Optical Mark Recognition

Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) compares a portion of an image to a master form to determine whether the region has been marked. It allows Quick Fields to determine whether, for instance, a checkbox on a form has been filled, or whether the form has been signed. It is often used to separate and identify documents. Optical Mark Recognition can be used in Pre-Classification Processing, First Page Identification, Page Processing, Last Page Identification, and Post-Processing.

Example: Rodgers & Harte Legal Associates wants to process contracts according to whether or not they have been signed. They configure an OMR process to determine whether there is anything inside the signature box on the contract forms, and assign the documents to document classes accordingly.

To configure Optical Mark Recognition

1. In the Session Configuration Pane, select the stage of processing where you want to use Optical Mark Recognition.
2. In the Tasks Pane, select Optical Mark Recognition.
3. You can optionally enter a name for the process under Process Name.
4. Move through each step of the wizard at the bottom of the pane. You can also click Skip Wizard to display and configure the properties all at once.
5. Master Form: The Master Form is an image of a blank form that matches the forms you will be processing. You will use the Master Form to define which region should be searched for marks. There are three ways to add a Master Form:
• Scan an image: Scan in the Master Form using the currently configured scan source.
• Import an image from file: Import an image that is currently stored in a network drive.
• Copy from a sample image: If you have already added a custom sample image that is the same image you want to use as the Master Form, you can copy it.
6. Page Range: When configuring this process in Page Processing or Post-Processing, you will be prompted to specify a page range. In other stages, default settings will be automatically applied.
7. Region Selection: Specify a region or regions to search for marks. To define a region, select Region and either drag and resize the zone on the Display Pane or specify coordinates in pixels or by percentage in the Tasks Pane.  Click Add to create another region. Specify names for the regions. These names will also be the names of the tokens generated by the results of the OMR process in the regions.
8. Anchor Adjustment: Due to variations in printing and scanning, the Optical Mark Recognition zone may not be aligned with the rest of the form. The Anchor Adjustment setting determines how much the region to be recognized must match the master form. Select None, Low (1), Medium (5), or High (5), or specify a level from 0 to 10.
9. Token Values: When configuring Optical Mark Recognition in Pre-Classification Processing, Page Processing, or Post-Processing, you will have the opportunity to specify a value for the token returned by the Optical Mark Recognition zones. By default, the tokens are named "True" if the zone is reported as marked, and "False" if it is reported as unmarked. You can change them to other values depending on your purpose, such as "Signed" and "Unsigned," or "Employee" and "Contractor" if those were the values indicated by the marked zones.
10. Confidence: Select the percent by which an image must appear marked to be considered a successful mark. A low confidence level can help compensate for faint marks, and a high confidence level can help compensate for low-quality images.
• Low (65%): Faintly marked regions will be reported as marked.
• Medium (80%): Most marked regions will be reported as marked.
• High (95%): Only clearly marked regions will be reported as marked.
• Custom: Specify a value from 0 to 100. A confidence level of 1 will report even unmarked regions as marked.
11. Identification Condition: When configuring Optical Mark Recognition in First Page Identification or Last Page Identification, you will be prompted to specify an Identification Condition for how the process will be used to assign documents to the document class.
12. Alignment Method: Choose which components of an image will be used to match it to the Master Form.
• Lines: Use lines to match the image to the Master Form.
• Text: Use text to match the image to the Master Form (horizontal text only).
• Lines & Text: Use both lines and text.
13. Optional: To preview how this enhancement will affect scanned images and OCRed or extracted text, test processes. For the best results, add a custom sample page before testing. Adjust and test until you are satisfied with the results.

Note: Local image enhancements can be used with Optical Mark Recognition.

Note: If you define an optical mark recognition region using percentages for scanned pages of a certain size, the size and placement of the region will change if a page of a different dimension is scanned. For example, the region defined for a scanned page that is 8.5 x 11 in size will be a different size and in a different location on a scanned page that is 8.5 x 14.

Note: Some processes come with the basic Quick Fields installation, and some must be purchased as add-ons. Contact your reseller for more information.