Technical Support

Glossary of Terms

1-bit Black & White (Monochrome)

Scanning an item where the resulting image is in black or white, each pixel in the image is either on or off. There are no intermediate shades of grey to offset black or white. This scanning method produces the smallest file size.

8-bit Greyscale

Scanning an item where the resulting image contains 256 possible shades of grey. This is 256 possible intensities of the color grey when converting a color image into a greyscale image.

24-bit Color (True Color)

Scanning an item where the resulting image contains a possible 16 million distinct colors. This is the industry standard for the threshold where the human eye can recognize distinct color variations. This method of scanning produces the largest file size.

ADF (Automatic Document Feeder)

The ADF allows for multiple page scanning without manually feeding each page into the scanner one-by-one. The input tray of an ADF holds the stack of documents and the internal rollers will grab each page one-by-one and feed them through the scanner.

ADF Flatbed Scanner

The most versatile type of scanner where the flatbed plane of glass can be used to scan bulky items such as books or other items not fit to be fed through an ADF. The scanning head moves along the underside of the glass to capture the image. When scanning from the ADF, the scanner head is held immobile as the pages in the ADF are fed through using the internal rollers one page at a time. Depending on the scanner model, an ADF flatbed scanner may have a maximum page capacity of 100 pages or more. This scanner has the largest footprint of all the desktop scanners.

ADF Pad

The rubber pad assembly in an ADF scanner that pushes the paper against the main feed roller. This pad is intended to be a user replaceable part and will wear down over time.

ADF Sheetfed Scanner

The scanning head is immobile and the document or photograph is fed through the scanner using the internal rollers one page at a time from an input tray with a maximum number of 50 pages on some models. See Scanner.

Aliasing

Aliasing occurs when there are sharp contrasts between two side-by-side color or greyscale pixels producing visible jagged lines along an angled edge. This jagged line separation often looks like a series of steps going up the line.

Anti-Aliasing

Anti-aliasing is a process that smoothes edges during the scanning capture process so that there is a more gradual pixel change than that which is being captured. The result is the final scanned image looks like the original rather than having a sharp contrast causing jagged lines.

Application Links

Application links are in OneTouch under the list of destinations where OneTouch can send scans. The links are to the destination applications executable file so that when OneTouch has finished scanning it can send the digital file to the chosen destination application. OneTouch will launch the application and the image, or OCR text, will be in the destination application. Similar links can be seen in the PaperPort software on the application link bar that runs along the bottom of the PaperPort window. Each link, both in OneTouch and in PaperPort, will have the icon picture of that application. See Destination OneTouch and PaperPort.

Artifacts

Artifacts are digital corruptions, pixel variations or splotches that occur when the original document is not of good quality, which may appear in a final scanned document. Applications such as the Kofax VRS software will filter these corruptions out of the image so that only a clean digital copy of the original remains.

Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio is the length-to-width relationship of the image dimensions. This means that no matter how an image is resized the length-to-width ratio remains constant. If this option is not used, resizing the document width would distort the image horizontally. When resizing the image length, the image would distort vertically.

AutoCrop

The AutoCrop feature in the scanner driver tells the software to automatically detect the edges of the item being scanned and to crop out any additional information that may appear in the resulting image. See Crop.

AutoScan

AutoScan is a feature available with the Strobe Sheetfed Scanner. When the AutoScan feature is turned on this instructs the scanner to start scanning as soon as a page is detected in the scanner. This feature is also available from within the TWAIN interface for ADF scanners. See ADF Scanner Interface and Strobe Sheetfed Scanner.

Auto-Straighten

See Deskew

Batch Scanning

This refers to the type of documents being scanned. If multiple sets of paper are being scanned but each set of documents needs to be in a separate soft-copy file then each set is referred to as a batch.

Bit (Binary digit)

The smallest number in digital data and is either 1 or 0 representing either on or off. See byte.

Bit depth

The bit depth of the scanner is the internal color sampling. The bit depth of a scanner may have a higher listing than the output range. For instance, many flatbed scanners may have a 32-bit color, or higher, internal bit depth color sampling but the output will in 24-bit (True Color). This means that the scanner is capturing as much information as possible but only outputting the best 24-bit colors. Some scanning applications, such as Adobe Photoshop, have an option for scanning with the output as the scanner maximum. Depending on the scanner model the possible bit depth output will be the same as the internal bit depth specification. Please refer to the scanner specification for the bit depth information. The same is true for the greyscale bit depth internal sampling. The Visioneer 9520 scanner, for example, has a 42-bit color sampling and a 16-bit greyscale internal sampling. See 8-bit greyscale and 24-bit color.

BMP (Bitmap)

Graphics file format used in Microsoft Windows. Is the basic and default picture file type from the Microsoft Paint program. There is no compression of the image therefore no loss of image clarity and as a result, .bmp files tend to be much larger in size. While a .jpg” file may only be 600KB the mirrored un-compressed .bmp file could be 6MB. Generally it is best to scan as a BMP if additional image processing is to be done.

Brightness

Brightness refers to the lightness or darkness of the image. Brightness is one of the three dimensions, with saturation and hue, in color space settings. If the brightness is set to 0% then the resulting image will be completely black. If the brightness is set to 100% then the resulting image will be entirely white. See Color Hue Color Saturation and Gamma.

Byte

A byte is generally 8 bits of data. A kilobyte (KB) is 1024 bytes of data, often rounded to one thousand bytes of data. A megabyte (MB) is 1024 kilobytes or one million bytes of data. A gigabyte (GB) is 1024 megabytes or one billion bytes of data. When the computer industry references speed of transfer or storage of data it usually is indicating either the bit or byte transfer speed or storage size. In general, a megabit is indicated as Mbit and a megabyte is indicated as MB. Therefore, 480Mbit per second transfer rate is 480,000,000 bits per second or 57 MB per second. See bit.

Calibration

The process of measuring dark/light and beginning/end so that the output image is of the same quality of the input image. With the strobe sheetfed scanner family this is a manual process, using a black and white calibration page on install. Recalibration for this family of scanners should be completed any time black lines appear in the scan. See Sheetfed Scanner.

CCD Array (Charged-Coupled Device)

The core component of the scanner head that captures the image of the item being scanned after the image is reflected into the array by the last mirror in the scanning head. See Scanner and Scanning Head

Color Filter

The ability of the scanner to automatically remove a color from a scanned item. For example, if scanning a letter with a red watermark the red color filter will remove the red watermark from the document. This option is only available when scanning in Black & White or Greyscale.

Color Hue

Color hue is one of the three dimensions, with saturation and gamma/brightness, in color space settings and is the visible spectrum the human eye sees reflected from an image. It is color in the purest state without black or white. See Color Saturation, Gamma and Brightness.

Color Saturation

Color saturation is one of the three dimensions, with hue and gamma/brightness, in color space settings and is the strength or purity of a color, adjusting the color saturation will affect how grey the tones of the color are. See Color Hue Brightness and Gamma.

Compression

The process of reducing an image file by removing un-needed pixel information. When an image is captured the scanner takes a picture of the item in the scanner. This picture will contain 1 pixel for each color found. Compression reduces the image so that pixels of little to no change in color are combined into 1 color or greyscale value.

Configurations

In OneTouch the configurations are where the user specifies the desired scan settings. This includes scanning mode (Black & White, Greyscale, Color), page size, scan quality resolution (in dots per inch), color space settings (color hue, color saturation, gamma), and other settings based on the scanner model (such as duplex scanning, straighten image, color dropout, reduce moir patterns, etc). If a scanner has a VRS option, then the VRS tab will be available in the configurations. Based on the destination there will be additional options in the configurations such as Device Settings when the destination is a printer or fax, Storage Options when the destination is scan to storage, or SharePoint when the destination is Sharepoint. See Duplex Deskew Reduce Moir Patterns OneTouch SharePoint and VRS.

Configure Before Scan

An option in OneTouch for launching the TWAIN, WIA or ISIS interface when pressing a button on the scanner so that scanning options can be changed without changing configurations in the driver. Scanning from within the scanning interface brought up by Configure Before Scan does not reset any of the scanning choices in the OneTouch driver. These interfaces change scanning method and picture clarity, the scans will still be sent to the same location with the same file type as chosen in the OneTouch Properties. See OneTouch.

Contrast

Contrast is the range between the darkest and lightest portions of the image. Lowering the contrast will make the image appear fuzzier as the separation between light and dark pixels is lowered. Raising the contrast will make the separation between light and dark more intense. The higher the contrast the more the separation between pixels will appear as jagged lines which are seen in aliasing.

Crop

Cropping an image refers to removing the excess information that is surrounding the digital image of the original document. For instance, the most standard photo size is 4 x 6 but if these photos were measured they are generally 3.95 x 5.95. Choosing to crop an image will remove the fraction of an inch additional white or black that may be in the resulting image. See “Auto-Crop”.

CSV (Comma Separated Value)

.csv is a common file type which can be imported into spreadsheet applications such as MS-Excel, database applications such as MS-Access, and contact databases such as MS-Outlook, ACT, Goldmine, etc This file type stores data in a spreadsheet type file where each cell in the file contains one piece of data such as first name, last name, address, etc

Deskew

Deskewing is the ability of the scanner driver to detect that the item being scanned is not straight. When the deskew option is turned on the driver will attempt to straighten the image so that the resulting scan is level from left to right. This feature is useful when attempting to OCR a document; however, it is important that when scanning from the flatbed the page be aligned to the alignment arrows. When scanning from an ADF the input paper guides should be flush to the side of the pages being scanned. See OCR ADF Scanner and Flatbed Scanner.

Destinations

The destination, or destination application, referred to in the user guides and other instructions is referencing the location on the computer, whether a file folder or a software application, that the OneTouch driver has been told to send the scanned image to. See OneTouch.

Device Settings

This is an option in the OneTouch configurations that initializes (becomes viewable) when the destination selected is a printer or fax. The options here allow the user to adjust the settings specific to their printer model or fax type. See Configurations and OneTouch.

Dither

Dithering converts a Black & White document image so it appears to consist of gray tones. It produces simulated gray tones by using black and white pixels of different sizes. This option is only available with those scanners that have an ISIS driver. See ISIS and Pixel.

DOC

.doc is the file format used by the MS-Word application.

DPI (Dots Per Inch)

The higher the number of dots per inch being captured the clearer the image will be. More pixels captured does not necessarily mean a better picture will be output. A direct copy of a document is best captured at 150dpi or 200dpi. A direct copy of a picture is usually accurate at 300dpi, if the picture is being digitally captured so that it can be enlarged then higher DPI settings may be needed.

Duplex

When a document has printing or pictures on both sides of the page this means that it is a duplex or two-sided document. A duplex scanner will scan both sides of a document at the same time.

File Type or File Format

This is literally the file type that is being saved to the computer. The file type suffix (i.e. .doc, .bmp, .csv, etc) indicates the type of application that can open the file. Image file types include .bmp, .jpg, .tif, .gif, .pdf. Text file types include .csv, .xls, .txt, .rtf, .doc, .html.

Flatbed Scanner

This scanner type has a flat plane of glass where the item being scanned is placed. The scanning head moves along a track on the underside of the glass to capture an image of the item on the glass. Generally, a flatbed scanner has the highest resolution (dpi) available for fine artwork and photo scanning. See Scanner and DPI.

Flowing Page

When using OCR, choosing this output format keeps the original layout of the pages, including columns, using boxes and frames only when necessary. This is done wherever possible following column and indent settings. Text will then flow from one column to the other. This option is not available for simple text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), comma delimited (.csv), nor Excel (.xls). See OCR.

Footprint

The length and width dimensions of the scanner, or other peripheral device, to indicate the amount of desktop space required for the scanner.

Formats and Pages (Select Format)

This option in OneTouch allows the user to choose which file type OneTouch creates when the scanner is done scanning. See File Type and OneTouch.

Full Feature Install

When installing the scanner driver the user may be prompted to choose the type of installation desired. Choosing to perform a Full Feature Install installs the full functionality of the scanners OneTouch driver. This allows the buttons on the scanner to function. If a different installation type is chosen, such as TWAIN Only, then only the TWAIN driver is installed, the buttons on the scanner will not work and scanning can only be completed from within an application that will access the TWAIN interface. See Interface OneTouch and TWAIN.

Full Speed USB

The fastest data transfer speed of 12Mbit/s available for USB 1.1 compliant computers and peripherals. This is the mid-range transfer speed of USB 2.0 compliant computers and peripheral devices. See USB.

Gamma

The gamma setting controls the brightness and contrast of the midtone of an image without affecting the overall brightness (dark or light) of the image. Gamma, as part of brightness, is one of the three dimensions, with saturation and hue, in color space settings. See Color Hue Color Saturation and Brightness.

Hi-Speed USB

The fastest data transfer speed of up to 480Mbit/s available for USB 2.0 compliant computers and peripherals. See USB.

HID (Human Interface Device)

Devices such as keyboards, mice and joysticks.

Image Editors

There are many types of image editing applications. Some common applications include Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Paint, Corel Paint Shop, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, etc

Interface or GUI (Graphical User Interface)

The interaction point between the user and the software or driver being accessed. When scanning, this interface is where the scanning mode (Black & White, Greyscale, or Color), resolution clarity (dots per inch), paper size, and other scan settings are chosen prior to initiating a scan. The scanning interfaces, or options, are TWAIN, WIA and/or ISIS.

Inverted Text or Image

Inverted text means that the resulting scanned document has inverted black & white. If a white document with black text is scanned with this option turned on the result will be a black document with white text. Only use this option of scanning items where the inverting of black and white is needed, such as scanning from a printed document from newspaper microfilm.

ISIS (Image and Scanner Interface Specification)

Developed by Pixel Translations (now EMC Captiva) in 1990 as an industry standard scanning interface for capturing images from scanners. This scanning interface is available from applications, such as QuickScan or OneTouch, that access the ISIS driver. The ISIS interface is not standardized, meaning that each program that pulls up the ISIS interface may look different than another program that pulls up the ISIS interface. See Interface.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

An industry standard file type that can be shared across the internet and between computers. Unlike some proprietary file types, most computers can open and view .jpg” picture files without having to install other software to be able to view the file. These files have a high compression rate which produces smaller file sizes but sometimes results in loss of image clarity.

Kofax

See VRS.

Lamp Timeout

The scanners scanning head is attached to a lamp for illuminating the image during the scanning process. By default the lamp timeout is generally 15 minutes. This means that after 15 minutes of inactivity the lamp in the scanner will automatically turn off to preserve the life of the lamp. The lamp will then have to warm up again prior to beginning the next scan. This time frame for lamp shut off can be changed in the OneTouch hardware properties for the scanner. It is recommended that the lamp timeout be kept at the default as the lamp can burn out faster if left on for 10 hours (the maximum). The lamp is not a replaceable part.

Low Speed USB

The lowest data transfer speed of 1.5Mbit/s that is mostly used for HID (Human Interface Devices). See USB.

Mbit/s

Megabits per second indicates the number of bits of data that are transferred per second. 1 megabit = 1,000,000 bits.

Moir Patterns

Moir patterns often occur when scanning newspaper or magazine pictures. These patterns will appear as wavy or rippled lines across the finished scanned image. This is due to the type of paper and ink used on these originals. Pictures with small checkered patterns, or even tweed jacket types of design may also produce these moir patterns. See Reduce Moir Patterns.

MRC Compression (Mixed Raster Content)

MRC compression was initially developed as a way to compress scanned color pages into a file size small enough for color fax transmissions, though this method of using MRC compression never happened. MRC compression, when available from the scanning software, compresses a color image into the smallest possible file size while attempting to maintain the image clarity of the original item. This compression option is useful when using the internet to share color image files.

Multiple Columns, no Table

When using OCR choosing this input format tells the OCR engine that the original document contains text in multiple columns and the output (final) document needs to maintain these separate columns similar to the original layout. If table-like data is encountered it is placed in columns not in a grid table. See OCR.

Normal PDF (nPDF)

This file format is an editable .pdf file if a PDF editor, such as Adobe Acrobat, is installed on the computer. The option to created this file types is only available if some form of the OmniPage OCR software is installed on the computer. The OneTouch driver option calls this option nPDF, however, the resulting file type will simply be .pdf. Unlike a searchable PDF file, which is an image with a hidden searchable text layer, a normal PDF looks like a file that may have been created in Adobe Acrobat and can be edited as such. See OCR and Searchable PDF.

No Formatting

When using OCR choosing this output format will result in the final document being in plain text, without columns and left-aligned in a single font and font size. See OCR.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

This is the process in which scanning a document produces an editable or searchable soft copy of the original document. A standard scan of a document produces a picture of the page. This type of picture file cannot be edited in word processing applications nor can the words or numbers in the document be searched for. The OCR engine reads each line of text and translates it into editable and searchable text so that the scan can be opened in a word processing application, such as MS-Word, and the document content can be edited. No OCR engine is completely accurate and to prevent translation errors be sure that the original document is being scanned aligned to the arrows on the flatbed or the paper guides on the ADF are flush to the edge of the document. The original document must be of clear quality. Make sure the user dictionary contains any words or technical terms that would not be found in a standard user dictionary. To OCR a document an OCR application, such as OmniPage or OneTouch with OCR, must be installed on the computer. The PaperPort software also has a basic OCR engine in which a document can be sent to word processing applications such as MS-Word or MS-Excel from the PaperPort desktop. See User Dictionary.

OneTouch

The driver provided with the scanner. This driver allows the user to access all of the functionality of the scanner. Based on the users selections, the driver controls the method of scanning (Black & White, Greyscale, Color), the detail clarity (resolution in dots per inch), location (where the scan is saved), and the file type of the finished scan. Related Topics: Application Links, Archive, Configurations, Configure Before Scan, Destinations, Device Settings, Formats and Pages, OneTouch Button, OneTouch Panel, OneTouch Properties, Still Image Client, Storage Options

OneTouch Button

The buttons on the scanner that initiate scanning without using a mouse or any other scanning software. These buttons will exactly mirror those buttons located on the button panel. If the OneTouch Properties is launched from the buttons and changes are made, both the scanner buttons and the panel buttons will be affected to reflect the change made.

OneTouch Panel

The on-screen scanning buttons for the scanner. If there are OneTouch Buttons on the scanner the OneTouch Panel buttons will exactly mirror those buttons located on the scanner. If the OneTouch Properties is launched from the panel and changes are made, both the panel buttons and the scanner buttons will be affected to reflect the change made.

OneTouch Properties

The OneTouch Properties is where the user can change what each button on the scanner, or panel, does. The changes made here will affect both the OneTouch Panel buttons and the OneTouch Buttons on the scanner simultaneously. Each button can have different scanning options from the other button configurations. The driver options are launched either by right-clicking on a button on the OneTouch Panel or by pressing hold-down-and-release a button on the scanner.

PaperPort

Most of the Visioneer and Xerox desktop scanners are bundled with the Nuance PaperPort software. This software is a document management software where all files and folders can be sorted and manipulated. The PaperPort PageView allows for some basic editing of picture files and adding notes to image files. The PaperPort Desktop is simply a way of viewing and sorting files similar to what would be seen in My Computer and My Documents in the Microsoft Windows environment. Any files added, changed or deleted in this software will have the same changes as if the modifications had been done from the My Documents browser in Microsoft Windows. See Application Links and OCR.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

The .pdf file format is an open file format created by Adobe in 1993 and has become a world-wide standard for sharing digital files on the internet. Most forms and publications that are downloadable online are in the .pdf file format. The .pdf file format is proprietary and the Adobe Acrobat Reader software must be installed on a computer to be able to open and view these files.

Pixel

A pixel is the smallest portion of an image. Each pixel, or dot, is captured as the scanning head captures the image. In resolution the dots per inch (dpi) is referring to the number of pixels that are being captured per inch of the item being scanned. See DPI.

Preview

Flatbed scanners have a preview option where the item being scanned can be previewed before initiating a scan. Preview an item so that the setting adjustments, such as brightness, hue, saturation, etc…, can be done before scanning so that the needed adjustments are in the final image.

Reduce Moir Patterns

This is an option in OneTouch to automatically set the scanner to anti-alias the image being scanned so that there are no rippled or wavy lines in the finished scan. See Anti-Aliasing and Moir Patterns.

Reject Character

When OCRing a document the reject character may appear in the final document for characters that the OCR engine was not able to recognize. The default reject character is the tilde (~). For example, if the OCR engine was not able to recognize the J in REJECT, the word would appear as RE~ECT in the fine document. See OCR.

Reflective Scanning

Reflective scanning is the standard scanning method. This means that the lamp attached to the scanning head lights the item on the scanner from the underside of the glass. The image is then reflected into the CCD through a series of mirrors. See CCD and Transparency Adapter.

Resolution

See DPI and Pixel.

Retain Fonts and Paragraphs

When using OCR, choosing this output format retains the font and paragraph styling, including graphics and tables without columned text.

RTF (Rich Text Format)

.rtf is the file format used by many word processing applications, it retains formatting that the basic .txt file does not. This file type can be opened in applications such as MS-WordPad, MS-Word, WordPerfect, etc

Scanner

A computer peripheral device designed to capture a digital image (take a picture) of an item (document, photograph, book, etc) and store the digital image on a computer. It varies by type of scanner but a scanner is generally comprised of the scanner casing, glass, scanning head, lamp, rollers or belt and track.

Scanning Head

The scanning mechanism comprised of the lamp, mirror, lens, CCD, and filter. This is the scanner component that captures a digital image of the item being scanned.

Searchable PDF (sPDF)

This file format is an image of the original document with a hidden, searchable text layer. Unlike a normal PDF file where the file can be edited in Acrobat, a searchable PDF file can only have the text searched from within Acrobat or other searching software. The OneTouch driver option calls this option sPDF, however, the resulting file type will simply be .pdf. See OCR and Normal PDF.

SharePoint Destination (Microsoft SharePoint)

OneTouch has a destination application link specifically for sending scanned items to a Microsoft SharePoint server if there is a SharePoint server available. When the destination selected is SharePoint all scanning configurations will have a SharePoint option where the site URL, folder location, and user credentials can be set. This allows user to scan directly to a SharePoint site. See Application Link Configurations Destinations and OneTouch.

Simplex

When a document has printing or pictures on only one side of the page this means that it is a simplex or single-sided document. A simplex scanner will scan only one side of the document at a time. If the original document has printing or pictures on both sides of the page then the first side of the document should be scanned then the document stack must be flipped over and the second side of the document scanned.

Single Column no Table

When using OCR, choosing this input format tells the OCR engine that the original document contains only one column of text and no tables. Business letters are normally in this form. This option can also be used for documents with words or numbers in columns if there is no need to place them in a table, or treated as separate columns in the output (finished) document.

Single Column with Table

When using OCR, choosing this input format tells the OCR engine that the original document contains one column of text with a table. The output (final) document will have the table placed in a grid.

Soft Copy

Files stored on a computer are called Soft Copies. A hard copy is a printed piece of paper.

Spreadsheet

When using OCR, choosing this input format tells the OCR engine that the original document is in a spreadsheet format where all data is contained in columns and rows for opening in spreadsheet applications such as MS-Excel. No flowing text or graphic zones will be in the output (final) document. See OCR.

Still Image Client

This is a destination option in OneTouch. Selecting Still Image Client as the destination overrides all other settings in OneTouch. When a button is pressed the Still Image Client will prompt for which program to open and then launch the appropriate scanning interface for that application. Only applications that can access the scanner will be in the list of options the Still Image Client provides.

Storage Options

This is an option that initializes, becomes visible, in the OneTouch configurations when the destination selected is Transfer to Storage. The Storage Options tab allows the user to browse and select where on the computers hard drive that the digital files should be saved and to specify what type of sorting should be done with the files as they are scanned. See Archive Configurations and OneTouch.

Straighten Image

See Deskew

Strobe Sheetfed Scanner

The scanning head is immobile and the document or photograph is fed through the scanner using the internal rollers one page at a time. This scanner has the smallest footprint of all the scanners but is limited to one scan at a time. See Scanner and Scanning Head.

TEXT

.txt is the file type used by MS-Notepad. This file contains simple text without any formatting. Only the carriage return and tabular separating paragraphs of text is maintained. No symbols or other formatting data is maintained in this file type. .txt files can be opened in many word processing applications such as MS-WordPad, MS-Word, WordPerfect, etc

Text Editors

There are many types of text editing applications. Some of the more common applications are MS-Word, MS-Excel, WordPerfect, etc

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

This file format type is often used for storing images and line art. It is a widely supported image file format type by many graphics applications and desktop publishing software. Unlike .bmp and .jpg, the .tif file can have multiple pages in a single file.

Transparency Adapter (T/A)

A scanner that has a transparency adapter indicates that the scanner is able to scan transparencies in the form of Slides and Negative film strips. The Visioneer and Xerox desktop flatbed scanners scan 35mm sized slides and negatives. The transparency adapter is a lamp in the lid of the scanner that shines light through the slide or negative and the mirrors in the scanning head reflect the image into the CCD. The transparency adapter receives power from the base of the scanner. See CCD and Reflective Scanning.

True Page

When using OCR, choosing this output format keeps the original layout of the pages, including columns. This is done with text, picture and table boxes and frames. True page is offered only for target applications capable of handling the formatting such as MS-Word (.doc) and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). See OCR.

TWAIN

An industry standard for image capturing software that controls importing digital images from a scanner or digital camera into the computer. Most applications that will communicate with a scanner or digital camera will access the TWAIN interface. See Interface.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

A hardware standard for interfacing peripheral devices, such as scanners and printers, to computers without a need for special expansion cards or other hardware modifications to the computer. USB devices plug directly into the mainboard of the computer. USB 1.1 devices and mainboard chipsets scan at slower speeds than USB 2.0 devices and mainboard chipsets. USB 2.0 devices are backwards compatible to USB 1.1 mainboard chipsets and USB 2.0 chipsets are backwards compatible to USB 1.1 devices. This means that no matter what device is being plugged into the computer it will communicate with the device, however, USB 2.0 devices will perform at slower speeds than advertised as the USB 1.1 chipset does not have the Hi-Speed specification that USB 2.0 does. See Low Speed USB Full Speed USB and Hi-Speed USB.

USB Cable

Universal Serial Bus cables are standardized or universal when connecting to the computer. The flat end of the cable that plugs into the computer is the A end of the cable and may be plugged into a USB port on any computer. The B end of the cable plugs into the USB device. The size of the B end of the cable varies depending on the type of device being connected. The B end of the cable is not specific to a manufacturer, any cable that has a B end the same size as the original cable will fit into the USB device.

USB Hub

A USB hub is a device that connects to 1 USB port on the computer. A hub has multiple A ports for other USB devices to be plugged into it, thus increasing the number of USB devices which can be connected to the computer.

USB Port

Most computers have at least 2, some with as many as 8, where USB devices can be plugged directly into the back of the computer. Some computers have USB ports in the front. Keyboards and monitors may also have USB ports to act as a hub to the computer.

User Dictionary

A user dictionary is a spelling dictionary, all copies of MS-Office have a user dictionary. Any time a word is added to the dictionary it modifies this user dictionary. When using OneTouch with OCR several user dictionaries can be created and modified to add words, names, postal codes, etc that may appear in an original document but not in a standard user dictionary. See OCR.

VRS (Virtual Re-Scan)

VRS is a software application created by Kofax for post-processing of image files while scanning. This software application will filter out artifacts, dirt, stains, colors and any number of other variables that may mar the original document and will prevent a clean scan of the document. For instance, when scanning a black & white document where there is a section of highlighted text, the highlighted area will appear as dark grey or even black in the finished scan. The VRS software filters out the color highlighter and leaves only the black text so that it is legible in the final digital file. Another example is scanning a shipping receipt where the text is light grey from the carbon copy and there are various background colors, the VRS software will remove the background colors and darken the text so that the image is clean and easily read. Scanner that have VRS available will have the VRS feature available within the OneTouch scanning configurations.

WIA (Windows Image Acquisition)

First introduced by Microsoft in Windows Me and continues to be the standard available in later versions of Windows. This provides a scanning interface to the user without using the scanner, or camera, software and driver bundled with the scanner. The scanner driver must be installed before WIA can be used for scanning.

XLS

.xls is the file format used by the MS-Excel application.

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