Kofax VRS4 User Manual

User’s Manual

10300467-000 Revision A

Copyright

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.

Trademarks

Kofax, the Kofax logo, VirtualReScan, the “VRS VirtualReScan” logo, ImageControls, and Adrenaline are registered trademarks of Kofax Image Products, Inc.; and VRS is a trademark of Kofax Image Products, Inc.

ISIS

is a registered trademark of Pixel Translations, a division of Captiva Software

Corporation.

TWAIN is a registered trademark of the TWAIN Working Group.

All other product names and logos mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

Disclaimer

The instructions and descriptions contained in this document were accurate at the time of printing. However, succeeding products and documents are subject to change without notice. Therefore, Kofax Image Products, Inc. assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly from errors, omissions, or discrepancies between the product and this document.

An attempt has been made to state all allowable values where applicable throughout this document. Any values or parameters used beyond those stated might have unpredictable results.

How to Use This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

How this Guide is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

Related Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Technical Support Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Standard Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

VRS Plus Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Certified Scanning Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Certified vs. Non-Certified Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2 Quick Tour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

VRS Taskbar Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

VRS Taskbar Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

QC Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Admin Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

VRS Interactive Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Working with the VRS Interactive Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Scroll Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Persistence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

VRS User’s Manual iii

Contents

Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Minimize / Maximize Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

VRS Interactive Viewer Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Zoom Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Profile Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Organize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Tools Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Scanner Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Enable Plus Features Demo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

VRS Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

User’s Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Installation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Activate VRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Check for Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

About VRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

VRS Adjustment Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Clarity Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Noise Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Skew Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Color Panel (VRS Plus only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Background Panel (VRS Plus only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Blank Page Panel (VRS Plus only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

VRS Interactive Viewer Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Zoom Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Scanner Driver Settings Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Profile Selection List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

VRS Image Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

VRS Image Analysis Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Getting Started with VRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Selecting VRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Using the VRS Interactive Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Creating a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Setting the QC Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Using the VRS Administration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

iv VRS User’s Manual

Contents

3 Operating VRS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Selecting VRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Kofax VRS Scanning Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Kofax VRS ImageControls Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Kofax VRS ISIS Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Kofax VRS TWAIN Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Configuring VRS Before You Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Using the VRS Administration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Warnings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Errors Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Accelerated Scanning Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Updating the VRS Administration Utility Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Setting the VRS Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

On Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

First Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Every Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

QC Later (available only to Ascent Capture 7.0 users) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Hardware Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Working with Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Creating a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Changing the Active Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Updating a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Removing a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Previewing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Using the Status and Analysis Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Using VRS While You Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Using the Auto Resolve Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Using the VRS Interactive Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Using the VRS Adjustment Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Using the Clarity Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

VRS User’s Manual

Clarity Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Noise Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Skew Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Color Panel (VRS Plus only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Background Panel (VRS Plus only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Blank Page Panel (VRS Plus only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

VRS Adjustment Controls Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Brightness and Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Deskew Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Auto Crop and Edge Cleanup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Auto Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Using the Color Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Using the Background Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Using the Blank Page Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Updating VRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Enabling the Plus Features Demo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Using Advanced Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Using the Advanced Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Endorser Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Text Definition Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Color Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Picking Rectangle Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Rotation Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

About Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

A VRS Restore Default Values Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Using the RDV Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

B Long Paper Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Activating Long Paper Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

C VRS Non-Interactive Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

vi VRS User’s Manual

Contents

D Enhanced Bar Code Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Standard vs. Enhanced Bar Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

How to Switch Between Bar Code Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Accessing the Bar Code Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Using the Bar Code Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Recognition Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Interpret Bar Code Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Bar Size Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Search Direction Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Quality Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Checksum Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

E Patch Code Recognition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Using the Patch Code Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

F Windows XP Look and Feel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

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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 this Guide is Organized

This manual consists of the following chapters and appendices:

Chapter 1 - Overview gives a general description of the VRS product, summarizes the VRS Standard and VRS Plus features, and describes the VRS scanner certification process.

Chapter 2 - Quick Tour introduces the VRS user interface and gives an overview of the process for using VRS with your scanning application.

Chapter 3 - Operating VRS gives detailed instructions on how to select, configure, and use VRS with your scanning application. This chapter includes instructions on how to use the Kofax VRS scan interfaces, the VRS menu, the VRS Administration Utility, the VRS Interactive Viewer, and the VRS Auto Resolve Manager. This chapter also explains how to access advanced options that are available with some scanners: endorsing and annotation, color dropout, JPEG compression, etc.

Appendix A - VRS Restore Default Values Utility explains how to use the Restore Default Values (RDV) utility. The RDV utility can be used to restore VRS settings to their original values or to select the default VRS scanner without reinstalling VRS.

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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.

Appendix D - Enhanced Bar Code Engine gives an overview of how to implement and use the Kofax Enhanced Bar Code engine.

Appendix E - Patch Code Recognition explains VRS patch code support.

Appendix F - Windows XP Look and Feel explains how you can enable the

Windows XP “look and feel” within the VRS Interactive Viewer.

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. The Kofax Support pages provide product-specific information, such as current revision levels, the latest drivers and software patches, online documentation and user manuals, updates to product release notes (if any), technical tips, and an extensive searchable knowledgebase. You can find VRS FAQs on the VRS Support pages.

The Kofax Web site also contains information that describes support options for Kofax products. Please review the site for details about the available support options. If you need to contact Kofax Technical Support, please have the following information available:

• VRS software version and build number

• Scanning application name

•Operating system and service pack version

• Scanner make and model

• SCSI scanner controller (if applicable)

• Special/custom configuration or integration information

How to Use This Guide

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How to Use This Guide

xii VRS User’s Manual

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. Basically, VRS can be used in three ways:

1 Default Settings—You can use VRS to scan documents and accurately

capture data effortlessly using the default settings. These default settings have been carefully chosen so that VRS will produce excellent image quality for a wide range of documents without adjustments.

2 Automatic Image Enhancement—VRS also monitors images, detecting poor

image quality and performing automatic image enhancements that greatly reduce errors related to image quality or recognition.

Chapter 1

Overview

3 Manual Image Enhancement—VRS provides interactive controls for cases in

which you want the ability to modify an image manually. You determine the best settings only once for the documents you scan, and VRS does the rest.

Whether you choose to let VRS work completely on its own using the superior default settings, or make image adjustments yourself, you can be certain that every scanned image will meet the highest standards.

Note VRS is equipped with context-sensitive online help. Press F1 to get on-screen

assistance with crucial tasks, without leaving the application.

VRS User’s Manual 1

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. You can be certain that every scanned image meets your standards, as VRS provides a set of interactive adjustment controls to eliminate guesswork with easy, real-time image correction.

The VRS standard feature set does the following:

• Scans batches that consist of multiple document sizes or varying degrees of

quality. This means you won't have to pre-sort mixed batches. For black background scanners, VRS will deskew images and crop them to the size of the original documents.

• Detects and alerts you to paper jams and equipment conflicts automatically.

This saves time and increases post-processing accuracy.

• Performs automatic deskew without character degradation. Traditional

deskew software produces jagged edges, but VRS character edges remain smooth and precise, even after the deskew process, as shown in Figure 1-1.

Figure 1-1. Traditional Deskew vs. VRS

Because the VRS standard feature set has been optimized for bitonal output, it also does the following:

• Automatically assigns brightness settings that are optimal for your document

type. For batch scans in which Optical Character Recognition (OCR) precision is crucial, low-contrast documents traditionally pose significant problems. With VRS, you are able to enhance faint content, which can result in improved OCR results, even at low resolutions (such as 200 DPI).

• Suppresses any background or noise to yield smaller image file sizes during

image optimization, thus reducing storage requirements.

2 VRS User’s Manual

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 smoothing

• Content-based rotation

• Blank page deletion

• White background cropping and deskew

• QC Later mode for Ascent Capture 7.0 users

Overview

Unlimited access to VRS Plus features is available to all users with the following VRS license categories: Desktop, Workgroup/Departmental, and Production. Limited access to VRS Plus features is available to users who have the VRS “Standard” license. If you have a VRS Standard license, you can preview the VRS Plus features by using them in demonstration mode. For details, refer to Enabling the Plus Features Demo on page 91. For details about individual VRS Plus features, refer to Operating VRS on page 31.

Note If you enable all of the VRS Plus features at the same time, there is some

potential for performance degradation.

VRS User’s Manual

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. Non-Certified Scanners

When a scanner is certified for VRS, it goes through a rigorous testing process during which the best default settings are identified and selected. For this reason, we recommend that you use VRS only with certified scanners. Also, Kofax Technical Support is available only for VRS-certified scanners. You can use the links on the VRS product pages on the Kofax Web site at www.kofax.com to view the list of VRScertified scanners. In addition to listing the scanner name and manufacturer, the VRS product pages include the following information:

• Driver used for VRS (TWAIN, ISIS, or Kofax SCSI).

• Black or white background support.

• Additional memory required for optimal performance (if applicable).

• Interface certified by VRS (SCSI, USB, or FireWire).

VRS is capable of working with some non-certified or “compatible” scanners, if they have been configured with the Kofax Source Manager (KSM). It is important to be aware that you may experience less than optimal image quality when using a noncertified scanner with VRS. Not every scanner can be used with VRS. To be compatible with VRS, a non-certified scanner must meet the following requirements:

• Ability to output a 256-level grayscale image as a single image.

• TWAIN driver or ISIS driver support. While VRS works best with an ISIS

driver, it also supports some scanners with TWAIN drivers.

For more information about using non-certified scanners with VRS, refer to the VRS

Installation Guide.

4 VRS User’s Manual

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. With ImageControlsbased scanning applications, the VRS icon appears as soon as you select the VRS scan source. With ISIS- or TWAIN-based scanning applications, the VRS icon appears once you start to scan. When you position the cursor over the icon, the ToolTip text displays as “VirtualReScan.”

Chapter 2

Quick Tour

VRS Taskbar Icon

Figure 2-1. VRS Taskbar Icon

When you right-click on the VRS taskbar icon, the VRS taskbar menu will display, as shown in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2. VRS Taskbar Menu

VRS User’s Manual 5

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. VRS Taskbar Menu - Unavailable

VRS Taskbar Menu Commands

This section explains each command that is available from the VRS taskbar menu.

Preview

You can use the Preview command to view the last image scanned during the current session. If no image is available, you can select Preview after scanning a sample document to test or verify image property settings. For details, refer to Using the VRS Interactive Viewer on page 27.

Profile

You can use the Profile command to select from the list of VRS profiles. The Profile submenu indicates the currently active profile with a check mark, as shown in Figure 2-4.

Figure 2-4. VRS Profiles List

6 VRS User’s Manual

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.

QC Modes

You can use the QC Modes command to select a VRS operating mode, as shown in Figure 2-5. The operating mode controls the conditions under which scanning stops and the VRS Interactive Viewer opens for image inspection and interactive updates. The active QC Mode or Hardware Warnings setting is indicated by a check mark. The operating mode selections are unique for each VRS user on your computer.

Note If you are using VRS in your Ascent Capture 7.0 installation, an additional

mode called “QC Later” may appear on the list of operating modes. For details, refer to the Ascent Capture online help or the Getting Started with Ascent Capture guide.

For more information, refer to Setting the VRS Operating Mode on page 52.

Quick Tour

Figure 2-5. QC Modes Menu

VRS User’s Manual

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. VRS Administration Utility

8 VRS User’s Manual

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.” Refer to Using the VRS Administration Utility on page 41.

• As appropriate for the active operating mode. Refer to QC Modes on page 7.

From the VRS Interactive Viewer, you can use the VRS Adjustment Controls to apply attribute changes to the image in the viewing pane. For more information, refer to Using the VRS Adjustment Controls on page 64.

The VRS Interactive Viewer also consists of other components: a menu, a toolbar, status information, and image analysis information. Each component is summarized briefly in this chapter. For more detailed information, refer to Operating VRS on page 31.

Quick Tour

Note 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.” For more information, refer to Windows XP Look and Feel on page 125.

VRS User’s Manual

Chapter 2

Figure 2-7. VRS Interactive Viewer

Image status information

VRS Interactive Viewer menu bar

VRS Interactive Viewer toolbar

Image viewing area

VRS Adjustment Controls

Image analysis information

10 VRS User’s Manual

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.

Persistence

The size and state of the VRS Interactive Viewer are maintained from one scanning session to another.

Focus

To navigate among the panels that make up the VRS Adjustment Controls, you can use Ctrl + to navigate to the panels below the one that is currently selected. You can use Ctrl + to navigate to the panels that precede the one that is currently selected.

Quick Tour

Minimize / Maximize Buttons

Within the VRS Interactive Viewer, the Minimize and Maximize buttons work as follows:

• If you select the Minimize button at the top right of the VRS Interactive

• If you select the Maximize button, the VRS Interactive Viewer window will

VRS User’s Manual

Viewer, the result is the same as selecting the Cancel button.

cover your computer screen.

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

Menu Command Description Keyboard

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. Alt+P+A

Profile | Save Save a profile. Alt+P+S

Profile | Organize Open the Organize Profiles dialog box. Alt+P+O

Tools menu Open the Tools menu. Alt+T

Shortcut

Ctrl+N

Ctrl+S

Ctrl+O

Tools | Scanner Driver Settings

Tools | Enable Plus Features Demo

Help menu Open the Help menu. Alt+H

Help| VRS Help Open the VRS online help system. Alt+H+H

Help | User’s Manual Open the VRS User’s Manual in PDF format. Alt+H+U

Help | Installation Guide

Help | Activate VRS Open the dialog box that is used to activate

Help | Check for Updates

Help | About VRS Open the About dialog box, which includes VRS

Open the Advanced Settings dialog box or the Advanced Properties dialog box.

Activate VRS Plus features in demonstration mode.

Open the VRS Installation Guide in PDF format. Alt+H+I

licensed versions of VRS.

Launch the Update Manager, from which you can download VRS product updates.

version and license information, along with contact information for Kofax Image Products.

Alt+T+S

Alt+T+P

Alt+H+A

Alt+H+C

Alt+H+V

12 VRS User’s Manual

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.

• Using the left mouse button, you can do the following:

3 View part of the image by clicking and dragging the selection rectangle

across the area you want to magnify.

3 Restore the image to the standard view by double-clicking the image.

• Using the right mouse button, you can do the following:

3 Once you have zoomed in on an image, click and drag (or pan) the image

in the viewing pane.

Quick Tour

You can also adjust the image magnification setting by using the Zoom tool on the VRS Interactive Viewer toolbar. Refer to Zoom Tool on page 24.

VRS User’s Manual

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. The profile selection is unique for each VRS user on your computer.

Save As

Use this command to assign a name to a new profile, and then save it. When you select “Save As,” the New Profile dialog box opens so that you can assign the profile name. For details, refer to Creating a Profile on page 28.

Figure 2-9. New Profile Dialog Box

Save

Use this command to save modifications to the currently selected profile. For details, refer to Working with Profiles on page 53.

14 VRS User’s Manual

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. Organize Profiles Dialog Box

VRS User’s Manual

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. The “Scanner Driver Settings” command will not be available unless your scanner driver supports advanced options. When available, the command opens the Advanced Settings dialog box or the Advanced Properties dialog box, so that you can view and adjust additional settings associated with your scanner. The availability of the options on the advanced dialog boxes varies from one scanner to another. For more information, refer to Using Advanced Features on page 94.

Enable Plus Features Demo

This menu command is available only if you have a VRS “Standard” license. You can use this command to enable a demonstration of the VRS Plus features. While this mode is enabled, you have full access to the VRS Plus features and a “Kofax Demo Mode” stamp is applied to any images that you scan. For details, refer to Enabling the Plus Features Demo on page 91.

Help Menu

You can use the Help menu to access the VRS online help system and documentation. From the Help menu, you can also activate your VRS product license, check for and download product updates, and view the About dialog box.

VRS Help

Use this command to open the VRS online help system.

User’s Manual

Use this command to open the VRS User’s Manual in PDF format.

Installation Guide

Use this command to open the VRS Installation Guide in PDF format.

16 VRS User’s Manual

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.

Check for Updates

Use this command to check for and download VRS product updates. For more information, refer to Updating VRS on page 90. The “Check for Updates” command is available only if your VRS product license has been activated.

About VRS

Use this command to open the About dialog box, which lists VRS version and license information, along with contact information for Kofax Image Products.

VRS Adjustment Controls

Quick Tour

The VRS Adjustment Controls consist of six panels that give you options for setting preferences associated with image quality adjustments. Each panel is summarized briefly in this section. The number of panels that you see may vary, according to your VRS license and the capabilities of your scanner. For detailed information about individual panels, refer to Operating VRS on page 31.

VRS User’s Manual

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.

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