Scanners

Need a Scanner?
Test My Scanner
Recommended Scanners
Problematic Scanners
Tips For Scanning
Further Reading

Introduction

FormReturn Optical Mark Recognition software directly integrates with any TWAIN compliant scanner for one-click scanning within the program. For scanners that are not TWAIN compliant, simply scan to a folder on your hard drive, save as PNG or TIF file type, and import the electronic forms into FormReturn to be processed. In both cases, not all scanners are created equal. Here are some key items to consider while evaluating your scanner options:

  • Image Cleanup/Enhancement – Images must be sharp and clear so that FormReturn can properly detect, recognize, and read the barcodes and checkboxes. Use a newer scanner and scan at a resolution of between 240-300 DPI for optimal results.
  • Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection – Skipped pages in the scanning process creates extra work and/or errors in your form results. Eliminate this risk with Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection, which utilizes sound waves to recognize more than one page being scanned, pausing the scanning process for correction.
  • Flatbed vs ADF vs MFP – Flatbed scanners manually scan one side of one page. Automatic Document Feeder scanners scan both sides of multiple pages, with speeds ranging from 10 – 150 Pages Per Minute (PPM). Multi-function Peripherals often contain both a Flatbed and an ADF, but experience slower processing times and lower speeds (PPM).

Need a Scanner?

FormReturn teamed up with RentScan to provide high-speed document scanners for your OMR & Bubble Sheet scanning projects. For over 15 years, RentScan has provided Flatbed and ADF scanners throughout the USA & Canada, with the cutting edge Image Cleanup/Enhancement and Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection features you need. Get started quickly with a variety of convenient and affordable options:

  • Rent a Scanner – Ideal for short-term scanning projects, a duplex 40-130 PPM scanner rental includes everything you need, including the RentScan Assurance: if your scanner breaks down, RentScan will overnight a replacement at no charge.
  • Lease a Scanner – Ideal for long-term requirements and the need to preserve working capital, you pay a low monthly fee for 12 or 24 months. RentScan offers True Lease, Capital Lease, and TRAC Lease options.
  • Buy a Scanner – Ideal for long-term requirements and the preference to own the scanner outright from the start, RentScan offers competitive pricing and includes Lifetime Helpdesk Support for the scanner and bundled scanning software.

"Try Before You Buy" by renting the desired scanner for a week or a month, and earn credit toward your purchase of a new scanner. Visit the RentScan Website to learn more.

Test My Scanner

Testing your scanner's performance with FormReturn is an excellent way to evaluate the product and eliminate compatibility concerns:

To get started with FormReturn, watch the Quick Start Guide or other videos. The FormReturn Help Manual contains everything you need to know about how to use the software.

Recommended Scanners

When recommending a scanner, it is important to consider the work the scanner will be performing. Here are a few low, mid range and high volume scanners to look at:

Low volume - We use the Epson WorkForce Pro GT-S50 Document Imaging Scanner. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux. It has TWAIN drivers for both Mac and Windows and performs well when scanning around 200-300 pages per day. The Epson WorkForce Pro GT-S80 Document Imaging Scanner is a slightly faster model. Bear in mind that these scanners do not have ultrasonic page detection and can cause double feeding if you stack your paper tray with too much paper.

Low to mid volume - We recommend trying the Fujitsu Workgroup Series of scanners (fi-6130Z Sheet-Fed Scanner model and higher - Windows only scanners). These scanners have ultrasonic page detection and work well for the 500-1000 page per day range.

Mid volume - Fujitsu Departmental Scanners, Canon DR-X10C and mid-volume production scanners, Xerox DocuMate production scanners. These are good for 1000+ pages.

High Volume - Xerox digital press systems, etc. These machines are sometimes used in large scanning outsourcing companies. For scan volumes of this size, it is often cheaper to outsource the scanning to a company that owns one of these machines.

MAC TIP: If you are using a Mac, make sure the scanner has Mac support first and if it doesn't, make sure the scanner can scan files to a network folder so FormReturn can use its folder monitor to automatically process scans.

Problematic Scanners

Not all scanners are made the same and some will cause problems with FormReturn. We will briefly outline a few of the most common issues that we've experienced in our tests with scanners:

Photocopier Scanners - These scanners are the most frequent cause of problems when used with FormReturn. Toner dust and other debris will end up on the scan head of these machines which can cause large amounts of white speckles on black areas in scanned images. While many of these systems are excellent for large volume paper handling, a problem arises with the "speckle" that they place on a page, often making barcodes unreadable by the software. FormReturn can deal with a small amount of speckle, but not a large amount. Often the workaround solution for these systems is to enable "OCR text" scanning mode or to adjust the contrast until the white speckles no longer appear in great numbers in the black bars of a scanned barcode.

Scanners that don't support TWAIN - While this is not a big problem and irrelevant if you are using a network scanner with a folder monitor task; the lack of TWAIN will require more steps in order to get an image into FormReturn. This means that you will need to scan the image to a file first and then upload the image into FormReturn either manually or via the folder monitor task.

Scanners that only support PDF - Not all PDF files can be read by FormReturn's PDF library. Having the option to scan in TIFF will help avoid incompatibilities.

Avoid using inexpensive Multi-Function Centers (MFC) or Fax Machines - Many MFCs and Fax Machines that we have tested will often double feed pages or warp the scan.

Incompatibilities with the Fujitsu ScanSnap series - While Fujitsu's workgroup and production scanners are some of the best scanners to use with FormReturn, the ScanSnap series lacks TWAIN support and will only save in PDF format (no support for any other image format). We have also had issues with FormReturn not being able to read PDF files created by ScanSnaps unless they are scanned in color.

Tips For Scanning

Do not overload your paper feeder - Overloading the paper feeder will often cause pages to be double fed. It is wise to put less paper in the paper feeder than what it is rated to handle.

Align the paper guides - If the scanner has paper feed guides, align them to the size of the paper, but don't make them too tight. This will help reduce the incidence of skew or warping issues when the paper is being fed through.

Clean the scan head regularly - We recommend cleaning the scan head after every 500 scans. Bits of debris can often get stuck on the scan head which will cause a white streak down the scanned image. White streaks will cause barcode and bubble detection to fail.

If you aren't using TWAIN, scan at 300 DPI, black and white, TIFF or Multi-page TIFF - You can also use PNG. Alternate to JPEG, PDF, grayscale or color if you have problems. Do not upload files into FormReturn that are over 12MB in size for a single page scan.

Get your own dedicated scanner - If you rely on having a machine that doesn't have dirt on its scan head and you need it close by for testing, ask your boss for a dedicated scanner.

Replace the traction wheels in the scanner when required - The wheels will need replacing in most document scanners every 10,000 pages or so. Consult your manual to find out when and how.

Don't fold any forms - Fold marks will often show up as black lines when you scan which can interfere with the detection process. If you need to fold forms, place a "fold here" line across the page and leave enough space on either side of the line for people to fold.

Fully test forms that you design with your scanner first - Adjust the detection thresholds to match your scanner. The mark threshold will be different for each scanner. While the threshold may not need adjusting, it is important to fully test each form with at least 10 scans before proceeding with a live publication.

If the scan forms button doesn't work - Make sure you have a TWAIN scanner, that the TWAIN drivers are installed, the USB cable is plugged into the scanner and into the computer, you are running the 32 bit version of FormReturn (or 32 bit version of Java). If you installed 64 bit TWAIN drivers, install the 64 bit version of FormReturn (or 64 bit version of Java).

Consult the Support Website for answers to problems - https://support.formreturn.com - We frequently add solutions to common problems in this site. If you experience a problem that cannot be found in the site, submit it as a ticket through the site.

Further Reading

Articles on document scanning can be found here: