ScanFlex Rules for Success - Testing Forms Overview

ScanTools Plus with ScanFlex allows flexibility in the paper, ink, and printing technology you use in the production of your forms. While this flexibility has great benefits, it also results in the potential for variations in print quality that may affect scanning. Testing your forms is the only way to know if they will perform properly with your scanner.

• Why test? Testing your forms helps you to ensure data integrity, save time, and reduce cost.
• When to test. Test before and during print production.
  • Before print production
    • MergePrint Applications: Review your form design against the Designing Forms for ScanFlex checklist. Test with the ScanFlex Alignment Guide.
    • ScanTools Applications: Review your form design against the Designing Forms for ScanFlex checklist then print a small quantity of forms, in your production environment, to test with the Sheet Image Diagnostic and with your ScanTools application.
    • ScanTools Applications: Re-test when you change your form design or your ScanTools application
  • During print production test periodically, especially when changing printers, paper, or toner (ink).
• What to test (ScanTools Applications only). Test timing track location, skew, and spacing; and, make sure the track is clear of extraneous printing. Check response spacing. Make sure printing is either scanner readable or not scanner readable as required by your application.
• How to test.
  • Inspect your forms for defects such as smears, streaks, voids, speckled background, light printing, and so on. See Test Your Form Design.
  • Use the ScanFlex Alignment Guide to check critical form features, including timing track location and OMR response spacing. See Test with the ScanFlex Alignment Guide.
  • Use the ScanTools Sheet Image Diagnostic and your scanner to verify that printing is either readable or not readable by your scanner, as required. See Test with the Sheet Image Diagnostic.
  • Process marked forms with your ScanTools application to verify that you get the results you want.

NOTE (MergePrint Applications): Your application developer may instruct you to conduct other tests such as ScanTools Sheet Image Diagnostic and ScanTools Plus application testing.

Consider this to be a partial list and add to it as you work with your forms in your own processing environment.

Sheet Image Diagnostic

Use the ScanTools Sheet Image Diagnostic and your scanner to verify that printing is either readable or not readable by your scanner, as required. See the ScanTools online help for details.

• Form ID marks and any other features that you want to be scanner readable must read as a "D" or higher.
• The number of timing marks detected by Sheet Image Diagnostic must equal the number of timing marks on your form.
• OMR responses and any other features that you do not want to be scanner readable must read as a "2" or lower.

Transport Printing

We recommend that you test transport printing with your paper selection:

• Make sure the printing is legible.
• There should be little or no smearing of the printing during form scanning or handling.

Related topics

Test with the ScanFlex Alignment Guide

Testing with the Sheet Image Diagnostic

Test Your Form Design