User’s Manual 10300467-000 Revision A
Copyright Copyright © 2005 Kofax Image Products, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA. The information contained in this document is the property of Kofax Image Products, Inc. Neither receipt nor possession hereof confers or transfers any right to reproduce or disclose any part of the contents hereof, without the prior written consent of Kofax Image Products, Inc. No patent liability is assumed, however, with respect to the use of the information contained herein.
Contents How to Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix How this Guide is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix Related Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Minimize / Maximize Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 VRS Interactive Viewer Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Zoom Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Profile Menu .
Contents 3 Operating VRS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Selecting VRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Kofax VRS Scanning Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents Understanding Contrast, Brightness, and Gamma Settings in VRS . . . . . . . . 68 Manual Image Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Using the Noise Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Removing Noise from a Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Using the Skew Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents D Enhanced Bar Code Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Standard vs. Enhanced Bar Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 How to Switch Between Bar Code Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents viii VRS User’s Manual
How to Use This Guide Introduction The VRS User’s Manual, which gives instructions for using VirtualReScan (VRS), is intended for all potential scan operators. Whether you are an expert at image processing or have no special knowledge of scanning, this manual provides the information you need to make the best use of VRS features and functionality. This guide is written with the assumption that your VRS product has been installed and tested according to the instructions in the VRS Installation Guide.
How to Use This Guide Appendix B - Long Paper Support explains how to configure VRS for long paper scanning, which is available with some production class scanners. Appendix C - VRS Non-Interactive Mode explains how to switch VRS from noninteractive mode to interactive mode. In non-interactive mode, the user interface does not appear during a scanning session. Non-interactive mode is supported only for certain scanners.
How to Use This Guide Training Kofax offers both classroom and computer-based training that will help you make the most of your Kofax solution. Visit the Kofax Web site at www.kofax.com for complete details about the available training options and schedules. Technical Support Information For additional technical information about Kofax products, visit the Kofax Web site at www.kofax.com and select an appropriate option from the Support menu.
How to Use This Guide xii VRS User’s Manual
Chapter 1 Overview Introduction VirtualReScan (VRS) is an image enhancement tool intended to provide the best possible image quality across the widest range of document types. VRS is an extremely effective and versatile imaging tool that is easy to use for beginners and experts alike. VRS works hand-in-hand with your scanning application. By giving you access to the VRS interactive controls, VRS offers the ability to drive your image processing with true power. VRS keeps it simple, though.
Chapter 1 Standard Features With VRS, you can ensure that every scanned image meets your quality standards. While VRS is designed to make production scanning easier and more cost-effective, VRS also provides the same advantages for all types of scanning situations. Through instant detection of poor image quality, VRS performs automatic image enhancements that greatly reduce errors related to image quality or recognition.
Overview In addition to contrast enhancement, brightness adjustment, and high quality deskew correction, VRS offers a range of other features to help you ensure the highest level of quality for every scanned image: • • • • • Despeckling Gamma correction Character dilation/erosion Long paper support Access to advanced features VRS Plus Features In addition to the standard feature set, VRS supports a set of “Plus” features, which include the following: • • • • • • Automatic color detection Background smoo
Chapter 1 Certified Scanning Applications As part of the certification process, Kofax tests VRS compatibility with a wide range of scanning applications. While the list of certified scanning applications is updated on a regular basis, it is important to know that VRS is designed to work with any application based on the Kofax ImageControls toolkit, an ISIS programming interface, or a TWAIN programming interface. Certified vs.
Chapter 2 Quick Tour Introduction This chapter introduces the VRS user interface and gives an overview of how to use VRS alongside your scanning application. Use this chapter to get familiarized with VRS, and then proceed to Operating VRS on page 31 to learn about VRS in more detail. VRS Taskbar Icon When you select the VRS scan source from your scanning application, VRS is active, as indicated by the icon that appears in the Windows taskbar.
Chapter 2 This menu gives you options to preview and update image properties, select or change an image properties profile, choose an operating (QC) mode, or specify preferences for responding to potential errors and events. The VRS taskbar menu is not available while scanning is in progress or when the VRS Interactive Viewer is open (even though the VRS taskbar icon is still active). When the VRS taskbar menu is unavailable, it will appear dimmed, as shown in Figure 2-3. Figure 2-3.
Quick Tour Each profile is a set of property settings for image processing. When you select a profile, the associated property settings from the VRS Adjustment Controls are loaded from permanent storage into operational memory. The profile selection is unique for each VRS user on your computer. You can also select a profile from the VRS Interactive Viewer toolbar or the Organize Profiles dialog box. For more information, refer to Working with Profiles on page 53.
Chapter 2 Admin Utility You can select the Admin Utility command to open the VRS Administration Utility dialog box, which is used to specify your preferences for handling exception conditions and to specify preferences for accelerated scanning. For more information, refer to Using the VRS Administration Utility on page 41. Figure 2-6.
Quick Tour VRS Interactive Viewer The VRS Interactive Viewer displays scanned images for your inspection. The purpose of the viewer is to show you what an image looks like when it scans, or to refresh the image as you apply property changes. The VRS Interactive Viewer opens under the following circumstances: • You select “Preview” from the VRS taskbar menu. Refer to Previewing Images on page 59. • VRS intercepts or “traps” an exception image for which the response is defined as “Interactive.
Chapter 2 Figure 2-7.
Quick Tour Working with the VRS Interactive Viewer This section gives details about the user interface that may be helpful as you work within the VRS Interactive Viewer. Scroll Bars If you resize the VRS Interactive Viewer so that the individual controls do not fit within the available space, horizontal and/or vertical scroll bars will appear so that you can navigate to the controls that are not in view.
Chapter 2 VRS Interactive Viewer Menu Bar This section explains each command that is available from the VRS Interactive Viewer menu bar. The availability of some commands may vary, according to the features supported by your VRS license and your scanner. Table 2-1. VRS Interactive Viewer Menu Commands 12 Menu Command Description Keyboard Shortcut Zoom menu Open the Zoom menu. Alt+Z Profile menu Open the Profile menu. Alt+P Profile | Save As Open the New Profile dialog box.
Quick Tour Zoom Menu The Zoom menu lists a range of magnification settings that can be applied to the images that display in the VRS Interactive Viewer. Figure 2-8. VRS Interactive Viewer Zoom Menu From the Zoom menu, you can select an option to magnify or reduce the image that appears in the left pane of the VRS Interactive Viewer. You can also adjust the image view with the left and right mouse buttons.
Chapter 2 Profile Menu You can use the Profile menu to create and manage VRS profiles. Each profile represents a saved combination of settings on the panels in the VRS Adjustment Controls. A profile works like a memorized strategy for image correction and enhancement. With the exception of the “Default settings” profile, which is predetermined and automatically included in your VRS installation, profiles are created by the user. VRS uses the “Default settings” profile unless you select another profile.
Quick Tour Organize Use this command to open the Organize Profiles dialog box, which is used to create profiles and manage existing profiles (refer to Figure 2-10). For details, refer to Working with Profiles on page 53. Figure 2-10.
Chapter 2 Tools Menu You can use the Tools menu commands to access advanced settings for certain scanners, and to preview VRS Plus features. The Tools menu is available only if the VRS Interactive Viewer opens in preview mode, or as a result of selecting the First Page or Every Page operating mode. Scanner Driver Settings If applicable to your installation, this menu command is used to access the driver that VRS uses to connect to the scanner.
Quick Tour Activate VRS Use this command to activate your VRS product license. This command is available if you have installed a VRS Plus version without activating the license. When you select the “Activate VRS” command, the Activate VRS dialog box opens so that you can request a license code. You must activate your VRS license to be eligible for product updates and technical support. For more information, refer to the VRS online help or the VRS Installation Guide.
Chapter 2 Figure 2-11. VRS Adjustment Controls - Clarity Panel Clarity Panel Use the Clarity panel options to adjust the contrast, brightness, and gamma values associated with an image. For details, refer to Using the Clarity Panel on page 67.
Quick Tour Noise Panel Use the Noise panel options to apply filters that enhance image quality and remove excessive speckling. For details, refer to Using the Noise Panel on page 78. Note The Noise panel is available only if the scanner is set for bitonal scanning. Figure 2-12.
Chapter 2 Skew Panel Use the Skew panel options to specify settings associated with automatic or manual deskew, auto crop, edge cleanup, and auto orientation. For details, refer to Using the Skew Panel on page 80. Figure 2-13.
Quick Tour Color Panel (VRS Plus only) Use the Color panel options to enable automatic color detection and specify settings associated with color image processing. For details, refer to Using the Color Panel on page 83. Note The Color panel is available only if the scanner is set for color scanning. Figure 2-14.
Chapter 2 Background Panel (VRS Plus only) Use the Background panel options to enable background smoothing and specify settings associated with processing the background region of a color document. For details, refer to Using the Background Panel on page 86. Note The Background panel is available only if the scanner is set for color scanning. Figure 2-15.
Quick Tour Blank Page Panel (VRS Plus only) Use the Blank Page panel options to enable automatic deletion of blank pages and adjust the VRS Content Sensitivity setting. For details, refer to Using the Blank Page Panel on page 88. Note The Blank Page panel is not available while scanning is in progress. Figure 2-16.
Chapter 2 VRS Interactive Viewer Toolbar The VRS Interactive Viewer toolbar gives you convenient shortcuts for selecting zoom options, advanced scanner properties, and profiles. Figure 2-17. VRS Interactive Viewer Toolbar Zoom Tool Use the Zoom tool to select different image magnification options, which are also available from the Zoom menu (refer to Zoom Menu on page 13). Figure 2-18.
Quick Tour Profile Selection List Use the profile selection list on the toolbar to view or change the active profile selection. You can also select a profile from the Organize Profiles dialog box or the Profile submenu that is available from the VRS taskbar menu. For more information, refer to Working with Profiles on page 53. Figure 2-20.
Chapter 2 Getting Started with VRS This section gives a quick overview that explains in general terms how to use VRS. Once you understand the basic procedures, proceed to Operating VRS on page 31 to get more detailed information. Selecting VRS Use this procedure to select VRS. Once VRS is active, you can use the default settings to scan documents with a variety of background colors, text quality, and paper sizes with exceptional results. Refer to Using the VRS Interactive Viewer on page 27.
Quick Tour Using the VRS Interactive Viewer The VRS Interactive Viewer may open as a result of the active operating mode (On Errors, First Page, or Every Page). You can also use the VRS Interactive Viewer to view scanned images for one of the following reasons: • You want to review the most recent scanned image to determine if the results suit your preferences. If not, you can use the VRS Adjustment Controls to adjust the image properties before proceeding with batch scanning.
Chapter 2 Each panel affects a different aspect of the image: • Clarity: Use these settings to update the brightness, contrast, and gamma values. • Noise: Use these settings to adjust the appearance of lines and speckles. • Skew: Use these settings to straighten images and enable automatic deskew, auto crop, edge cleanup, or auto orientation. • Color: Use these settings to enable automatic color detection and related settings.
Quick Tour Figure 2-24. New Profile Dialog Box 4 The saved profile will be available from the VRS taskbar menu, the Profiles menu in the VRS Interactive Viewer, or the profile selection list on the VRS Interactive Viewer toolbar. Setting the QC Mode By default, the VRS Interactive Viewer is set to open when errors occur. You can use the QC Modes menu to select other intervals for opening the VRS Interactive Viewer for image quality inspection and interactive updates.
Chapter 2 Using the VRS Administration Utility You can use the VRS Administration Utility to define settings that specify exactly how VRS should respond when it detects an exception image, an equipment conflict, or a paper transport issue. Also, you can use the utility to specify your preferences for accelerated scanning. For more detailed information, refer to Updating the VRS Administration Utility Dialog Box on page 51.
Chapter 3 Operating VRS Introduction This chapter explains how to operate VRS using the default settings, how to set up custom profiles, and how to use the VRS Adjustment Controls to configure and use the manual image enhancement features. This chapter also gives you information about advanced features and other options that are available from the VRS user interface. Selecting VRS Once VRS is installed and you have started your scanning application, select VRS, as described in the following procedure.
Chapter 3 Refer to Figure 3-1 through Figure 3-3 for examples. Figure 3-1. Select Scan Source Dialog Box (ImageControls-based application) Figure 3-2. Scanner Selection Dialog Box (ISIS-based application) Figure 3-3. Select Device Dialog Box (TWAIN-based application) 32 4 Click the OK or Scan button, as applicable to your scanning application. 5 For ImageControls-based applications, the VRS icon (Figure 3-4) will appear on your Windows taskbar as soon as you select the scan source.
Operating VRS VRS Taskbar Icon Figure 3-4. VRS Icon on Windows Taskbar The scanner associated with the Kofax VRS TWAIN or Kofax VRS ISIS source is the default scanner. The default VRS scanner is set when you do one of the following: • Select a scanner during the VRS installation process. • Select a default scanner from the Kofax Source Manager (KSM) in the Control Panel. • Select a default scanner using the Restore Default Values (RDV) utility.
Chapter 3 Kofax VRS Scanning Interfaces The scanning interface consists of basic scanner property settings, along with an option for accessing VRS. The scanning interface serves as a connection between VRS and your scanning application. Depending on the type of scanning application (ImageControls-based, ISIS-based, TWAIN-based), the options that appear on the VRS scanning interface will vary.
Operating VRS You can use the Kofax VRS ImageControls interface to control scanner functions. Under General, you can select from the following options: • Source: Lists the available input paper source as Flatbed, ADF, Manual, or Panel. Depending upon the capabilities of the selected scanner, some sources may not be available. • Destination: Lists the output tray (usually Bin 1 or Bin 2) for the pages to be scanned. Depending upon the capabilities of the selected scanner, some trays may not be available.
Chapter 3 X To scan using the Kofax VRS ImageControls interface 1 Open your scanning application. 2 Select a VRS scan source and click OK. The scan source is typically named as “ with SVRS,” where “” corresponds to the make and model of your scanner. Figure 3-6. Kofax VRS ImageControls Interface – Select Source 3 Select Source | Properties to open the Scanner Properties dialog box associated with the selected scan source. Figure 3-7.
Operating VRS Kofax VRS ISIS Interface The Kofax VRS ISIS interface serves as a connection between VRS and your ISIS scanning application. In most cases, the Kofax VRS ISIS interface will automatically appear whenever you select the “Kofax VRS Scanner” source from your ISIS scanning application. Figure 3-8. Kofax VRS ISIS Interface Some ISIS applications hide the Kofax VRS ISIS interface and use their own interfaces instead.
Chapter 3 • Page Size: Select a paper size, such as Letter, Legal, A5, etc. • Orientation: Select the paper orientation (portrait or landscape). • Simplex/Duplex: Select single-sided or double-sided scanning. You can access the VRS Interactive Viewer by clicking the Advanced button, and you can access the VRS Administration Utility by clicking the VRS Admin button. X To scan using the Kofax VRS ISIS interface 1 Open your scanning application. 2 Select the “Kofax VRS Scanner” source and click OK.
Operating VRS Kofax VRS TWAIN Interface The Kofax VRS TWAIN interface serves as a connection between VRS and your TWAIN application. In most cases, the Kofax VRS TWAIN interface will automatically appear when you select the “Kofax Software VRS - TWAIN” scanner source from your TWAIN scanning application. Figure 3-11. Kofax VRS TWAIN Interface With some TWAIN scanning applications, the Kofax VRS TWAIN interface includes a More button that typically gives you access to the VRS Interactive Viewer.
Chapter 3 Under General, you can select the following settings: • Source (Paper Source): Select either Flatbed or ADF. • Resolution (DPI): Select an option for scan resolution or DPI. • Color Mode: Select from the color modes supported by the scanner, which may include Black/White, Grayscale, or RGB (color). The color mode selection affects the availability of VRS features. • Paper Size: Select a paper size, such as Letter, A5, etc.
Operating VRS Configuring VRS Before You Scan The VRS default settings produce superior results for most document types, and in most cases, you can use VRS successfully without changing anything. VRS does give you the flexibility to configure operating preferences and adjust the default settings if necessary. This section explains some configuration options that are available to you: • Using the VRS Administrative Utility to customize the way that VRS responds to exception images.
Chapter 3 Figure 3-13. VRS Administration Utility Dialog Box The default settings for VRS provide optimal scanning and accurate data capture for a wide range of documents. For most situations, it should not be necessary to adjust the default settings, which are listed in Table 3-1. Table 3-1.
Operating VRS Table 3-1.
Chapter 3 Warnings Tab The Warnings tab lists exception conditions associated with image quality. For each warning condition, you set a threshold value. This threshold value defines the acceptable range that VRS tolerates for brightness, contrast, and color confidence. VRS intercepts any image with values that fall outside the acceptable range, and then handles the image according to the response that you select from the Action column. Figure 3-14.
Operating VRS Table 3-3 lists the actions that you can select as responses to the warnings on the Warnings tab. Table 3-3. Action Types for Warnings Action Type Description Ignore Error VRS does not notify you of the warning or take any action to correct it. VRS accepts the image “as is,” passes it to the scanning application, and then resumes the scanning session. Return Error VRS notifies you of the warning, but does not send the image to the scanning application.
Chapter 3 intercepts it and responds according to the Contrast Out of Range action setting in the Warnings tab. The detected contrast value is listed on the status bar in the VRS Interactive Viewer. For example, if the Contrast Out of Range threshold is 15 on the Warnings tab, VRS accepts any image with a contrast value ranging from 35 to 65. The range starts at 35, which is 15 less than 50, and it ends at 65, which is 15 more than 50.
Operating VRS Figure 3-15. VRS Administration Utility - Errors Tab Table 3-4. Error Types Error Description Paper Jam Paper jam occurs in the scanner paper path. Multifeed1 Multiple pages have been pulled into the transport. Out of Paper No paper is available to scan. Cover Open Scanner cover is not closed securely. Scanner Offline1 The scanner is not ready to scan.
Chapter 3 Table 3-4. Error Types (continued) Error Description Auto Deskew Failure The image does not contain sufficient horizontal or vertical lines to perform a correct deskew. Use the Skew panel to make a manual correction. Refer to Using the Skew Panel on page 80. 1 Böwe Bell + Howell Spectrum series scanners only Table 3-5 lists the action types that are available from the Errors tab. Table 3-5.
Operating VRS When used with some scanners (old or new) that run more slowly while scanning in grayscale mode, VRS may appear to be responsible for the slowdown. The perception is that the application is requesting a bitonal image and VRS is causing the scanner to run more slowly than usual. In reality, the scanner is running at its rated speed in grayscale mode, rather than bitonal mode. Most users accept this slight slowdown because the image quality produced by VRS far outweighs the reduced throughput.
Chapter 3 For example, suppose you select 300 DPI in your scanning application and enable the first level of Accelerated Scanning in VRS. The image scans at 200 DPI to accelerate scanning speed and VRS translates it to 300 DPI to achieve the desired resolution. Table 3-6 lists the DPI settings that VRS uses for a typical scanner. Use this table as an example of how VRS treats DPI settings defined in a scanning application.
Operating VRS Updating the VRS Administration Utility Dialog Box Use these instructions to update the VRS Administration Utility settings. X To update the VRS Administration Utility settings 1 Right-click on the VRS taskbar icon to open the VRS menu. 2 From the VRS taskbar menu, select Admin Utility. Figure 3-17. VRS Administration Utility 3 When the VirtualReScan Administration Utility displays, select and adjust the settings for the following tabs: • Warnings tab—Threshold.
Chapter 3 Setting the VRS Operating Mode You can configure settings that control how often the VRS Interactive Viewer will be displayed during a scanning session. By selecting the QC Modes command from the VRS menu, you can set the VRS Interactive Viewer to open under different conditions. The default QC mode is “On Errors.” The default value for the Hardware Warnings setting is on (checked).
Operating VRS QC Later (available only to Ascent Capture 7.0 users) When exceptions occur while QC Later mode is in effect, the VRS Interactive Viewer will remain out of view until it is invoked from the Ascent Capture application. This mode is available to users who are licensed to use VRS in an Ascent Capture 7.0 installation. For more information, refer to the Ascent Capture online help or the Getting Started with Ascent Capture guide.
Chapter 3 In VRS, a “profile” consists of a saved combination of settings from the VRS Adjustment Controls (refer to Using the VRS Adjustment Controls on page 64). A VRS profile is the equivalent of a memorized strategy for image correction and enhancement. VRS includes one default profile that can be used to process a range of document types. VRS uses the default profile unless you define and select another profile. The profile selection is unique for each VRS user on your computer. Figure 3-18.
Operating VRS Table 3-7. Invalid Characters for VRS Profile Names Character Description Character Description \ Backslash > Greater than / Slash < Less than | Pipe ^ Caret & Ampersand . Period ? Question mark X To save the current VRS Adjustment Controls settings under a new profile name 1 Scan a sample image. 2 Open the VRS Interactive Viewer and make selections from the VRS Adjustment Controls to achieve the desired adjustments.
Chapter 3 3 From the VRS Interactive Viewer, select Profile | Organize. The Organize Profiles dialog box will display, as shown in Figure 3-20. Figure 3-20. Organize Profiles Dialog Box 4 Click Save As to open the New Profile dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-19 on the previous page. 5 In the New Profile text box, assign a name to the new profile. Be sure to assign a profile name with alphanumeric characters and avoid the characters listed in Table 3-7.
Operating VRS X To change the active profile from the Organize Profiles dialog box 1 From the VRS Interactive Viewer, select Profile | Organize. The Organize Profiles dialog box will be displayed. 2 From the list, select the profile you want to use. 3 Click Load. (This step is important; clicking Close without clicking Load will not change the active profile.) 4 Click Close to exit the dialog box. The profile selection stays in effect until you change it again.
Chapter 3 Updating a Profile If desired, you can update and save the settings associated with an existing profile. X To update a profile 1 From the VRS Interactive Viewer toolbar, select a profile name. 2 From the VRS Adjustment Controls, update the settings associated with the currently selected profile. 3 Select Profile | Save. - or - 1 From the VRS Adjustment Controls, update the settings associated with the currently selected profile.
Operating VRS Previewing Images If desired, you can use the preview process to scan a sample image to ensure that it meets your quality requirements and to validate the settings in the current profile. If necessary, you can make adjustments to the profile. If your scanner supports advanced features, you can use the preview process to test settings such as color dropout, JPEG compression, etc. Use the Preview feature before you scan a batch of documents, or to adjust the settings between batches.
Chapter 3 Using the Status and Analysis Information The VRS Interactive Viewer gives you image status information, along with analysis statistics that summarize the properties for the current image in the viewing pane. The image status message appears in the title bar and indicates the status of the current image, such as “Status OK” or “Brightness Out of Range.” Figure 3-22.
Operating VRS Using VRS While You Scan You can use VRS to scan documents and accurately capture data using the default settings. VRS also gives you the ability to handle challenging documents; you can apply real-time adjustments to documents as they scan, eliminating the need to rescan them manually. This section explains how to use VRS while you scan to achieve optimal image quality.
Chapter 3 The options on the Auto Resolve Manager will vary, according to the active mode (automatic or manual): • OK - Automatic Mode: When the Auto Resolve Manager opens in automatic mode (when the Action selection is “Auto Resolve”), the OK button is dimmed. VRS automatically will attempt to retry the scanning process, which will resume once you do something to resolve the exception condition.
Operating VRS Figure 3-26.
Chapter 3 Using the VRS Adjustment Controls The VRS Adjustment Controls consist of six panels that give you options for adjusting image properties. The default settings are saved to a VRS profile called “Default settings.” Once you identify a set of adjustments that work well for a particular document type, you can save them in a custom profile that can be used in place of the default profile. For more information, refer to Working with Profiles on page 53. Figure 3-27.
Operating VRS This section explains each panel in the VRS Adjustment Controls. Some panels are available only with VRS Plus installations. Clarity Panel The Clarity panel consists of settings for brightness, contrast, and gamma correction. Use this panel to enable or disable the Auto Brightness feature. For details, refer to Using the Clarity Panel on page 67.
Chapter 3 image in question. If the viewer appeared as the result of a First Page QC mode, or in connection with the Preview option, then the changes apply to subsequent scans or batches. Cancel Click Cancel in Preview to close the VRS Interactive Viewer without applying any changes. If an exception is detected when scanning, click Cancel to return an error (without the error image itself) to the scanning application. In addition, the batch scan will be stopped.
Operating VRS Using the Clarity Panel This section gives you details about the Clarity panel, which gives you options to adjust the contrast, brightness, and gamma values for an image. In general, a high Contrast value enhances faint text and lines in your documents. Since Brightness increases or decreases the overall density of your images, increasing the brightness level can clear up dark shaded documents. Finally, Gamma Correct allows you to adjust images created with incorrect gamma encoding.
Chapter 3 Brightness and Contrast When the Auto Brightness check box is selected, VRS automatically assigns optimal values for brightness and displays those values in the manual Brightness slider and numeric text box. The Auto Brightness setting is not applicable when you scan in color mode. Moving the Brightness slider, entering a value in the Brightness numeric text box, or clicking in the Brightness-Contrast custom control turns off Auto Brightness. Figure 3-29.
Operating VRS For VRS, the Contrast slider affects how the content is enhanced. VRS sees content as anything that has an edge. When VRS detects an edge, it is enhanced based upon the setting in the Contrast slider. As the Contrast value increases, the content doesn't need as much of an edge in order to be enhanced. Fainter content will become more visible. At the highest value, VRS may even enhance invisible tape or the grain of the document.
Chapter 3 Simple Thresholding Simple thresholding is fine for black text on white paper, but it is tricky when you have a combination of dark and light text and lines, and dark and light background surfaces on one page. Figure 3-30 shows a good example of this kind of document. Figure 3-30. Color Scan of Original Document A color or 24-bit image is an exact representation of how the original document looks, much like a photograph of the original.
Operating VRS documents in 8-bit grayscale, but convert these images to single bit or pure black and white images before sending the images to your application. In this example, we will scan a document and show the effects of VRS Contrast, Brightness, and Gamma settings on it. In the image shown in Figure 2-32, we have scanned a document we will refer to as the “CORE” document as a black and white image at 200 DPI.
Chapter 3 Now this text is hidden! This text is revealed. Figure 3-32. Brightness with a Higher Setting With a higher Brightness setting such as 50, the highlighted text appears and the faint text becomes unreadable. Refer to Figure 3-32. It becomes apparent that these kinds of situations cannot be solved with simple thresholding. They need a technology that detects objects on a page—both faint and dark—and sets the brightness level dynamically for each of these objects.
Operating VRS Even something that is technically invisible to the eye, such as a piece of transparent tape placed on a document, could be detected when contrast is set high enough, since there is ultimately a transition from the tape to the paper surrounding it. Let us look at the CORE sample document with the lowest Contrast level—zero. In addition, to truly see what Contrast does on its own, we will set the brightness value to zero.
Chapter 3 Your Optimal Scan The default settings will provide optimal results for most scans. For a list of default settings, refer to Table 3-1. By simply scanning the CORE document without adjusting the settings, you will get optimal results, as shown in Figure 3-33. Figure 3-33.
Operating VRS Manual Image Adjustment VRS provides the option to manually adjust the settings for an image or images. You can use the Clarity panel to make the adjustments. Brightness-Contrast Custom Control The Clarity panel includes custom controls (visual markers) to assist you in identifying the optimal range for brightness and contrast. Current brightness setting Acceptable range of contrast and brightness Current contrast setting Figure 3-34.
Chapter 3 set from 0 (very dark) to 100 (very bright) for black and white, grayscale, or color images. Keep in mind, though, that the manual brightness setting is not shared between black and white, grayscale, and color modes. Changing the value of the manual brightness setting in black and white mode does not affect the value of the manual brightness setting in grayscale or color mode, because VRS keeps these values separate.
Operating VRS Note As soon as you change the brightness value, the Auto Brightness option is automatically disabled. To enable it again, select Auto Brightness again and VRS will calculate and reapply the brightness level automatically. 3 In the Contrast text box, VRS displays the current contrast setting. To change the setting, do one of the following: • Click the arrows on the Contrast text box to increase or decrease the contrast level. • Click in the Contrast text box and type in a value.
Chapter 3 Using the Noise Panel Noise in an image consists of pixels accidentally and randomly added to the image during image processing. The level of shading for these pixels is also random and can vary quite a bit. Unfortunately, images attained through even the most sophisticated sensors can still be contaminated by noise sources and they have to be corrected. You can use the filters on the Noise panel to enhance image quality and remove excessive speckling.
Operating VRS Removing Noise from a Document Follow these general rules for removing noise from a document: • If you have batches of mixed documents with varying quality, never use the Speckle Removal filter. You could risk losing information on documents. • If the noise was produced by bleed-through of text from the back side or background patterns (such as the patterns commonly found on boarding passes), decrease the contrast from the Clarity panel.
Chapter 3 Using the Skew Panel You can use the Skew panel to select settings that control automatic deskew, auto crop and edge cleanup, as well as auto orientation, which is used to automatically rotate a page that scans in a non-standard orientation. The Skew panel also gives you options to perform manual skew adjustment on an image.
Operating VRS Deskew Option When you use a scanner that produces white borders around the scanned images, the deskew correction is calculated based on horizontal and vertical text lines in the image. When you use a scanner that produces black borders around the images, VRS switches to using black borders and not the content of the document to determine the skew correction with faster and better results. Figure 3-37.
Chapter 3 Note Auto-Orientation may conflict with the rotation options that are available with some scanners that support advanced features. If you are using VRS with such a scanner, we recommend that you enable either Auto Orientation or the advanced rotation options, but not both. For more information, refer to Rotation Tab on page 105. X To change the Skew panel settings 1 From the VRS Adjustment Controls, select the Skew panel. 2 Select the desired Deskew and Crop options.
Operating VRS Using the Color Panel Use the Color panel to specify your preferences for Automatic Color Detection and related processing options. VRS uses the Automatic Color Detection process to determine if an image has any color content. If no color content is detected, then the document is processed as a bitonal image. When using Automatic Color Detection, it is important to test your settings on a sample document that is similar to the documents you expect to scan.
Chapter 3 X To configure the Color panel settings 1 From the VRS Adjustment Controls, select the Color panel. 2 Select the Enable Detection check box if you want to enable Automatic Color Detection. If this check box is not selected, a color image is always returned when you scan in color mode, regardless of the extent of the color content in the document.
Operating VRS These settings are available only if Automatic Color Detection is enabled. You can select the following options: • Color: Image is processed in color, regardless of the results of the automatic color detection process. • Bitonal: Image is processed in black and white, regardless of the results of the automatic color detection process. • As Detected: Image color is processed according to the results of the automatic color detection process. This is the default selection.
Chapter 3 Using the Background Panel Use the Background panel to select preferences that affect the way that the background region of a color image will be processed by VRS. You can use the options on the Background panel to convert and smooth the background region to black, white, or to a color that represents an “average” of the detected background colors.
Operating VRS X To configure the Background panel settings 1 From the VRS Adjustment Controls, select the Background panel. 2 Select the Enable Smoothing check box to turn on the background smoothing feature, which you can use to modify the background of a color image. If this check box is not selected, the background region of a color image is not altered when it is processed. 3 Select an option for processing images with color backgrounds: • White: All background color is changed to white.
Chapter 3 Note Changes to the Background panel are handled according to circumstances under which the VRS Interactive Viewer launched. If the viewer opened as the result of an exception, changes apply to the exception image only. If the viewer opened because you selected Preview or First Page mode, changes apply to all subsequent scans. Upon restart, the Background panel is reset to the settings associated with the last selected profile.
Operating VRS Figure 3-40. Blank Page Panel X To enable blank page deletion 1 From the VRS Adjustment Controls, select the Blank Page panel. 2 Select the “Enable Deletion” check box to turn on the feature which is used to automatically remove blank pages. 3 Adjust the Content Sensitivity setting to determine how sensitive the system is to content on a page. The possible values range from 1 to 100.
Chapter 3 result, such a page would be considered to be blank. You can adjust the Content Sensitivity setting by doing one of the following: • Move the slider to the left to decrease the likelihood of detecting small amounts of content on a page. • Move the slider to the right to increase the likelihood of detecting small amounts of content on a page. • Click the arrows in the text box to increase or decrease the Content Sensitivity value. • Click in the Content Sensitivity text box and type a value.
Operating VRS Enabling the Plus Features Demo The “Enable Plus Features Demo” command appears on the Tools menu only if you have a VRS Standard license. If you have a VRS Desktop, Workgroup/Departmental, or Production license, full access to VRS Plus features is already included in your installation. You can use the “Enable Plus Features Demo” command to enable a demonstration of VRS Plus features.
Chapter 3 3 The VRS Interactive Viewer will refresh and three additional panels will be available from the VRS Adjustment Controls: Color, Background, and Blank Page. Figure 3-41. VRS Adjustment Controls with Plus Features Demo Enabled 4 Scan as usual and notice that a “Kofax Demo Mode” stamp is applied to all images. 5 If desired, contact Kofax if you are interested in upgrading your license to access the VRS Plus features on a permanent basis.
Operating VRS X To exit the Plus Features demo 1 While the VRS Plus features demonstration is enabled, select Tools | Enable Plus Features Demo. The check mark next to the menu item will be cleared to indicate that the demo is no longer enabled. 2 The VRS Interactive Viewer will refresh with the Color, Background, and Blank Page panels removed from the VRS Adjustment Controls. The Clarity, Noise, and Skew panels will be available, as shown in Figure 3-42. Figure 3-42.
Chapter 3 Using Advanced Features From the VRS Interactive Viewer, you can access advanced features if they are supported by your scanner. If your scanner supports advanced features, you can use the Scanner Driver Settings option to access one of the following dialog boxes: • Advanced Settings dialog box: Consists of options related to page layout, JPEG compression, and other custom features.
Operating VRS Using the Advanced Properties Dialog Box This section gives you information about the Advanced Properties dialog box, which can be accessed by selecting the “Scanner Driver Settings” option while the VRS Interactive Viewer is in Preview mode. Figure 3-43. Advanced Properties Dialog Box When an image is processed, some settings from the VRS Adjustment Controls take precedence over the settings on the Advanced Properties dialog box.
Chapter 3 Endorser Tab VRS supports basic endorsing and annotation. For VRS production-class scanners that are equipped with endorsers, you can set up endorsing properties using the Endorser tab on the Advanced Properties dialog box. Through the Endorser tab, you will be able to build a text string from a text prefix and numeric counter value, and then use the string to endorse and/or annotate pages and images. Once added to the page or image, however, endorser and annotation strings are permanent.
Operating VRS Text Definition Dialog Box When the options for either Enable Mechanical Endorser Only or Enable Mechanical Endorser and Electronic Annotation are enabled, selecting the Text Definition button from the Advanced Properties dialog box launches the Text Definition dialog box. Use this dialog box to customize the endorser and/or annotation string.
Chapter 3 You can manually enter the text string or date to be used during annotation, or you can select from the Prefix drop-down list to insert pre-formatted date information into the prefix string. The date format choices are shown in Table 3-9. Table 3-9. Date Formats Date Format Example Date Format Example YYYY-MM-DD 2005-07-05 MM.DD.YYYY 07.07.2005 DD-MMM-YY 07-JUL-05 MMM. DD, YY JUL.
Operating VRS Note Because the endorser/annotation string is made up of a text prefix and a counter, consider their combined length when setting the string length. Directly below the Prefix box are the Top and Left text boxes, which you can use to specify the vertical and horizontal position of the annotation text string. You can use the options in the Units group to specify text positioning values in inches, millimeters, or pixels (DPI dependent). The default unit of measurement is inches.
Chapter 3 Digits The page counter length can be specified via a drop-down list. The available values depend on the scanner as well as on the installed endorsing hardware. Table 3-11 lists the maximum number of digits per scanner and the resulting counter value. The list contains only the available values for page counter length. Select None if you do not wish to increment the counter. Note This drop-down list is only available when the Enable check box is selected. Table 3-11.
Operating VRS Step Value Select from the Step Value drop-down list to determine how the automatic endorser/ annotation counter is incremented on every page. The counter should be set based on the documents being scanned, how the batches are organized, and specific user needs. The following Step Values are available from the drop-down list. • • • • Increment by one (default) Increment by two Decrement by one Decrement by two Note Decrementing is not available with all scanners.
Chapter 3 Color Tab VRS supports optional color features for some scanners through the Color tab on the Advanced Properties dialog box. You can use the Color tab to set up color-related features such as Color Dropout and JPEG Compression. The Color tab consists of three groups: Front Side Dropout Color, Back Side Dropout Color, and JPEG Compression. Figure 3-45.
Operating VRS JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) is a standardized image format designed to compress color and grayscale images. In the JPEG Compression group of the Color tab, you can activate JPEG compression via the Enabled check box. When the Enabled check box is selected, you may then select an image quality level of Good (65), Better (80), Best (95), or Custom. When the Custom image quality level option is selected, both a YUV value and a Custom JPEG Compression Value may be set.
Chapter 3 Picking Rectangle Tab You can use the Picking Rectangle tab to select a portion of an image to be scanned or processed, effectively cropping out unwanted data. This feature is only available for certain scanners. The Picking Rectangle tab consists of two groups of settings: Front Side and Back Side. If a scanner supports duplex scanning, you may select picking rectangle settings for the front or the back side, or both.
Operating VRS Rotation Tab The Rotation tab consists of options for front side and back side rotation. When a scanner supports duplex scanning, the front side and/or the back side of a scanned image can be rotated by 90, 180, or 270 degrees. Selecting 0 means no rotation. On simplex scanners, only front side rotation is enabled. Figure 3-47.
Chapter 3 About Tab The Advanced Properties About tab provides information that is useful for technical support purposes. In addition to listing the scanner firmware version and the Enhanced Grayscale Adapter (EGSA) firmware version, the About tab also displays whether a scanner endorser is installed and whether the endorser is a 16-bit or 24-bit endorser (if applicable). Figure 3-48.
Appendix A VRS Restore Default Values Utility Introduction The VRS default settings have been carefully chosen to allow VRS to excel at a wide range of documents without adjustments. In the day-to-day use of VRS, however, these default settings may inadvertently be altered. The VRS Restore Default Values (RDV) utility performs two valuable functions: it restores VRS settings to their original values and it sets the default VRS scanner without requiring VRS to be reinstalled.
Appendix A Using the RDV Utility You can use the RDV utility to change the default VRS scanner selection, or to restore the VRS default settings. X To launch the RDV utility 1 Locate the RDV folder in your VRS installation and double-click “RDV.exe” to launch the utility, as shown in Figure A-1. Figure A-1. RDV Utility Dialog Box 2 If you want to change the default VRS scanner selection, select the desired scanner from the “Select scanner” list.
VRS Restore Default Values Utility X To install the ISIS.pxw (ISIS driver), do one of the following: • Install the ISIS driver from the scanner manufacturer CD. • Reinstall VRS and select the appropriate scanner during the VRS installation process.
Appendix A 110 VRS User’s Manual
Appendix B Long Paper Support Introduction VRS supports long paper scanning for some production-class scanners. You can use the instructions in this appendix to configure VRS for long paper support. Activating Long Paper Support Using VRS, you can scan duplex paper up to 40 inches in black and white mode at 300 DPI and below. With long paper support activated, images may not be rotated.
Appendix B 112 VRS User’s Manual
Appendix C VRS Non-Interactive Mode Introduction With Böwe Bell + Howell Spectrum series scanners, you have the option of selecting VRS in non-interactive mode at the time of installation. This mode is intended for users who do not wish to see the VRS user interface while scanning is in progress, even though VRS is running conveniently in the background. If desired, you can use the procedure in this appendix to switch from VRS noninteractive mode back to interactive mode.
Appendix C 114 VRS User’s Manual
Appendix D Enhanced Bar Code Engine Introduction Access to the Kofax Standard bar code recognition engine is provided through ImageControls-based applications and ISIS-based applications.
Appendix D Figure D-1. Bar Code Properties Dialog Box With the Enhanced Bar Code engine, you will be able to scan all the standard bar code types with improved recognition, in addition to the 2D bar codes.
Enhanced Bar Code Engine • • • • • • • Code 93 EAN Interleaved 2 of 5 Linear 2 of 5 Postnet UPC-A UPC-E How to Switch Between Bar Code Engines While the Kofax Enhanced Bar Code recognition engine offers many advantages over the standard bar code recognition engines, in some cases the processing speed may vary. For those who wish to focus on processing speed rather than quality of recognition, the Standard Algorithm may be preferable.
Appendix D Accessing the Bar Code Properties Dialog Box How you access the Bar Code Properties dialog box varies according to your scanning application. From the Scan Demo application, for example, you may select the Bar Code check box in the Recognition group of the Image Scanning Properties dialog box to enable your scanning application to automatically recognize certain bar codes during scanning. Note The Scan Demo application is available from your VRS installation CD. Figure D-2.
Enhanced Bar Code Engine Using the Bar Code Properties Dialog Box This section describes the options on the Bar Code Properties dialog box. Recognition Group The Recognition group of the Bar Code Properties dialog box gives you the ability to enable bar code recognition, to select scanner-specific bar code recognition (if available), and to implement the bar code “Learn” feature. Enable Select the Enable check box to enable bar code recognition. Clear the check box to disable bar code recognition.
Appendix D Interpret Bar Code Group Using the Interpret Bar Code option, you may translate bar codes as patch code. Choose a patch code from the list, or select No Patch Code to disable this feature. • • • • • • Patch I Patch II Patch III Patch IV Patch T Patch VI Bar Size Group Under Bar Size, you can type or select the Height and Width of the bar size. Height The height of a bar code is the distance between the top of the bars and the bottom of the bars. The minimum height is .
Enhanced Bar Code Engine Search Direction Group The application searches for bar codes in a linear fashion, examining the search area for potential bar codes. For horizontal bar codes with an orientation of 0, for example, it works down the image starting on the left and searching toward the right edge; for vertical bar codes, it works across the image starting on the top edge and searches top to bottom. Bar codes can be oriented on an image in four general directions.
Appendix D Checksum Group Note Checksum verification only has meaning for Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, and Linear 2 of 5 bar code types. It is ignored for all other bar code types. Usually the last character in the bar code, the checksum character helps to ensure that the bar code is valid. Selecting the Enable check box in the Checksum group allows the application to perform checksum verification.
Appendix E Patch Code Recognition Introduction Patch codes can be used to separate documents, stop the scanner, or change the scanner mode. The patch code itself is a pattern of horizontal black bars resembling a barcode the size of a full page. VRS supports patch code recognition in ImageControls applications with a VRS Workgroup/Departmental license or a VRS Production license.
Appendix E Using the Patch Code Properties Dialog Box Use the following options to enable patch code detection. Enable Select the Enable check box to take advantage of the patch code detection feature. Left Offset to Center of Patch Code The Left Offset to Center of Patch Code is a value you select from the left edge of the page that defines a point near the center of the patch code. The offset value allows the patch code detection feature to quickly locate the patch code on the page.
Appendix F Windows XP Look and Feel Introduction In a Windows XP environment, the appearance of the VRS Interactive Viewer is controlled by a manifest file, which is used to enable the Windows XP “look and feel.” The availability of the Windows XP look and feel in VRS is dependent upon the naming convention for the manifest file: the manifest file name must correspond to the name of the executable file for your scanning application. For example, the manifest file must be named “XYZ.exe.
Appendix F name of the executable for your scanning application, you would rename the manifest file to “XYZ.exe.manifest.” 4 126 Start your scanning application and select VRS.
Index A About VRS dialog box, 17 Accelerated Scanning tab, 41, 48 Action types, 45, 48 Auto Resolve, 48 Ignore Error, 45, 48 Interactive, 45, 48 Return Error, 45, 48 Admin Utility, 6, 41 Admin Utility command, 8 Advanced features, 16, 24, 94 Advanced Properties dialog box, 95 About tab, 106 Color tab, 102 Endorser tab, 96 Picking Rectangle tab, 104 Rotation tab, 105 Analysis information, 25, 60 Annotation, 96 Annotation string customizing, 97 Auto Brightness, 68 Auto Crop, 80 Auto Crop Failure error, 47 Aut
Index Color area sensitivity, 84 Color Confidence Out of Range warning, 44 Color detection, automatic, 21, 83 Color dropout, 102 Color panel, 21, 83 Color sensitivity, 84 Color tab Advanced Properties dialog box, 102 Compatible scanners, 4 Configuring VRS, 41 Content sensitivity, 89 Continuous Sheet setting, 111 Contrast, 68 Contrast Out of Range warning, 44 Cover Open error, 47 Cropping unwanted data, 104 D Default profile, 54, 64 Default settings, 1, 107 Admin Utility, 42 Deskew, 80 Documentation, x Dro
Index M Q Manifest file, 125 Manual image enhancement, 1, 75 Multifeed error, 47 QC Later, 3, 29, 53 QC modes, 6, 52 N Naming profiles, 54 Noise panel, 19, 78 Non-certified scanners, 4 O Online help, x, 16 Operating mode, 7, 52 Operating VRS, 31 Organize Profiles dialog box, 56 Out of Paper error, 47 Output format automatic color detection, 84 P Page count, 100 Page counter, 97 Paper Jam error, 47 Patch code left offset to center, 124 Patch Code Properties dialog box, 123 Patch code recognition, 120
Index T Technical support, xi Text Definition dialog box, 97 Tools menu Enable Plus Features Demo, 16 Scanner Driver Settings, 16 TWAIN interface, 39 scan source, 31 U UPC-A, 117 UPC-E, 117 Updating VRS, 12, 17, 90 User’s manual, 16 V Version information, 17 VRS automatic image enhancement, 1 configuration, 41 default settings, 1 documentation set, x manual image enhancement, 1 operating, 31 Plus features, 3, 12, 16, 91 selecting, 31 standard features, 2 VRS Adjustment Controls Background panel, 22, 86 B
