Overview: Scanning

The LOCAL DISCOVERY Processing module includes scanning capabilities. Users can scan paper documents directly into a case and include OCR text if desired.

Users can efficiently add scanned documents to a newly created or an existing case, and optionally create a review batch for the new documents.

LOCAL DISCOVERY supports TWAIN scanners and offers a variety of basic and advanced options to ensure successful scanning. Alternatively, you can use the scanner’s job options.

In addition, statistical quality control (QC) can be performed to validate the documents in the scan session.

Note:

To use the scanning functionality, the Scanning module must be authorized. In addition, specific privileges govern a user’s ability to perform scanning functions. By default, LOCAL DISCOVERY administrative roles include these privileges. Check with your administrator if you have any questions about scanning.

Scanning Workflow

To view a workflow diagram demonstrating the needed steps to complete a scanning session, Closedclick here. For a step-by-step guide on scanning documents, see Workflow: Scan Documents into a Case.

 

Navigate to the Scanning Dialog

To access the scanning functionality in LOCAL DISCOVERY, proceed through the following steps:

  1. On the Dashboard, click on the Processing module.

  2. In the left navigation panel, click on the Scan tab.

  3. The Scan page displays. Select a Client ID and Case Name from the drop-down menus.

  4. Click the Start button. This opens the Scanning dialog, where all scanning functionality occurs.

  5. In the Open Scan Session dialog box, select an existing session, or click New to create a new session. Proceed through the necessary preparation as explained in the section below, then see Workflow: Scan Documents into a Case to begin your scanning session.

Preparation

For the most efficient scanning, consider the following factors before you begin a scan session:

  • Make sure Processing can access the needed scanner.

  • Evaluate the case to which scanned documents will be added; will documents be added at the end of the case and will successive image keys be used to number the new documents?

  • (If not, identify where the new documents should be added and the numbering to be used.)

  • Do you want to add newly scanned documents to a review batch during the scanning process? If so, ensure that the needed review pass exists. For details on review passes, see Overview: Managing Reviews.

The first steps for document scanning are to identify, gather, and organize the documents to be scanned.

Once these steps are completed, consider how you will define document boundaries, that is parent (primary) documents, and child documents (email attachments, etc.). LOCAL DISCOVERY offers three methods discussed in the following paragraphs:

  • Use prep sheets to define document boundaries

  • Define document boundaries in Scanning dialog

  • Merge, split, and/or edit documents after scan session

You may need to use one or more of these methods to ensure document boundaries are properly defined.

Use Prep Sheets to Define Document Boundaries

The LOCAL DISCOVERY Scanning dialog allows you to print boundary prep sheets for inclusion in your document set before you begin scanning. These prep sheets include bar codes to define parent and child boundaries. Prep sheets are the most common and often the most efficient way to define document boundaries.

To create prep sheets for use with the Scanning dialog:

  1. Identify the types of boundaries needed for the document set you will be scanning:
    • Parent boundary: Indicates the start of a primary document.

    • Child boundary: Indicates a document that is a child of another document (such as an attachment to an email).

  2. Open the Scanning dialog within Processing (see Navigate to the Scanning Dialog for instructions on how to reach this module from the Dashboard).
  3. In the Open Scan Session dialog box, select an existing scan session and click Open. Alternatively, you can create a new session by clicking New on the bottom left corner of the dialog box. Add a description for the new session and click Create.
  4. In the Advanced Options section on the left pane of the scanning window, check the box beside the first option, Use Boundary Prep Sheets. Then click .

  5. In the resulting dialog box, click the type of prep sheets you need:

    • Both Parent and Child

    • Parent Document Only

    • Child Document Only

  6. Click Print.

  7. Complete the Print dialog box (printer selection, number of copies, etc.) and click OK. If you do not initially print all of the prep sheets needed, make additional copies.

  8. Insert prep sheets into your document set so that parent and/or child documents are properly identified.

  9. Continue with Workflow: Scan Documents into a Case.

Define Document Boundaries in Scanning Module

The LOCAL DISCOVERY Scanning module allows you to define parent and/or child documents after documents have been scanned. This method is fairly common and efficient; it is discussed in Review the Scanned Documents List .

Merge, Split, and/or Edit Documents After Scan Session

This method is typically used to make corrections in a case, not as a primary way to define document boundaries.

If the pages comprising some documents are not correctly defined during the scan session, you can merge and split document pages after they are added to a case. See Overview: Split and Merge Documents.

 To define child documents, you would edit the BEGATTACH and ENDATTACH fields. For details on editing see Keyboard Shortcuts: Record View.

Basic Scanning Options

Define your new scanning session using the following options. Items marked with an asterisk, *, can be changed/corrected after documents are scanned, as explained in Checking/Correcting Scanned Images.

 

Item

Description

Scan Panel

Select Scanner

Select the scanner to be used and basic scan settings. Available items depend on the capabilities of your scanner.

Sides

Color

Paper Size

Rotate Images*

Select this option to rotate all pages in the document set by 90, 180, or 270 degrees. Rotation is common for certain types of documents, such as spreadsheets or graphs.

Display Order*

Select the order in which pages will be listed in the Scanning module, by Image Key or ScanOrder.

OCR While Scanning*

Select this option and the needed language if you will be creating OCR text.

OCR Language

Advanced Options

Use Boundary Prep Sheets*

Select this option to use boundary prep sheets to define parent/child documents. See Use prep sheets to define document boundaries for details on creating these sheets.

Display Scanner Dialog

Select this option to display the scanner’s dialog box when the Scan button, , is clicked. Can be useful to set additional scanner-specific options. If this option is selected, complete the scan process from the dialog box.

Refer to your scanner documentation for information on its options. See also the note in the B/W Cleanup Options section of this table.

B/W Cleanup Options

These options apply to black and white scanning only, and should be selected based on the quality and content of the pages being scanned.

NOTE: Many scanners contain options similar to the following. If you select any of these options in the scanner dialog box (previous option), do not select them in this section. Selecting them in the scanner dialog box and in LOCAL DISCOVERY can reduce scanning performance.

Deskew Images*

Select this option to straighten pages that are crooked (slanted or otherwise misaligned).

Despeckle Images*

Select this option to remove extraneous marks (noise) on pages, such as marks from dust or scratches.

Remove Black Border*

Select this option to remove page borders; select the option plus the width of the borders – Narrow, Medium, or Wide.

NOTE: “Borders” refers to lines at the edges of pages (not lines inside the edges).

Remove Blank Pages*

Pixel Threshold

Select this option to omit blank pages. Also select a Pixel Threshold. The value entered is the maximum number of pixels LOCAL DISCOVERY will consider to be noise. Pages with non-white pixels above this value setting will not be omitted.

 

Scanning Image Toolbar

Use the following toolbar to evaluate images scanned into an LOCAL DISCOVERY case.

Button

Action

Rotate image left or right, respectively.

Magnify image, reduce image size, or magnify selected area of image, respectively.

Resize image. Click  and use the scale bar to change the image size:

 

Fit image in tab (whole page).

Fit image in tab by page width or page height, respectively).

Image key of currently selected image.

Scanning Keyboard Shortcuts

Scan session navigation shortcuts include:

Shortcut Key

Description

Alt+S

Open a new scan session by pressing Alt+S.

Alt+O

Open an existing scan session dialogue by pressing Alt+O.

Alt+Q

After gaining the Commit Scanned Documents to Case privilege, press Alt+Q to open and perform the Statistical Quality Check process.

Alt+C

After gaining the Commit Scanned Documents to Case privilege, press Alt+C to perform the Save Scanned Items to Case process.

Enter

Start a scan.

Esc

Stop a scan in progress.

X (or Alt+X)

Exit the scanning session and return to the Processing Module.

+

Zoom in or magnify an image.

-

Zoom out or reduce and image.

Alt +Right Arrow Key

Rotate an image right (clockwise).

Alt+Left Arrow Key

Rotate an image left (counterclockwise).

Up Arrow Key

Scale an image up.

Down Arrow Key

Scale an image down.

M (or Alt+M)

Open the magnification window by pressing M (or Alt+M) and then move your cursor over the specific area of the image you wish to magnify.

P (or Alt+P)

Before you begin the scanning process, press P (or Alt+P) to select the Display Scanner Dialog option in order to set additional scanner-specific options.

U (or Alt+U)

If you have a scanner capable of scanning two sides of a page at once and you have a double sided item to scan, press U (or Alt+U) to scan both sides of the item.

R (or Alt+R)

When an improperly scanned image(s) has been selected and after making sure the necessary document(s) has been loaded, press R (or Alt+R) to rescan the selected image.

Alt+Delete

After selecting an unnecessary image(s), press Alt+Delete to delete the selected image(s).

D (or Alt+D)

Once the parent boundary has been identified within the document set, press D (or Alt+D) to define parameters of the boundary.

C (or Alt+C)

Define a child boundary for child docs such as email attach- ments, etc.

Ctrl+O

OCR an entire document.

Ctrl+P

OCR a single page.

Ctrl+R

After selecting an image that has a problem with its image key, press Ctrl+R to renumber the image.

Ctrl+K

Straighten crooked, slanted, or otherwise misaligned pages.

Ctrl+S

Remove extraneous marks on a page.

Alt+I

Insert scanned image(s) above (before) the current page.

Ctrl+I

Insert scanned image(s) below (after) the current page.

 

Related Topics

Workflow: Scan Documents into a Case

Review the Scanned Documents List