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Omniform Premium 5.0 provides tools for converting paper forms into digital forms and for creating digital forms from scratch. The benefits are that digital forms can be easily modified, include active features for speed and accuracy, they don't need re-keying and they can be electronically distributed.
Forms are imported from a scanner or image file. There are two aspects to this process - optical character recognition (OCR) and logical form recognition (LFR). The OCR process uses the engine from ScanSoft's popular OmniPage OCR software to recognise text in forms. It can handle multiple languages, italic and vertical text, as well as light text on dark backgrounds.
The LFR process deals with non-text elements, recognising lines, check boxes, tables and graphics. It also works with the OCR data to create field labels from adjacent words and can incorporate calculations.
Databases are automatically created for each form. Data can be exported to any ODBC-compliant database, such as Access, Excel, Oracle and SQL Server. You can also import data to populate parts of your forms.
Five file types are supported - PDF, HTML, RTF and two ScanSoft proprietary formats, Mailable Filler and OFM. Functionality varies by format, with RTF providing only the most basic functions, such as printing. PDF, HTML and the Mailable Filler formats add more functions, such as check boxes and field validation.
ScanSoft's OFM format provides by far the most functionality, including database functions, language selection, type ahead and digital signatures.
The new features in version 5.0 focus on improving security and streamlining tasks. Digital signatures can now be added to forms in ScanSoft's OFM format. Forms in PDF format benefit too, gaining field validation, field style and calculations.
The form designer toolkit lets you drag and drop form elements to save and re-use them in new forms. Form sizes up to 14in by 17in are supported.
OmniForm Premium 5.0 ships with a 20-user licence of OmniForm Filler 5.0, a data manager required by users filling in forms. OmniForm Filler 5.0 also has some enhancements, including support for digital signatures.
The rest of the improvements involve similar tweaks to ScanSoft's integrated online form hosting service, eOmniForm.com, which lets you post forms to the website (the hosting of five forms for one year is included with purchase) and download collected data. It now uses SSL-based encryption on all transmissions.
These latest enhancements might not dazzle all current users, but OmniForm Premium 5.0 is worth considering as an upgrade if secure digital forms or PDF functionality are important.
Contact
ScanSoft: Unit 8, Suttons Business Park, Reading, Berkshire RG6 1AZ
Tel 0870 870 8085
www.scansoft.com/products/omniform/
See also:
If you're frustrated with your OCR package, Abbyy's latest offering may help. 07 Aug 2002
All Office Applications
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