Personnel records seem to generate more paperwork than other types of information. Within these records, there are sticky notes, applications, insurance forms, certificates, correspondence, and envelopes, to name just a few. This large volume of paperwork is the result of state and federal regulations regarding employment that require detailed paper trails. For government personnel agencies, offices and departments, this trail is even bigger and more varied.
Currently, these agencies have a tremendous backlog of paper files, and the day-to-day employment activities constantly generate fresh supplies of these paper-based documents. Instead of accumulating more and more paper archives, the efficient approach is a digitized archive of paper records. Anacomp provides this service for clients in the government sector.
Helping Anacomp with the task of paper-to-digital transformation are several ImageTrac III production scanners from ibml. ImageTrac scanners with SoftTrac capture software are the foundation of ibml’s intelligent document scanning platform. These versatile scanners offer front and rear color image capture, multiple image output, barcode, 2D barcode, ICR, MICR and multiple sort pockets. With these scanners, Anacomp processes up to 300,000 pages per day.
Anacomp maintains one of the largest document repositories in the world, with thousands of users in insurance, financial services, government, legal and other markets. The world-class information infrastructure and on-demand delivery platform help clients capture, manage, deliver and preserve billions of documents.
By outsourcing to Anacomp, customers like government agencies benefit from cost-effective disaster recovery and gain immunity to internal technology obsolescence and reductions. Digital archives also simplify compliance and discovery requirements.
Anacomp captures to its repository every document from any source. “The Indexing floor gets data in whatever format the customers prefer or have available,” explained Earl Jordan, Anacomp PC Analyst and scanning point person.
For one large federal agency, Anacomp processes human resource information like benefits forms, employment applications, performance tracking, payroll records, contracts, correspondence tracking, litigation back up and more. The wide variety of documents creates challenges that only intelligent production scanners like ImageTracs can handle.
“We scan a lot of varying kinds and sizes of paper, from Post It notes to 11”x17” sheets and larger. The same batch of documents can have many different sizes and types, from copier paper to rice paper,” Jordan said. “We have used a wide variety of scanners, and ImageTracs can handle the biggest variety of paper.”
Resolution is equally important. Poorly scanned images result in added steps and unacceptable quality for downstream use. Anacomp turned to ImageTrac technology when clients wanted higher resolution to ensure all records—old and new—would be preserved legibly.
Not only does the ImageTrac provide increased output capacity and higher resolution, it also scans aging personnel records with care. “These are old records. Clients don’t like other scanners that have lots of wheels because they tear up paper. This is especially important since 30 to 50 percent of the volume is delicate paper,” said Jordan. “Many are fragile and handwritten, so this is a safer way to preserve them than microfilm.”
Personnel files are converted to digital images, preferably good TIFF images. Downstream, the scanned documents are converted to PDF format and are archived.
Sometimes handwriting and penciled notes aren’t clear, even on the originals. When scanned images of these old records weren’t readable as TIFF images, they had to be stored as 300 dpi JPEGs to maintain the needed clarity. However, JPEG file size can be a problem, according to Jordan. “The client needs more server space to accommodate all the JPEG files, and this increases their technology footprint. File size keeps them from using so many JPEGs, but TIFF images didn’t have the degree of legibility that was needed,” he said.
The solution was built right into the ImageTrac III scanners with their DynamicTIFF capabilities, which select the best presentation of an image for scanning and preserve it as a TIFF file. DynamicTIFF reading software adds information that couldn’t be seen on a regular TIFF image. This creates the best images in one pass, even from the most faded handwritten notes. Documents can be captured in the more efficient TIFF format instead of as larger JPEG files. “Our clients have better images, and they get better imaging results on the back end where the scanned record becomes a PDF file,” he said.
The high volume commitments allow no room for downtime. “Prep and de-doubling are better with the ImageTracs, along with shorter error recovery. We don’t want to have to scan things four or five times to get all the documents done,” Jordan said. Thousands of images are processed daily with only minimal manual prep. Anacomp employees are more productive because they don’t have to repeat steps.
The ImageTrac scanner also detects envelopes and double feeds. This saves time and helps meet schedules and prep goals. There are few breakdowns to interrupt high volume processing workflow.
Coordinating incoming records from multiple offices complicates the process. Some documents ship to Anacomp from warehouses where paper documents have been stored. Other records come in via courier services. An in-house barcode system that produces printed separator sheets keeps track of scanning sets. The ImageTrac’s crisp resolution ensures accurate barcode reads and tracking.
“ibml ImageTrac scanners help us deliver exactly what customers ask for,” declared Jordan. “We have heard from clients who have gone to other sites and seen other scanners. As soon as they see what the ImageTracs can do, they want to do their scanning here.”
If you are making a decision about scanning technology, let the rigorous Anacomp evaluation be your guide.
For more information contact:
Robert Sbrissa
Executive Vice-President, Sales
office: 205.439.7100
cell: 205.937.8610
rsbrissa@ibml.com