available languages for Tesseract 3.02 Full list of supported languages.
- Automatic routing: documents with missing index fields directed to the Backup folder on export for manual review.
- PDF Forms Automation: Read data from filled in PDF forms and send it to a spreadsheet or database, or reverse the process and fill in blank forms with existing data.
- Integrated document separation: combines pages into multi-page documents without the need for a 2-step configuration.
- Automatic forwarding of a copy of the first page: from each exported file a first page is forwarded to a separate folder for data processing. Improves performance and reduces click charges for multi-page documents where data is only extracted from the first page.
- Image-based semi-transparent watermarking support: adding logos, trademarks or backgrounds for PDF files.
- Page Order Validation: read the page number from each page with OCR and compare it to the scanned page order. Automatically flags any pages where the page number doesn’t match the expected value, allowing the operator to make corrections before the document is saved.
- Double-Index Validation: compare the value of two fields during unattended processing and automatically route documents to exceptions when the values don’t match. Use for unattended page order validation, backup zonal OCR when a value appears multiple times on the page, or comparing documents to expected values from a database.
- Updated imaging components: improvements to image processing performance and compatibility.
- .NET platform upgrade from 4.0 to 4.5.2: As a result Windows XP is no longer supported. Please use previous versions of SimpleIndex
- Updated licensing process: Streamlined activation using installer, improving virtualization compatibility and prevent activation issues during major Windows updates. Removed page per year limits on Advanced Barcode Server license.
- Improved SharePoint performance: much faster uploads, automatically match metadata fields.
- Third Autofill key field: When you can’t match on just 2 fields.
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v8.4
SimpleIndex v8.4
Simple Software is pleased to announce the latest iteration of our easy-to-use scanning and indexing flagship product. SimpleIndex v8.4
This iteration is all about more flexibility with file types, both those coming in and what gets saved out.
- MS Office Files Available Directly in SimpleView SimpleIndex has always been able to handle Office files, but in past versions we had to load the particular office application into SimpleIndex‘s viewing window. That is no longer the case as SimpleView (both standalone and inside SimpleIndex) can display Office files. This gives you a faster workflow without having to call up the external apps and keeps a single interface for all the different Office formats.
Excel file displayed natively in SimpleView - Support for JPEG 2000 Using a sophisticated encoding method, JPEG 2000 files can compress files with less loss of information. In addition, the file format is less likely to be affected by bit errors and other file system errors due to its more efficient coding structure.
- PDF Linearization Also known as Fast Web View, linearizing a pdf allows it to be displayed across an internet connection one page at a time versus the entire file having to be downloaded before it can be displayed. This saves time especially with large documents and is well suited to web-accessed document management systems.
- Improved Support for Office 365 Authentication Methods Particularly useful with SharePoint, this ability allows SimpleIndex to access online Office 365 shares without repeated login screens.
- Split Document by Selected Pages in SimpleView Multi-page documents can be broken apart on the fly for separate indexing while working through a batch.
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v8.2
SimpleIndex v8.2
Refining and expanding the enhancements of SimpleIndex v8.1, we’ve put more power in the hands of the user.
- Better selection controls
- Multiple matches on Autofill generates a selection window
- Lists can now cascade based on earlier selections
- List entries can be limited for improved performance
- Improved SharePoint Integration
- Better handling of custom column values
- Support for Managed Metadata columns
- Support for SharePoint Online w/ NTLM authentication
- SP Client is now installed automatically, removing a step from configuration
- Select the OCR Engine in the Wizard
- Standard (Tesseract) included in all editions
- Professional (FineReader) included in Enhanced OCR and Pro editions
- Switch between the two to find the most (cost) effective solution
- Updated Output Handling
- Corrupt or invalid pages are replaced with a placeholder instead of dropping them
- Documents can now be exported as database objects AND files
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v8.0
SimpleIndex v8.0
There are hundreds of changes, both big and small, in the version of SimpleIndex 8.0.
A few of the more notable changes are listed below:
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v7.5
SimpleIndex v7.5
Enhancements to Server, Export Top New Features List
Simple Software is pleased to announce the latest iteration of our
easy-to-use scanning and indexing flagship product. This latest revision
includes an enhanced server processing module with a web services interface, integrated export function with built-in templates for several popular document management solutions, and free versions of our Imaging Suite applications.
New Server Manager & Web Services Interface
The server configuration tool is much more intuitive and now
lets you monitor batch processing in real time. Similarly, the redesigned server module is faster, more reliable and uses fewer system resources.
The web service interface lets you submit job files on demand for processing on the server. This lets you run any job you want any time you want, provides tight integration with third party applications, and avoids having to configure each job in the manager.
New Integrated Export
We’ve integrated our SimpleExport functionality right into SimpleIndex and improved integration with web services and SharePoint. Templates for
several popular document management applications are included, and new templates can be developed quickly for a nominal charge. But the best part is that you no longer need to purchase a SimpleExport license to use custom exports!
SharePoint 2010 users can upload documents, organize folders and set custom field data directly from SimpleIndex. Users who have developed custom web services can have documents and data published directly to their website with HTTP POST and web services file uploads.
Other Enhancements in SimpleIndex 7.5
Current users will also notice background enhancements such as
improved handling with variations in TIFF, PDF, and JPEG files.
Likewise the ability to process on-the-fly during scanning has
been ramped up and if you work in virtual environments, there’s
enhanced support for VMWare.
A new Global Settings Wizard makes initial setup easier than ever,
and adds the option to associate SimpleIndex job files with the right-click menu in Windows Explorer. You can perform OCR operations on the clipboard or from screen shots, not just scanned pages. A new Long Text Editor lets you manually select, extract and format paragraphs of text. Like
using barcodes? Barcode accuracy has been improved and you can even extract specific characters from within a barcode value.
Because we have not upgraded licensed technologies like OCR and barcode recognition, we have been able to provide this update free of charge for any version 7 user regardless of annual maintenance!
Under the Hood
We’ve turned up the dial on the performance and added some behind-the-scenes enhancements that you have been asking for.
- New, faster imaging libraries with better support for variations in TIFF/PDF/JPEG formats
- New Regular Expressions implementation allows advanced features like look-ahead and look-behind
- Improved VMWare support
- Improved support for mouse wheel actions
- Improved on-the-fly processing during scanning
- Better barcode accuracy through improved barcode checksum support
Other New Features
From the moment you run SimpleIndex 7.5 for the first time, you’ll find new tools and options to help you get more done faster. The following lists all new features added since the 7.2 release.
- New Global Settings Wizard streamlines initial setup process
- Clipboard and screen shot OCR captures data from application screens
- Multi-crop lets you draw several zones on the page and
extract them to separate files automatically - Display converted index log report after batch with
clickable links to exported files - Process any folder with any SimpleIndex job by
right-clicking the folder in Windows Explorer - Pages are displayed while rescanning or scanning to a single file
- Extract characters from a barcode using %[start,length]% in template
- Simplified compression options screen
- Insert files into batch
- Long text editor for capturing large blocks of text; quickly
copy/paste and reformat text from searchable PDFs - Add new records to database when no match is found on export
- Sort input by modified date instead of filename
- Test Barcodes option reads all barcodes on the page and
gives coordinates, type and other stats - Find in Lists option helps you find values in a long list
when you don’t know the starting characters
Improved Integration with Servers and Databases
From launching jobs via the web to saving index data directly in a DMS friendly format, SimpleIndex 7.5 steps it up from start to finish.
- SimpleExport functions integrated directly into SimpleIndex;
output index data to any XML/HTML/Text format - New server configuration tool is more intuitive and lets you
monitor batch processing in real time - Redesigned server module is faster, more reliable and uses
fewer system resources - Web service interface lets you remotely control server
processing - HTTP Post file upload support for integration with custom
web applications - SharePoint 2010 integration — export images and index data
to document libraries
- Published in Release Notes
SimpleIndex v7.4
SimpleIndex v7.4
Simple Software is pleased to announce the latest iteration of our
easy-to-use scanning and indexing flagship product. This latest revision
adds a host of new features both user-facing and behind-the-scenes.
Introducing SimpleIndex 7.4
Current users will notice background enhancments such as improved handling with variations in TIFF, PDF, and JPEG files. Likewise the ability to process on-the-fly during scanning has been ramped up and if you work in virtual environments, there’s enhanced support for VMWare.
The improvements don’t stop under the hood. Users will notice a new Global Settings Wizard that ensures everything is in place before you get to work. You can perform OCR operations on the clipboard or from screen shots, not just scanned pages and if you need to touch up an OCR capture, there is now a long text editor that lets you type or copy/paste at length. Like using barcodes? Barcode accuracy has been improved and you can even extract specific characters from within a barcode value.
And those of you that integrate SimpleIndex with backend server or
database systems, we haven’t forgotten you. The new server configuration
tool is more intuitive and lets you monitor batch processing in real time.
Similarly, the redesigned server module is faster, more reliable and uses
fewer system resources. There’s even a web service interface so all of this
can be controlled remotely. We’ve even integrated our SimpleExport functionality right into SimpleIndex and added the ability to export images
and index data right to a SharePoint 2010 library.
- Published in Release Notes