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Scanning service is a process that converts paper
into digital images and then stores the resulting files into
CD-ROM or imaging system for later retrieval. In general,
document scanning systems are fairly inexpensive to purchase
(consisting of little more than scanners and PCs) but extremely
expensive to operate, frequently account for as much as 80%
of the total ongoing labor cost of an imaging system.
This makes it worth to consider our service which provide
you:
- convenience
solution
- eliminate
large investment on expensive equipment
- quality assurance
- high-performance
production
- flexibility
- low cost
- no high maintenance
cost
Understanding
the Elements of Production Document Capture
Document scanning
encompasses a complex flow of processes that includes scanning
but extends much further. In general, production capture
includes six operations, namely, batch preparation, scanning,
OCR and image cleanup, indexing, QA and rescanning.
Batch Preparation
Batch preparation
is an important first step in assuring a well-functioning
document scanning process. Key manual tasks include
inspecting and separating documents, grouping documents into
like categories, and designating the beginning and end of
documents and batches.
Scanning
Scanning refers
to the actual transformation of paper documents into digital
images. Effective scanning requires precise control
over a wide variety of scanners and scanner settings, including
resolution, contrast, simplex or duplex operation, advanced
thresholding options, etc. In addition, scanning usually
allows for in-line extraction of bar code information for
purposes of indexing the documents for later retrieval.
OCR and Image
Cleanup
Optical character
recognition is frequently used in production capture systems
to extract information about a document directly from the
document itself. There are two forms of OCR: zonal
and full-text. Zonal OCR is typically used on forms,
where only specific fields on the form are of interest.
Full-text OCR is used on free-form documents, such as legal
briefs, to read the entire document and then prepare a searchable,
full-text index of the document.
Image cleanup
is a broad term that includes various methods for cleaning
up scanned images to make them more readable. Techniques
include:
Deskewing, despeckling,
deshading, streak removal, and other basic cleanup functions
Line removal and character reconstruction for use on forms
Edge enhancement, which sharpens character edges to increase
OCR accuracy
Indexing
Indexing consists
of creating meaningful descriptive information for each scanned
document and then writing this information into a database
that will be used to retrieve the images later. In most
cases, the index information is entered by a keyboard operator
based on information on the image itself, an operation known
as "key from image." In some cases, however, the index
information is extracted automatically from the images via
a recognition process -- typically optical character recognition
or bar code recognition. Some indexing information may
also be assigned automatically to all images included in a
particular batch.
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance
entails systematic reviews and checks to ensure that the scanned
images are readable and the indexes are accurate. It
includes methods for flagging bad images and explaining why
or how images should be rescanned, as well as correcting errors
or shortcomings in indexing. The QA step can be performed
either by a QA operator or by an index operator.
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