Welcome to Scantron DesignExpert

Form ID marks and timing marks are required on each page in OMR documents that will be scanned using Scantron scanners. Form ID marks are read by the scanner and uniquely identify each sheet to a scanning program. Form ID marks are black rectangles and must correspond to response positions. They are usually placed at the lead edge of the document, on the first timing mark. We recommend that each page have unique form ID marks defined.

Timing marks are the small black rectangles along the guide edge of an OMR document. Each timing mark triggers the scanner to read a row of responses. We recommend that each sheet scanned have at least one timing mark. This helps identify it as a valid document, shows clearly which edge is the guide edge, and prevents a document from being fed into the scanner in the wrong manner. A timing mark is required for each row that contains a scannable response position.

You must select the appropriate form ID marks and timing marks for each page of each document. Select View > Grid Lines. This displays rectangles on the leading and guide edges of the document. A blue rectangle indicates the form ID mark or timing mark is not defined for that position; a black rectangle indicates the form ID mark or timing mark is defined.

When you create a new OMR document:

• no form ID marks are selected - all rectangles are blue
• all timing marks are selected - all rectangles are black

To select form ID marks and timing marks, simply move your mouse pointer over the appropriate rectangle and double-click with the left mouse button. Double-clicking changes the color of the rectangle. You can change the selection on and off, (black/blue) as often as needed.

NOTE: Timing marks cannot be removed on Laser Printer forms.

TIP: You can print a Job Specification Sheet from the Job Specification Sheet dialog. This reports which form ID marks and timing marks are used on each page of the document. We recommend you print and review this before you Export to ScanTools, and before sending your document to Scantron Print Services for printing.

If you are designing a form to be printed with Scantron DesignExpert with PrintFlex, you may want to include a form ID mark on the first or last timing mark, in one of the last three response positions farthest from the timing track, so that you can use the Enable Form ID adjust… feature in ScanTools software (ScanTools Plus requires the ScanFlex option).

Form ID marks are typically placed on the first timing mark and Scantron DesignExpert enables you to double-click each mark location. This feature is not available for other locations but you can draw your own form ID mark:

1. Set Zoom to 200% so it’s easier to see your work.
2. Use the Box tool to draw a box at one of the standard form ID mark positions.
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3. Select Modify from the Shape menu.
   1. Set Stroke and Fill to 100% Black.
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   2. Select the Position and Size tab and set Width to 0.80 and Height to 0.55. The unit of measure in both cases is 1/6".
   3. Click OK.

The Box is reduced to the size you entered and will be off-center.

4. Select Options < Snap To Grid.
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5. Drag your custom ID mark to overlay one of the standard form ID mark positions.
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6. Use the OMR Response tool to draw an OMR bubble in the location to the left-hand side of your custom form ID mark.
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7. Select both the OMR Response and your custom form ID mark then select Shape > Group.
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This will keep your custom form ID mark aligned to the response grid even when Snap To Grid is unchecked.

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8. Drag the Response/Box group to the place where you want to locate the form ID mark.
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9. Select Shape > Ungroup then click the response bubble to deselect it.

Your custom form ID mark remains selected.

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10. Select Shape > Lock to lock the custom form ID mark.
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11. Delete the response bubble.

Your custom form ID mark is complete.

You can use this procedure to create custom form ID marks in any OMR response location.

If you need to move multiple shapes that include OMR response positions, we suggest you first Group the shapes together to make sure they remain aligned to each other:

Multiple Shapes - Grouped		Grouped Shapes Moved Together
		Lines, shading, and text remain aligned to the OMR responses because they all snap to the full grid when grouped together.

If you do not group multiple shapes before you move them, the shapes may not stay in alignment with each other.

Multiple Shapes - Ungrouped		Ungrouped Shapes Moved Together
		Lines, shading, and text do not remain aligned to the OMR responses because they snap to the half grid while responses snap to the full grid.

Scantron DesignExpert software allows you to rotate some shapes:

Shapes That Rotate	Shapes That Cannot Rotate
Box Ellipse Line Caption Text Graphic (from Modify Graphic dialog) Polygon	Grouped shapes - you must ungroup the shape, and rotate the individual shapes Hand Print Mark Sense Response Grid Text

For shapes that can be rotated, the following rotation methods are available:

• Tool Bar - Angle spin box at end of tool bar. This is recommended for single shapes, not multiple shapes
• Tools menu - Rotate tool
• Tool pop-up menu - Rotate tool
• Tool Palette - Rotate tool
• Modify dialog appropriate for the shape type selected ( not all have this available for rotation). This method is recommended for rotating multiple shapes.

The following table lists the shapes that can be rotated and the methods available for rotating them:

Shape	Tool Bar - Angle box	Tools menu Tool Palette Tool pop-up menu	Modify shape dialog
Caption Text	Yes. Baseline of all text only, NOT individual characters	Yes. Baseline of all text only, NOT individual characters	Modify Caption Text - Rotation and Spacing tab, baseline and text characters
Graphic file in graphic box	No	No	Modify Graphic - Effects tab, only in 90 degree increments
Box	Yes	Yes	Modify Box - Miscellaneous tab
Ellipse	Yes	Yes	Modify Ellipse - Miscellaneous tab
Line	Yes	Yes	None
Polygon	Yes	Yes	None

The Export to ScanTools feature enables you to create basic ScanTools application files and edit profiles for your OMR form. You can use them with Scantron scanners as is or you can modify them with ScanTools software to add functionality such as RealTime Character Recognition, iNAME image archiving, and test scoring. The steps involved include: First, define scanning functionality for each response grid and bar code in your form. Second, set up the ScanTools output record. Third, optionally, define edits to be performed during scanning and specify program, printer, and scanner actions to be taken when edit failures occur. Finally, Export to ScanTools to create a ScanTools application file and, optionally, an edit profile.

The PrintFlex option enables you to export background form images of each page of your OMR form to use with ScanTools software.

• With Scantron image scanners, these files can be merged with scanned form images, enabling software users to see data on forms in the context of the formatted area on the form.
• Background form images can be displayed in the ScanTools Plus (version 7.0 and later) Application Module grid definition area, making it easier for the ScanTools application developer to define grids for the application.