ScanFlex Rules for Success - Test with the ScanFlex Alignment Guide

Test Before ScanTools Application and Print Production

Perform these tests before you complete your ScanTools application and before you start your print production process. You may skip this step if you are printing via the MergePrint utility.

Print a few forms and then test them with the ScanFlex Alignment Guide. Perform each test, in order. Follow the What to Do steps for each test.
Make improvements to your form design and/or printing process as necessary. Follow the Improvement Suggestions associated with the appropriate step.
Repeat the test and improvement process, as necessary.

Test During Print Production

Perform these tests when you make a change to your print production process. For example, when you print a new batch of forms, after you load paper in the laser printer, when you change the toner (ink) cartridge, and so on.

Print a few forms and then test them with the ScanFlex Alignment Guide. Perform each test, in order. Follow the What to Do steps for each test.
Make improvements to your printing process as necessary. Follow the Improvement Suggestions below right.
Repeat the test and improvement process, as necessary.

Test Before Distributing a MergePrint Utility Application

If you are a MergePrint Utility with PrintFlex application developer, we provide a ScanFlex Alignment Guide with both ScanTools DesignExpert with PrintFlex and MergePrint Utility with PrintFlex software so that both you and your application user can perform this testing. Perform this testing before you complete your ScanTools Plus with ScanFlex application and before distributing merge templates to MergePrint Utility with PrintFlex software users. We recommend testing with the same paper and PostScript laser printer as your MergePrint Utility software users.

Print a few forms and then test them with the ScanFlex Alignment Guide. Perform each test, in order. Follow the What to Do steps for each test.
Make improvements to your form design and/or printing process as necessary. Follow the Improvement Suggestions associated with the appropriate step.
Repeat the test and improvement process, as necessary.
Provide instructions to your MergePrint Utility software users, if necessary. For example:

Provide suggested Printer Alignment settings to pass Tests 1 and 5.
If the design of your form includes the form ID mark required for the ScanFlex "Enable Form ID adjust…" feature, provide suggested Printer Alignment settings to pass Test 6.

About the ScanFlex Alignment Guide

The ScanFlex Alignment Guide is printed on clear plastic so that you can:

place it on top of your printed form
align test areas on the Guide with matching areas on your form
see if your form meets requirements

The guide contains the following tests. Each test is discussed in detail below the image. Click any test name in the image to go directly to the test information.

1 Timing Track Location

What to Do	Improvement Suggestions
Place the Guide on top of your form so that Line A on the Guide aligns with the guide edge of your form.
Adjust the Guide so that Corner B on the Guide aligns with the leading edge corner of your form.
Does the entire timing track of your form fit inside Box C? Yes? Go to the next test: Timing Track Skew.	No? Your form printing does not align to the page properly.Adjust your printing so that the timing track fits inside Box C. For example, if you are using Scantron DesignExpert with PrintFlex, go to the Printer Alignment dialog box, make adjustments, and print another test form.

2 Timing Track Skew

What to Do	Improvement Suggestions
Place the Guide on top of your form so that Line D on the Guide aligns with the inside edge of the entire timing track E.
Does the entire timing track of your form align with Line D? Yes? Go to the next test: Minimum Timing Mark Spacing.	No? Misalignment may be caused by the printer you are using. It may or may not be possible to adjust for it. Suggestions: Print your form on another printer to determine if the misalignment is related to your form design or to the printer itself. You may be able to adjust your form printing so that the timing track is not misaligned. For example, if you are using Scantron DesignExpert with PrintFlex, go to the Printer Alignment dialog box, make adjustments, and print another test form.

3 Minimum Timing Mark Spacing

What to Do	Improvement Suggestions
Place the Guide on top of your form so that the first timing mark on your form aligns with the first timing mark F on the Guide.
Is the last timing mark G on your form further away than Timing Mark H on the Guide? Yes? Go to the next test: Clear Edge.	No? The first and last timing marks are too close together. Add one or more timing marks as necessary, or Redesign your form so that timing marks are farther apart. Suggestions: Always include the first and last possible timing marks, or. Always include all possible timing marks.

4 Clear Edge

What to Do	Improvement Suggestions
Place the Guide on top of your form so that the leading edge corner of the form aligns with Corner I on the Guide.
Is area J clear of any printing that is scanner readable? Yes? Go to 3.	No? Move this printing further away from the guide edge, or Change the color and/or screen percentage of this printing so that it is no longer scanner readable.
Place the Guide on top of your form so that the trailing edge corner of the form aligns with Corner K on the Guide.
Is area K clear of any printing that is scanner readable? Yes? Go to the next test: Response Spacing.	No? Move this printing further away from the guide edge, or Change the color and/or screen percentage of this printing so that it is no longer scanner readable.

5 Response Spacing

What to Do	Improvement Suggestions
Place the Guide on top of your form so that timing mark L on the Guide aligns with a timing mark on your form. Select a timing mark with as many response bubbles as possible.
Compare the row of alignment marks M with the response bubbles printed on your form. Compare with the Good, OK, and Out of Tolerance alignment examples N on the Guide.
Are the alignment marks on the Guide inside the response bubbles on your form? Yes? Repeat test at several timing marks: near the leading edge, near the center, and near the trailing edge of the form. Be sure to check both sides of two-sided forms. Yes for all? Test complete.	No? The OMR responses on your form are either too close together or too far apart.This may be caused by your printer. It may or may not be possible to adjust for it. Suggestions: Print your form on other printers to determine if the distortion is related to your form design or to the printer itself. Does the design of your form include a form ID mark located on either the first or last timing mark of each page, at one of the last three response locations? (See ScanFlex Forms Design "Rules for Success" Checklist for details.). Yes? Go to the next test: Response Scaling. No? Add a form ID mark to your form design. See ScanFlex Forms Design "Rules for Success" Checklist for details.

6 Response Scaling

What to Do	Improvement Suggestions
Does the design of your form include a form ID mark (Mark O for example) located on either the first or last timing mark of each page, at one of the last three response locations? See ScanFlex Forms Design "Rules for Success" Checklist for details. Yes. Enable Form ID adjust in your ScanTools application (in the Application Settings dialog box, OMR/Merge Horizontal Adjustment box). Also, ensure that the mark used for the horizontal adjustment is defined as a form ID mark (in the Form ID Mark Locations box of the Select Document dialog box).	No? ScanFlex can’t adjust for variation in response spacing without this form ID mark. Suggestions: Add a form ID mark to your form design. See ScanFlex Forms Design "Rules for Success" Checklist for details.
Place the Guide on top of your form so that timing mark P on the Guide aligns with a timing mark on your form. Select a timing mark with as many response bubbles as possible.
Slide the Guide up or down to a point R where the bubbles align to the bars.
Compare the row of alignment bars Q with the response bubbles printed on your form. Compare with the Good, OK, and Out of Tolerance alignment examples S on the Guide.
Do the response bubbles on your form align with any part of the bars on the Guide? Yes? Repeat check at several timing marks: near the leading edge, near the center, and near the trailing edge of the form. Be sure to check both sides of two-sided forms. Yes for all? Test complete.	No? The OMR responses on your form are either too close together or too far apart. ScanFlex is unable to adjust enough, even with Form ID adjust enabled. The maximum possible tolerance is +/- 1/16 of an inch. This may be caused by your printer. It may or may not be possible to adjust for it. Suggestion: Print your form on other printers to determine if the distortion is related to your form design or to the printer itself.

Related topic

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