User manual VISIONEER CARDREADER 100

1 of 34 CardReader 100 Scanner © Copyright 2003 Visioneer, Inc. Visioneer and Visioneer logo are registered trademarks of Visioneer, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 of 34 Using Online Help.................................................................................................................... 3 What is the Visioneer Business Card Reader Software? ..................................................... 3 Getting More Information........................................................................................................ 3 Installing the Visioneer Business Card Reader Software and the CardReader 100 Scanner .................................................................................................................................... 4 Uninstalling the Visioneer Business Card Reader Software and the CardReader 100 Scanner .................................................................................................................................... 4 Calibrating and Cleaning the CardReader 100 Scanner....................................................... 5 What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR)?.................................................................... 5 File Menu Commands.............................................................................................................. 7 Toolbar Commands ............................................................................................................... 11 Open an Existing Database of Business Cards .................................................................. 12 Creating a New Contact ........................................................................................................ 12 Scanning a Business Card ................................................................................................... 12 Scan Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 Optical Character Recognition of Fields ............................................................................. 13 OCR Options...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Editing a Text Field................................................................................................................ 15 Saving the Business Card Database.................................................................................... 15 Deleting Business Card(s) .................................................................................................... 17 Back-Up and Restore the Business Card Database ........................................................... 18 Back-Up a Database.......................................................................................................................................... 18 Restore a Database ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Printing Business Cards ....................................................................................................... 19 Print one or more card(s) ................................................................................................................................. 19 Print Label Patterns .......................................................................................................................................... 20 Searching Business Cards ................................................................................................... 21 QuickSearch ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 Specify searchable fields ................................................................................................................................. 21 Sorting Business Cards ........................................................................................................ 22 List Business Cards .............................................................................................................. 22 List View Options .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Classifying Business Cards ................................................................................................. 24 Change options available in Classification .................................................................................................... 24 Export Contact Information .................................................................................................. 25 Export to Outlook Express ............................................................................................................................... 25 Export to Outlook .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Export to DBaseIII or CSV file .......................................................................................................................... 27 Export to vCard ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Export Image...................................................................................................................................................... 29 Emailing Contacts ................................................................................................................. 29 Synchronization..................................................................................................................... 29 Synchronization with Palm Device.................................................................................................................. 29 Synchronization with WinCE Device............................................................................................................... 31 Synchronization with WinCE BCR................................................................................................................... 33 3 of 34 Using Online Help Online Help is the most complete source of information about the Visioneer Business Card Reader software and the CardReader 100 Scanner. Open Help by choosing Contents from the Help menu. 1) To start Help: a. Select Help on the file menu bar and select Contents. 2) To read the contents of a Help topic: a. Select the desired topic in the left frame to display the corresponding information on the right. 3) To navigate the Help topics already viewed: a. On the Help toolbar, click Back to display the last Help topic viewed. b. On the Help toolbar, click Forward to display the previous Help topic viewed. What is the Visioneer Business Card Reader Software? The Visioneer Business Card Reader software is a user-friendly electronic organizer which helps keep track of information from business cards. The software automatically saves and organizes data with a simple scan of a business card. It is able to organize contact information to meet a variety of business and personal needs. The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software includes the following features: Scan and recognize English Language business cards Scan both sides of a business card Retrieve and browse business card information easily Click and Post business card information from the card image to the designated field Find any contact using QuickSearch Sort business card information by any field or creation time Add additional information in the memo field Categorize business cards Print business cards as an address book or print card images Import and Export an address book between the Business Card Reader Software and Outlook/Outlook Express Export a contact list to a DBaseIII or CSV file format which can then be imported into applications such as ACT!, Goldmine, and MS-Excel Directly email contacts from the Business Card Software with vCard and/or business card image attached Direct synchronization with Palm and WinCE devices, Visioneer Business Card Software and other PDAs Getting More Information The Help system provides step-by-step instructions for using the Visioneer Business Card Reader software with your CardReader 100 Scanner. You may obtain other sources of information from: Visioneer Business Card Reader Software User Manual This printed guide provides detailed information about all of the Visioneer Business Card Reader software features. 4 of 34 Visioneer Web Site Visit our website http:// www.visioneer.com for the latest on products, technical support and more information on other Visioneer products. Registering the CardReader 100 Scanner Register the CardReader 100 scanner during the scanner installation process, or at the Visioneer web site http://www.visioneer.com. Installing the Visioneer Business Card Reader Software and the CardReader 100 Scanner Warning: Do not plug the CardReader 100 USB cable into the computer until prompted to by the scanner driver installation wizard. 1) Insert the Visioneer Business Card Reader Software CD into the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive of the computer. 2) When the installation screen opens up, click on Visioneer Business Card Software. 3) The installation wizard will begin, accept all default locations and options, the installation will complete the install and return to the main install screen. 4) Now click on CardReader 100 Driver to start the driver installation wizard. 5) Plug the CardReader 100 USB cable into a USB port on the computer when prompted to by the install wizard. 6) Click on Finish to complete the driver install. 7) Click on Exit to close the CD installation screen. Uninstalling the Visioneer Business Card Reader Software and the CardReader 100 Scanner To uninstall Visioneer Business Card Reader software from the system, use the Windows Control Panel to remove the application and all system files associated with it. Warning : Following this procedure, will permanently remove the Visioneer Business Card Reader software from the computer's hard drive. To uninstall the Visioneer Business Card Software from your system: 1) From the start menu, select Settings and then click on Control Panel to open the Control Panel window. 2) Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. 3) Select VisioneerBCR 1.5 and click on the Add/Remove button. 4) Click Yes and Windows will remove the Visioneer Business Card Reader software application and all associated files from the computer's hard drive. 5 of 34 To uninstall the CardReader 100 Scanner from your system: 1) From the start menu, select Settings and then click on Control Panel to open the Control Panel window. 2) Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. 3) Select CardReader 100 and click on the Add/Remove button. 4) Click Yes and Windows will remove the CardReader 100 scanner and all associated files from the computer's hard drive. Calibrating and Cleaning the CardReader 100 Scanner The Visioneer Business CardReader 100 scanner must be calibrated before using the first time. Calibration and cleaning may need to be performed from time-to-time to maintain/improve the quality of the scanned images. To calibrate the scanner: 1) Select Scan from the `File' menu or click on the 2) Click on the Calibrate button. 3) Insert the calibration page into the scanner, or use a white piece of paper cut to the width of the card slot. 4) Click on the OK button after calibration has completed. button to open the scanning utility. To clean the scanner: 1) Select Scan from the `File' menu or click on the button to open the scanning utility. 2) Insert the cleaning sheet provided with the scanner; the CardReader 100 will automatically pull the cleaning sheet through as with a regular business card scan. 3) Discard any image file created after the cleaning sheet has been fed through. What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR)? Simply stated, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) looks at the scanned image and "recognizes" text. The software will process the text for the purpose of modifying it in text editing programs (e.g. MS-Word, MS-Excel, WordPerfect, etc...) The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software recognizes the text on a business card and inserts the results into editable fields. The software recognizes the type of information being processed and inserts it into the most likely text field (e.g. Name, Telephone Number, Address, Company, etc...) To optimize the OCR results, make sure the image of the business card is horizontal and readable left-to-right. Be aware that business cards which are colored, or have graphic images, are probably not going to be recognized accurately the first time. Don't worry, the Visioneer Business Card Reader software allows selection of a specific area on the business card to re-process and insert into the selected field. 6 of 34 Scanner Updates All updates can be found on our website http://www.visioneer.com Getting Technical Support If you cannot diagnose your problem using the topics in this Help system, contact Visioneer Technical Support at: http://www.visioneer.com 7 of 34 File Menu Commands File The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `File' menu includes the following options: Choose: New Open Save As To: Create a new business card database Open an existing business card database Save the current contacts file under another file name Save the current contacts file Use the Print wizard to print the selected business cards Use scanner to scan name cards directly Choose scanner type Merge a database into the current one Export an existing business card database to Outlook, Outlook Express, DBaseIII, CSV, vCard and as an image Import an existing business card database from Outlook, Outlook Express, DBaseIII, CSV and vCard Synchronize with Palm, Visioneer Business Card Reader Software and other Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) BackUp a database and its images to a "*.db" file Restore a "*.db" file Exit from the Visioneer Business Card Reader software Save Print Scan Select Scanner... Merge Database Export Import Synchronization BackUp Database Restore Quit 8 of 34 Edit The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `Edit' menu includes the following options: Choose: Select All To: Select all the business cards in the current database Undo selection of all business cards in the current database Creates an empty business card in the existing database Delete the selected business card(s) Edit, add, delete or modify existing categories for scanned business cards Edit the strings of existing shortcuts or add new shortcut strings Email the contents, or an image, of the scanned business cards Deselect All New Business Card Delete Business Card(s) Edit Category Edit Shortcuts Email View The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `View' menu includes the following options: Choose: View by Thumbnail View by Details To: View all business car images View information of business cards in a list format Display all the information of the business card in uppercase letters Enlarge window size Reduce window size Display in Uppercase Enlarge Window Size Reduce Window Size 9 of 34 Settings The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `Settings' menu includes the following options: Choose: Scan Options To: Change scanning options such as brightness and contrast Replace or append text fields with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) results Select the field names to be displayed for the `Database Browser' Edit the dimensions for printing out the scanned business cards OCR Options View Options Print Label Options List The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `List' menu includes the following options when in the List View: Choose: Sort By Name Sort By Company Sort By Date Search Unverified Search Verified Search by Date To: Sort business cards by contact's first name Sort business cards by the company name Sort business cards by last date modified Lists all unverified business cards Lists all verified business cards List all business cards created before or after specified date List all business cards in the chosen category Return list view to show all business cards Search By Category Hide Search Results 10 of 34 Card The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `Card' menu includes the following options when viewing the card image and details: Choose: Rotate Left Rotate 180 Rotate Right Add to Category To: Flip business card to the left Rotate business card upside down Flip business card to the right Create a new category to organize the business cards Process the business card image to fill in the text fields Recognize (OCR) Dictionary The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `Dictionary' menu includes the following options: Choose: Last Name City State Title Department To: Search and list by common last name Search and list by common cities Search and list by contacts' state Search for all contacts by specified title Search for all contacts in a specific department Search for all contacts by salutation Others Help The Visioneer Business Card Reader Software's `Help' menu includes the following options: Choose: About To: Provides basic information about the Business Card Reader software Provides a Help menu for the Visioneer Card Reader Contents 11 of 34 Toolbar Commands The Visioneer Business Card Software toolbar includes the following options: Scans a business card with the specified default scanner Creates a new business card Database Deletes the current business card Send Email to the selected business card holder Print business card lists, images and labels Export business card to Outlook Synchronize Palm Address Select previous business card Select next business card Business card image browser Business card database browser Search business cards according to the first character of their name fields 12 of 34 Open an Existing Database of Business Cards The most recently edited database will be opened when accessing the Visioneer Business Card Reader software. To open a previously saved database of business cards: 1) Select Open from the `File' menu. 2) In the 'Open the data File' window select the file. 3) Click OK. Creating a New Contact The `New' option allows for manual entry of the details of a business card without scanning. 1) 2) 3) 4) Click on the button on the toolbar, or select New Business Card from the 'Edit' menu. A blank business card view will be displayed. Enter the details of the business card. The business card will be saved automatically. Note: Any changes to an existing database are saved automatically on close of software. Scanning a Business Card To scan business cards: 1) Select Scan Options from the `Settings' menu to set the default scanning options prior to start of business card scan. 2) Click on the button or select Scan from the `File' menu. 3) Insert business card face down and flush to the side of the paper feed slot on the scanner. 4) After the business card has been scanned the following options are available: a) Scan opposite side ­ if the business card has information on both sides, select this option to begin scan of second side. b) Discard ­ if the image is not clear, click on the `Discard' button to delete the image and scan again. c) Process ­ clicking on the `Process' button will begin the OCR process, when it completes, the contact information text fields will be filled in with the results. 5) If the business card has been scanned in upside down, or if the business card view should be vertical instead of horizontal, rotate the card image then reprocess (OCR) the card. a) Click Card on the File menu bar. b) Select a rotate option form the drop menu. i) Rotate Left, Rotate 180, or Rotate Right ii) The business card image will rotate according to the option selected. Scan Options Change the default scan settings for business card scans prior to scanning: 1) Select Scan Options from the `Settings' menu to access the options for scanning, OCR and lists. 2) Click on the Scan Options tab if not already selected. 3) Modify the options as desired then click on the OK button. a) Adjust: i) Brightness ­ changes the brightness of the image as it is being scanned in. ii) Contrast ­ sharpens the contrast between light and dark for clearer images. b) Save Image Format: i) Black/White Tiff Image ­ saves the scanned card images as black/white tiff images. ii) Gray Tiff Image ­ saves the scanned card images as "shades of gray" tiff images. 13 of 34 iii) Gray Jpeg Image ­ saves the scanned card images as "shades of gray" jpeg images. c) Scan Business Cards Automatically: i) Option selected ­ after opening the scanning window all business cards will be scanned when they are inserted into the scanner. ii) Option not selected ­ business cards will not be scanned until clicking on the Scan button in the scanning window ­ this may be useful as the scanner does not always pull cards through straight, which can affect OCR results. d) Allow Image Format Convert: i) Option selected ­ when the OCR process is completed on a selected name card, the card can be saved in the new format defined in the option page. **NOTE: this will set the default options for all cards scanned in. Optical Character Recognition of Fields Some fields on the business card may not have been recognized accurately during the OCR process. These areas may be recognized again. The results will be placed in the field selected and will append, insert or replace the current text in that field based on the OCR options previously selected. There are three methods available for reprocessing OCR results. OCR Method #1: 1) Click in the green box (OCR layout) that surrounds the field to be processed again. a) The OCR layout field border will change from green to blue. 2) Click on the field name where the results should be inserted. OCR Method #2: 1) Click in the green box (OCR layout) that surrounds the field to be processed again. a) The OCR layout field border will change from green to blue. 2) Right-click in the OCR layout box. 3) From the drop menu, choose the field where the OCR text should be inserted. OCR Method #3: 1) Move the mouse to the area of the business card that needs to be processed. 2) Press and hold down the left mouse button. 3) Drag the mouse cursor across the area to be reprocessed. a) The OCR layout field border will change from green to blue. 14 of 34 4) Right-click on the selected text area. 5) From the drop menu, choose the field where the OCR text should be inserted. OCR Options Change the default OCR settings for business card scans prior to processing: 1) Select OCR Options from the `Settings' menu to access the options for scanning, OCR and lists. 2) Click on the OCR Options tab if not already selected. 3) Select the desired options then click on the OK button. a) Append OCR to field text ­ adds the OCR results to the current text in a particular field. b) Replace field text with OCR results ­ replaces the current text in a particular field with the OCR results. c) Insert OCR results ­ inserts the OCR results where the cursor is placed in a designated text field. d) Auto-Rotate Scanned Image(s) ­ if selected, the card image will be automatically rotated if scanned in the wrong direction. 15 of 34 e) Show OCR Layout ­ displays the OCR layout boxes on the image and is useful when reprocessing OCR on a particular image. **NOTE: this will set the default options for all cards on which OCR has been processed. Editing a Text Field Make changes to the information in the text fields easily and efficiently. To edit the text fields: 1) Click on the in the text field to be edited. 2) Type in the desired changes. 3) Changes are saved automatically. If the text is correct, but placed in the wrong field: 1) Click on the field name to highlight all text in that field. 2) Right-click on the highlighted text and select Cut from the drop menu. 3) Click on the field name where the text is to be inserted. 4) Right-click in the field text and choose Paste from the drop menu. 5) Changes are saved automatically. After making all the necessary changes to the fields, there is an option to click on the 'Verified' checkbox. This is to indicate that all the details of the business card are verified accurate and placed correctly. This may be useful later as there is an option to search verified or unverified cards only. Saving the Business Card Database To save the business card database under the same file name: 1) Select Save from the `File' menu. To save the business card database under a different file name: 1) Select Save As from the `File' menu. 2) In the `Save As' dialog box, select the folder location where the business card file is to be saved. a) Default file location is: c:\Program Files\Visioneer BCR1.5\User Data 3) Type in the new file name. 4) Click on the Save button to complete the action. 16 of 34 17 of 34 Deleting Business Card(s) The `Delete' option allows deletion of one or more business cards at the same time. There are two methods for selecting business card(s) to be deleted: 1) In the 'List' view, click on the checkbox next to the business cards to be deleted. OR 2) In the 'Browser' view, left-click to select the business card(s) to be deleted. To select multiple business cards press the CTRL button on the keyboard and left-click the mouse at the same time on each card to be deleted. button on the toolbar, or select Delete selected name card(s) from the `Edit' menu. 3) Click on the 4) The following window will open: 5) Click on the OK button to confirm deletion of the business cards selected. 18 of 34 Back-Up and Restore the Business Card Database Visioneer recommends that the Business Card Database be backed-up on a regular basis. This may be helpful if there are any system problems where the data may be lost or the current database may become corrupted. Back-Up a Database 1) Select BackUp Database from the `File' menu 2) Browse to the location where the back-up file is to be saved a) Default file location is c:\program files\VisioneerBCR 1.5\user data 3) Name the file then click on the Save button a) Example: the file name could be the day the back-up is completed 4) Click on OK when the back-up complete window opens Restore a Database 1) 2) 3) 4) Select Restore from the `File' menu Browse to the location where the back-up files have been saved Select the desired back-up file that needs to be restored and click on the Open button The backup database will now be the current database a) All changes will be made to this back-up database b) Go to `File' and select Save As to save the database as another name to maintain the content of the backup database file 19 of 34 Printing Business Cards The `Print' option allows for printing business card images or contact details. Print one or more card(s) 1) In the `Browse' view select the business card(s) to be printed. a) Left-click to select the business card b) To select multiple business cards press the CTRL button on the keyboard and left-click the mouse at the same time on each card to be printed. 2) In the 'List' view, click on the checkbox next to the business card(s) to be printed. 3) Click on the button on the toolbar, or select Print from the `File' menu. 4) The following options will be available: a) Print the front image of each business card selected. b) Print the front and back image of each business card selected. c) Print the contact details of each business card selected. i) All the fields as shown in 'List' view. d) Print labels for all cards selected. i) Prints contact details in pattern specified under `Print Label Options'. ii) The following section covers modifying the print label patterns dimensions. To print only specific fields, the fields that are not to printed must be removed from the `List' view prior to printing. 20 of 34 Please look at the section `List of Name Cards' for instructions on how to add & remove fields from the `List' view. Note: the business card fields will print in the same order as seen in the `List' view. Print Label Patterns Add, edit and select a print label pattern. 1) Select Print Label Options from the `Settings' menu. 2) The label dimensions window will open. 3) Click the pattern name on the left to modify a current pattern. 4) Click on the Add button and input a name for the new pattern. Pattern name: Input any name to represent pattern dimensions StartX and StartY: Horizontal(x) and vertical(y) distances between labels sticks and labels papers. These values must be adjusted for different printers OffsetX and OffsetY: Horizontal(x) and vertical(y) distances between neighboring label sticks. Width and Height: Horizontal and vertical dimensions of label sticks. Rows and Columns: The number of business cards to print in horizontal and vertical direction. Fields Gap: The Fields vertical distance in a label stick. (Height of each field will change according to font size. The address field is 3 times of any other field, like name. Adjust fields gap to tune the space between fields.) RefX and RefY: Horizontal and vertical distance between fields bounding rectangles and fields text. Font Size: Fields text printed font size. Print Text Rectangle: Will print borders around fields. Note: all values are measured in 1/10mm Pattern items: (all values measured in 1/10 mm) Fractional Inch Decimal Inch 1/8 1/4 1/3 1/2 2/3 3/4 1 0.125000 0.250000 0.333333 0.500000 0.666666 0.750000 1.000000 Millimeters 3.1750 6.3500 8.4667 12.7001 16.9334 19.0501 25.4001 1/10 Millimeter 31.75 63.5 84.667 127.001 169.334 190.501 254.001