Default Printer Configuration for Laserfiche Snapshot

Local/Current User Snapshot Printers

A local version of a Snapshot printer is available for use on the computer on which Laserfiche Snapshot is installed and is the default installation option. Each user can customize the default settings for using Snapshot to print a file and store documents in a Laserfiche repository. This default value can then be assigned to each processed document or changed by the user on a per-document basis after the desired information has been printed. When you do so, remember that users printing locally can change these settings, while users using Snapshot as a shared printer cannot.

Note: When a user customizes their settings using the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration (Current User) dialog box, their individual settings are saved on that computer. (Only the initial configuration is saved; if the user goes back and customizes their settings further, the new changes will only be saved for that user, not for all new users.) When a different user uses Snapshot from the same computer, they will inherit those saved settings until they configure their own settings.

Network or Shared Printer Configuration for Laserfiche Snapshot

If you want Snapshot to be available as a shared printer to other computers on the network, you must choose the Custom setup type during the installation process and select the Snapshot Shared Printer subfeature. Installing Snapshot as a shared printer will prevent Snapshot from being available locally on the computer where it is installed.

When the Laserfiche Snapshot printer is shared over a network, network users will always use administrator-defined Laserfiche settings. However, they can still configure printer-specific settings, including format (black and white, color, or grayscale), paper size, and resolution for the printed image.

Setting Up a Network Printer

By default, Laserfiche Snapshot is configured to print documents on the computer where it was installed. Laserfiche Snapshot can also be configured to be available to all users on the network by sharing it through the Sharing tab on the Laserfiche Snapshot Properties dialog box.

After sharing the Laserfiche Snapshot printer, you may want to configure the Laserfiche settings for each document printed by a remote network user and the default printer settings assigned to each new network user.

To share the Laserfiche Snapshot printer

From the Control Panel, open Devices and Printers.
Select the Laserfiche Snapshot printer.
Right-click the printer and select Printer Properties. The Laserfiche Snapshot Properties dialog box will appear.
Click the Sharing tab.
Select Share this printer.
In the Share name option, type "Snapshot."
If you want the client computer to perform the rendering and other work of print jobs, select Render print jobs on client computers. If you want the print server to perform the rendering and other work of print jobs, clear this option.
Click OK. Network users will now be able to print to it.

Viewing Snapshot Settings

The Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box allows an administrator to configure the Laserfiche settings that will be assigned to each document printed. It also allows the administrator to configure print options and to review unfinished print jobs.

To view Snapshot printer settings

Click Start, point to All Programs, Laserfiche, Snapshot, and select Snapshot Configuration (Shared Printer).
If you have not previously logged in to the repository through Laserfiche Snapshot during the current Windows session, the Repository Login dialog box will appear.

Under Repository selection, select the desired Laserfiche repository.
Under This user account, enter the user name that will be used to access and store information in the selected Laserfiche repository.
Under Password, enter the password that corresponds to the specified user account.
Click OK to log in to the desired Laserfiche repository.

The Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box will appear. It allows you to configure the properties assigned to Laserfiche documents created by users printing to Snapshot.

Default Printer Settings

Laserfiche Snapshot uses printer settings to determine the type, quality, and attributes of the images that are generated by it. Default settings can also be configured for each new Snapshot user. Changes to the default settings will not affect users who have already printed from Snapshot and will not override any settings made by those users. Each network user can choose to print their individual print job using different settings without affecting print jobs generated by other users.

The default settings that will be used for all new Snapshot users can be configured from the Laserfiche Snapshot Printing Defaults dialog box. For more information on setting default Snapshot printer settings, see Default Printer Settings.

Selecting a Laserfiche Repository

A connection to a Laserfiche repository must be established whenever you start Laserfiche Snapshot. The first time you start Laserfiche Snapshot, the Repository Login dialog box will appear, allowing you to select a Laserfiche repository and how to authenticate to it. Whenever Laserfiche Snapshot is subsequently loaded during the current Windows session, it will use the selected settings to log in to the Laserfiche repository.

Important: If you have previously configured Laserfiche Snapshot and then decide to select a different Laserfiche repository, Laserfiche settings that are not appropriate for the newly selected repository will be reset to a default configuration.

To select and log in to a Laserfiche repository

Open the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box by doing one of the following:

Local: Click Start, point to All Programs, Laserfiche, Snapshot, and select Snapshot Configuration .

If you have not previously logged in to the repository through Laserfiche Snapshot during the current Windows session, the Repository Login dialog box will appear. Do the following to log in to a Laserfiche repository.
- Repository
- Use SSL Connection: Choose whether or not to use SSL connection.
- Authentication
  - Log into the repository using: Repository connection established through Windows authentication or a specified user account. The Import feature right is required.
    - Windows authentication: The user currently logged in to Windows will be used to establish a connection to the selected Laserfiche repository. Only if the current Windows user has been granted access to the repository by a Laserfiche administrator will that user will be allowed to connect to the repository. This option is not available when Laserfiche Snapshot is used as a network printer.
      Note: If you are configuring Snapshot as a shared printer, the Windows authentication option will not be available. You can still log in as a Windows user by typing your Windows domain user name (in the format DOMAIN\UserName) and password in the User name and Password options.
    - This user account: A specified user account will be used to establish a connection to the Laserfiche repository.
- Note: If you cannot log in to Snapshot as a shared printer using your Windows account, you may need to be granted the Log On as Batch Job right in Windows.
Click OK to log in to the desired Laserfiche repository.
The Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration (Current User) or the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration (Shared Printer) dialog box will appear after logging in to the appropriate repository.

Changing the Default Laserfiche Repository

The default Laserfiche repository in which documents will be stored can be changed at any time. Note that this will cause template, field, tag, and volume settings that do not apply to the newly selected repository to be reset to a default configuration.

To change the default Laserfiche repository

From the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box, click the General tab.
Under the Repository section, click Change. The Repository Login dialog box will appear. Log in to the desired repository. Document settings will be updated to display information that corresponds to the selected repository.

General Tab (Current User)

Prompting for Document Properties

After a document has been printed, Laserfiche Snapshot can display a dialog box containing the Laserfiche properties that will be assigned to the document. This dialog box allows you to view and/or modify the settings that will be associated with an individual document. If you prefer not to view or modify properties on a per document basis, you can configure Snapshot to always skip this dialog box and automatically assign the properties defined in the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration (Current User) dialog box. In general, if you will be processing many documents and are happy with the default properties or are making extensive use of tokens (see Tokens), you should turn off prompting. To customize the properties for each document independently, leave prompting on.

Note: Documents printed over a network using Snapshot as a shared printer will always use the default settings.

To always assign default settings to documents created by Laserfiche Snapshot, select Assign it the configured properties without prompting.
To view and/or modify properties after printing a document, select Prompt to configure properties.

Default Document Name

The default name that will be assigned to documents created from Laserfiche Snapshot can be configured from the General tab in the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box. Tokens can be used in the document name and will be replaced with information about the documents being printed.

Tip: You can configure Laserfiche Snapshot to store your print jobs in the Laserfiche document that is open when printing occurs by inserting the Current Document token into the Name field.

Note: If the default name is blank, the Print Job Name token will be used as the default name.

In the Name option, do one or more of the following:

Type the default name that will be assigned to documents created by Laserfiche Snapshot.
Click the Tokens (>) button and select the token(s) to insert into the document name.

Default Laserfiche Folder

A default location can be set for storing documents printed by Laserfiche Snapshot by either typing the path or browsing to the desired folder on the General tab in the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box. If the specified path points to a folder that does not exist, necessary folders will be created when a document is printed to that folder by Laserfiche Snapshot.

Note: Laserfiche Snapshot always follows Laserfiche security. For example, if the specified path does not exist, the current user must have sufficient rights to create the necessary folders and create a document in the folder.

In the Folder option, type the path to the Laserfiche folder in which printed documents will be stored. If you are unsure of the correct path to the desired folder, click the Browse (...) button. Browse to the desired folder in the Browse Folders dialog box, and click OK.

Default Volume

The default volume that will be assigned to documents created from Laserfiche Snapshot can be set from the General tab of the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box. There you can select from a list of volumes. If a default volume has been configured for the Windows client, a "<Use Client's default volume>" option will be available, and if a default volume has been configured for the parent folder, a "<Use parent folder's default volume>" option will be available.

Note: The New Document Options dialog box can be opened from within the Laserfiche Windows client by clicking on the Tools menu and selecting Options. From the Options toolbox, click the New Documents icon.

Under Volume, select the Laserfiche volume where you want to store processed documents.

Exporting to Disk

By default, Laserfiche Snapshot attempts to automatically save the printed document in your Laserfiche repository. You can instead configure Snapshot to save generated files to a location on disk, allowing you to import the files into Laserfiche at a later time.

To configure Snapshot to save files to your local computer without saving to a repository, select the Export to directory check box.Type the desired path or use the browse button to find and select a folder.

Note: When the Export to directory option is enabled, Snapshot will generate an XML import list file named import.xml in addition to the standard image files, text files, and word location files. this XML import list file contains any Laserfiche metadata (e.g., template and field information and tags) that you assigned to the document. You can then use the Laserfiche SDK to import this XML import list file into your Laserfiche repository.

Printing Preferences

Laserfiche Snapshot uses printer settings to determine the type, quality, and attributes of the images that are generated by it. A default value can be configured for each setting from the Laserfiche Snapshot Printing Preferences dialog box.

Default settings can also be configured for each new Snapshot user on the current computer. Changes to the default settings will not affect users who have already printed from Snapshot and will not override any settings made by those users. Default values for the printer settings of new Snapshot users can be configured from the Laserfiche Snapshot Printing Defaults dialog box.

Current Value of the Count Token

Sets the initial number for the Count token. This number will automatically be incremented as documents that use the Count token are processed. Learn more about Snapshot Tokens

General Tab (Network Printer)

The General tab, in the Laserfiche Snapshot Shared Printer Configuration dialog box, determines whether default settings are always used, allows you to set default properties for the document, provides access to default printer settings, and allows you to change the default Laserfiche repository where documents created by Laserfiche Snapshot will be stored.

Default document properties:
- Name: The default name for Laserfiche imaged documents that will be created by Snapshot. This option supports the use of tokens to assign information specific to that particular print job to the document name. Click the token button to use tokens. Selecting a token from the menu inserts it into the Name field.
- Folder: The default path to the folder where Laserfiche imaged documents created by Snapshot will be stored by default. You can type the path or use the Browse button to find and select it. This option also supports the use of tokens to assign information specific to that particular print job to the default path. Click the token button to use tokens. Selecting a token from the menu inserts it into the Folder field. Or, click Browse to open the Browse Folders dialog box and browse through a Laserfiche repository to find the desired Laserfiche folder.
- Volume: The volume that will be assigned to the Laserfiche imaged document being created. In addition to providing a list of volumes, this list contains <Use client's default volume> and <Use parent folder's default volume>. The <Use client's default volume> assigns the default volume, as specified under the General section of the New Documents node in the Options dialog box from the Laserfiche Windows client, to the current document. The <Use parent folder's default volume> assigns the document to the default volume configured for the destination folder specified in the Folder Properties dialog box in the Laserfiche Windows client. (Note that, if you select this option and import to a folder that has no default volume set, the print job will not be able to complete until the user chooses a volume.)
Connection Information: Displays the connection information for the repository in which documents will be stored.
- Repository: The default Laserfiche repository in which Laserfiche Snapshot will store documents.
- Authentication: The user that will be used to authenticate to the specified repository.
  - Change: Opens the Repository Login dialog box, allowing you to select the default Laserfiche repository.
Current value for Count token: Sets the initial number for the Count token. This number will automatically be incremented as documents that use the Count token are processed.

Note: Prepending one or more zeros to the value assigned to the setting (by typing them into the field) will add leading zeros when the Count token is used to name a document. When the Count token is replaced by a value, the value will contain zeros for each unused digit (e.g., "0000" in the field would produce the following numbered files: 0001, 0002, … 0009, 0010).

Save temporary images from a network job
- Under the Save temporary images from network jobs to option. Type in a new path for the storage location for images, text, and settings files created for Laserfiche Snapshot network print jobs. If you are not sure of the exact path, browse to the desired folder by clicking Browse. Remember that all users who will be printing with Snapshot will need to be able to write to this folder.
Delete Files: Deletes all temporary files created by Snapshot. This option should not be used when a Snapshot print job is being processed.

Review: View a list of unfinished network print jobs.

Template Tab

The default template that will be assigned to documents created from Laserfiche Snapshot can be specified from the Template tab of the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box. There you can select from a list of the templates in the currently selected repository. You can also input default field values from this dialog.

To specify template and field information

Under Template, select the Laserfiche template that will be assigned by default to processed documents.
- Select No template assigned in the Template option to specify no template. If you select this, you can determine whether the Windows client's default template should be applied, or whether the document should be applied with no template.
- To use the Windows client's default template, select the When no template is assigned, assign the Laserfiche Windows client's default template option. To create the document with no template, clear this option.
Optional: You can also apply a field independently, just as in the Laserfiche Windows client. To do so, click Add/Remove Fields and select the field, and populate it as above.
Optional: Type default field values into the fields. You can use the token button (>) to select token values that will automatically be populated when the document is created.
Click OK to save your changes.

Note: If a template contains a required field, that field must be populated before the document can be saved to the repository. You can either set a default value for those required fields, or leave them blank; if you leave them blank, the user will be prompted to populate them when they Snapshot a file.

Tags Tab

Default tags that will be assigned to documents created from Laserfiche Snapshot can be specified from the list of tags you have access to on the Tags tab of the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box.

Note: The tags that will be assigned to a document created by Snapshot can be changed in the Laserfiche Snapshot dialog box when an individual document is being stored in the Laserfiche repository.

To specify default tags

Select each tag that by default will be assigned to documents created by Snapshot.
Clear each tag that by default will not be assigned to documents created by Snapshot.

Document Handling Tab

Sometimes the Laserfiche folder where you are creating a document will already contain a document with the same name. When this occurs, the instructions in the Document Handling tab of the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box determine what will happen to the content generated by Laserfiche Snapshot and to the existing document.

Creating a New Document

A new document can be created by your Laserfiche Snapshot print job whenever a document with the same name already exists, and a sequential number enclosed in parentheses will be appended to the name of the new document. The new document will contain all images and text generated by Snapshot, and its volume, template, field data, and tags will be those configured from Snapshot. The existing document with the same name will not be altered in any way.

Inserting Pages into an Existing Document

The image and text files generated by Snapshot can be inserted into an existing document, which allows you to keep both the pages in the existing document and the pages generated by Snapshot. You can choose to insert pages at the beginning of a document, at the end of a document, or after a particular page.

Note: The manner in which the template, field data, and tags are set when sending pages to an existing Laserfiche document is determined after printing on a per-document basis.

Note: When inserting pages into an existing document, Snapshot will give you the option to merge the metadata of the print job with the metadata of existing document. It will use the existing document's template and will retain as much information as possible using multi-values and independently assigned fields. It will also merge tag data.

To insert pages into an existing document by default, select Insert new pages.

To insert pages at the beginning of a document, select Before first page.
To insert pages after the last page in a document, select After last page.
To insert pages at a particular location in a document, select After page and enter the page after which the pages will be inserted.

Replacing Pages in an Existing Document

The image and text files generated by Snapshot can replace existing pages in a document, allowing you to replace outdated content with an updated version. When replacing pages, you can choose to replace all pages in a document or only replace pages starting from a particular page number. Any pages that will be kept must meet one of two qualifications: they must either appear prior to the specified page or, if the print job does not contain enough pages to replace all existing pages that follow the specified page, after the last replacement page.

Note: How template, field data, and tags are set when sending pages to an existing Laserfiche document is determined after printing on a per-document basis.

To replace pages in an existing document by default, select Replace existing pages.

To replace all pages in an existing document, select Entire document. All pages of the original document will be removed, even if the Snapshot print job has fewer pages.
To keep all pages before a point in the document, and replace all pages after that point, select All pages after and enter the last page to be retained. The first page to be replaced will be the page after the page selected in this option. The length of the print job determines how many pages will be replaced. If the print job contains more pages than are available in the document, additional pages will be added to the end of the document.(For instance, to keep pages 1-25 and replace pages 26 through the end, input 25.)

Note: This tab will not be available if you enable the Export to directory option on the General tab.

Note: If a document with the same name doesn't already exist, a new document will always be created.

Text Tab

Documents can be printed from a variety of sources. If you want documents created by Laserfiche Snapshot to contain text, you need to choose if the text will be generated for a document by retrieving it directly from the file being printed or by performing OCR on the images created by Snapshot. Each method for generating text has its advantages and disadvantages. The first method provides the highest degree of accuracy, but relies on external factors such as whether text has been associated with the file or whether the Windows application will send the appropriate data to Laserfiche Snapshot. For example, most image formats and some types of PDFs contain no actual text, even if they are an image of text. The second method does not depend on external factors, and will generate text for all images. However, OCR accuracy is slightly less than 100%. There are also certain cases in which text cannot be recognized by the OCR process, such as performing OCR on text written in an improper orientation.

Additionally, each originating application can handle fonts and spacing in different ways, which may cause the text generated from the image to be spaced incorrectly or the text to not match up correctly to the image. If you encounter this problem, you may be able to optimize Snapshot to account for how text is handled by certain applications. Text formatting options can be found on the Text tab of the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration dialog box.

Note: Optimizing for certain applications may degrade the text output created from other applications, so you may want to change these settings for each type of application.

Local or terminal version: Text formatting options can also be specified on a per-document basis. To configure text formatting options for a particular document, print the desired document, click the Advanced tab on the Laserfiche Snapshot dialog box, and modify the options.

Obtain text from the print job: Text will be retrieved directly from the file being printed. This option will only work if the Snapshot printer driver has been configured to create text.
- Adjust text spacing: If spacing for text output is not correct when printing from certain applications (e.g., printing a Web page), select this option.
- Adjust location information: If search hits are displayed in an incorrect position on the image or if the link between a text annotation and the corresponding image position don't match, use this option.
Perform OCR on the images created for the print job: Images generated from the content being printed will be processed by OCR. This option will only work if the Laserfiche Snapshot printer driver has been configured to create images. For more information, see the File Creation topic in the Administration Guide.
- OCR Engine: If more than one OCR engine is available to you, you can select which one to use.
- Language: The language of the text the OCR engine will try to recognize. If this is set incorrectly (e.g., set to English during OCR of Spanish documents), OCR quality may be affected.
- Decolumnize text: Whether text is present in two columns and should be decolumnized into one text block.
- Perform image enhancement: If you want to perform image enhancements on the Snapshot images prior to OCR, select this option and click Configure to open the Image Clean-up Options dialog box.
- Optimization mode: Whether OCR should optimize for speed, accuracy, or for a balance of the two.

Advanced Tab (Current User)

The Advanced tab, in the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration (Current User) dialog box, allows you to save your current settings and apply them to future print jobs, or load a collection of saved settings. This allows you to create multiple collections of settings for different purposes. This tab also allows you to clear the temporary folder for printed documents.

Profile management
- Use Current User profile: Create and save profiles that are only available to you.
- Use Local Machine profile: Create and save profiles that will be available to all users on this computer. Saving or deleting these types of profiles requires local administrative rights.
- Load: Allows you to load a collection of document settings and apply them to the current print job.
- Save: Save the settings currently configured as a profile that can be re-used later.
- Save As: Save the settings as a profile that can be re-used later.
- Delete: Delete the selected profile.

Delete Files: Deletes all temporary files created by Snapshot. This option should not be used when a Snapshot print job is being processed.

Default Image Viewer for Print Preview: Select to use the internal or external viewer.

Advanced Tab (Network Printer)

The Advanced tab, in the Laserfiche Snapshot Configuration (Shared Printer) dialog box, allows you to clear the temporary folder for printed documents, and to review unfinished print jobs.

Delete Files: Deletes all temporary files created by Snapshot. This option should not be used when a Snapshot print job is being processed.
Review: Opens the Unfinished Print Job Administration dialog box, allowing you to review and then import or delete unfinished print jobs.