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ABBYY FlexiCapture
Dynamic Data Capture System
© 2011 ABBYY. All rights reserved.
10
General Requirements for Machine–Readable Forms
Let us now consider the general requirements a form must meet in order to be machine–readable.
Form Background
1. Use dropout forms or forms with raster field borders if possible.
2. Use a color that vanishes during scanning when creating a dropout form. See the list of recommended colors in “Recom-
mended Colors for Dropout Forms”.
3. Always ensure that a distance exists between the explanatory text and the field contents. In the case of dropout forms we
recommend that any information be printed in the same color as the form background (except where explanatory text is
used as a reference mark instead of or in conjunction with black squares). By printing information in the same color as the
background, you are then free to place it anywhere on the form, including inside the form fields.
4. Do not use blue colors for forms which are to be completed by hand. The blue background may merge with the blue ink
which is likely to be used to complete the forms, which will have an adverse effect on recognition quality.
Reference Mark
1. Standard reference marks are recommended for use on machine–readable forms (i.e. black squares, corners, Crosses). The
recommended number of reference marks is five: four reference marks in each corner of the form (they should form a rec-
tangle if imaginary lines are drawn between each pair) and one square on one of the sides of the imaginary rectangle.
2. If, for some reason, standard reference marks cannot be used, we recommend that the following combinations of elements
be used as reference marks:
a) at least two vertical line separators and two horizontal line separators
b) at least four text elements and one form identifier element
c) other combinations are also possible
3. The distance between the edge of a reference mark and the nearest form element should not be less than 3 mm.
4. The distance between a reference mark and the edge of the page should not be less than 8 mm.
5. Reference marks should be printed using a dark color (black is recommended) so that they do not disappear during scan-
ning.
In addition to the general requirements listed above, each reference mark type has its own specific requirements:
Black Squares
Black squares on the same form type should all be of the same size i.e. between 4x4 mm and 8x8 mm. The recommended size is 5x5
mm. Rectangles are not permitted.
Crosses and Corners
1. The size of an imaginary square that could be drawn around a reference mark of this type must be within the range from
4x4 to 8x8 mm. The recommended size is 5x5 mm.
2. The size of reference marks of one type must be the same within one form.
3. All the sides of a reference mark must be of equal size.
4. The line thickness used for reference marks on the same form must be the same and be within the range from 0.3 to 1 mm.
The recommended thickness is 0.5 mm.
Text (if used as reference marks)
The font size should not be less than 7 pt (headers – no less than 14 pt).
Line Separators (if used as reference marks)
Line thickness should not be less than 1 pt. The recommended thickness is 1–1.5 pt.
Barcodes (if used as reference marks)
1. The barcode width (the distance between the leftmost and the rightmost bars) should not be less than 47–50 mm.
2. The barcode height should not be less than 12–15 mm (digits not included).
3. The barcode orientation (direction of the bars) should be the same as the page orientation (it is recommended to scan the
pages in the direction of the bars).
4. The EAN 13 barcode format is recommended.
5. The recommended distance between a barcode and any other form element is no less than 10 mm.