Clip Attributes dialog
for Image Scanner Implementation Only

The items in this dialog apply to individual grid image clips when Clipping Mode = Sparse is selected in the Image Clips dialog. If Clipping Mode = Whole Sheet is selected in the Image Clips dialog, the only items available in this dialog are Rotation and Archive (Archive this Clip, Combine with Form, and File Name Suffix). This is because when Whole Sheet clipping is done, the individual clips are obtained from the image clip of the whole sheet, and the attributes are taken from the choices made on the Image Clips dialog.

CAUTION: Sparse clipping of software bar codes and, with iNAME, of grayboxes, is not compatible with use of absolute (.001 in or .01 mm) or Hybrid units of measurement. See Grid Measurement dialog - Unit of Measurement.

This dialog is available from the Clip Attributes button on the following dialogs in the application definition. It lets you select information for each individual grid on the sheet. This allows you to select different attributes for individual image clips, if needed.

Defaults: When creating a new grid, most clip attributes default to those of the last selected grid if the same Tool (Bar Code, Graybox, or OMR) is being used. For example, if you define two OMR grids in sequence, clip attributes carry over; however, if you define an OMR grid followed by a bar code grid, clip attributes do not carry over. Archive this Clip and File Name Suffix attributes are blank in either case.

Grayscale

Select grayscale color depth. The choice is between file size and image quality.

It is supported with RLE, G3, and G4 (recommended) compression.

If the background form is also used, it is mapped into 16 gray tones, resulting in a 4-bit gray scale TIFF.

It is only supported with RLE compression.

If the background form is also used for a non-JPEG clip, 240 palette entries are reserved for grayscale data from the clip and 16 palette entries are reserved for the most popular colors from the form. This results in an 8-bit paletted color TIFF file.

If the background form is also used for JPEG clips, the clip file is a 24-bit color JPG file.

It is supported with RLE (recommended), G3, G4, and JPEG compression.

Compression

Select the method used to compress the image clip during scanning:

NOTES:

For archiving, when the combination of 256 grays and CCITT Group 3 or 4 Fax is selected, the archive clip saved is converted to 256 grayscale Packbits RLE. This is because there is a lack of industry standard support for 256 grayscale and CCITT Group 3 and 4.

For high speed scans, an image viewer that supports JFIF (JPEG File Interchange Format) images with a non-uniform aspect ratio must be used to properly display the 240 x 120 dpi JPEG images.

JPEG Quality

When you select JPEG as the Clip Compression type (above), this control becomes available to allow you to select the amount of compression used for JPEG clips. Select a number from 1 to 100. 1 uses the most compression to produce the smallest file size and the lowest image quality. 100 uses the least compression to produce the largest file size and the highest image quality. The default is 75.

Rotation

Use these buttons to rotate the individual grid clip image, if needed. This may be needed for optimal viewing of the clip for editing or archiving. This function allows grids to be rotated separately and differently from each other.

If a background form file is being used during scanning, the background image for this individual clip IS ROTATED TOGETHER with this grid clip, using the rotation defined here. The background form image file is defined on the Add/Replace Background Form Image dialog.

The rotation buttons are defined as follows:

For more information, see Image Rotation.

Archive

Archived clips are intended for use by software other than ScanTools.

Archive this Clip

For post-scan archiving only, select Archive this Clip if you want to archive the current individual grid image clip. Clips designated for archive are initially stored in the standard clip file but are copied out and written as separate entities during the post-scan archive process.

If Archive this Clip is checked,

Do not select Archive this Clip if you are using the scan-time iNAME image archive function.

Conditional Clipping for Image Archiving

When the graybox is being defined with the Graybox Tool, you have the option of defining if the clip is archived or not, based on whether the clip region contains data. Regions with data are archived and regions without data are not. Presence of data is based on the Cutoff Value set for the region. For more information, see Enable Conditional Clipping for Image Archiving in Graybox Tool dialog.

Combine with Form

For Post-scan Image Archiving

Select Combine with Form if you are performing post-scan image archiving and want the background form image combined with the clip in the archive file. Combining the background form image with the clip in the archive file is optional.

Archiving the form image with the clip can make certain clips more readable than if they didn’t have the background form image. For example, while an archive clip of OMR results would probably be useless without the context provided by the background form, an archive of a signature or a handwriting sample would probably not benefit from the background form. Combining the archive clip with the background form is a slow operation, involving loading and decompressing both the clip and the background, doing a color reduction on the background to match the depth of the archive clip, possibly doing rotation, then compressing and writing the combined bitmap. By contrast, if no rotation or combination with a background image is needed the clip never needs to be uncompressed or built in memory, simply copied as a compressed entity.

For Background Form Merge Using iNAME Merge

Combine with Form does not need to be checked for iNAME Merge to do a background form merge. With iNAME, if a background filename is specified in the Image Clips dialog Top Form Image or Bottom Form Image, it is merged with the image clips.

If your form has the required form ID mark and timing marks, you can use the OMR/Merge Horizontal Adjustment in the Application Settings dialog to improve the alignment of the background form image to the scanned image. See Also: Horizontal Adjustment

File Name Suffix

Type the suffix you want to be assigned to the image clip during scanning, in the File Name Suffix field. Each archived clip generates its own clip file.

For post-scan archiving, the clip file name is composed of the six-digit document serial number assigned during scanning plus the suffix defined here. The file name suffix guarantees that all of the archive clips have unique file names. For example, an archive clip of a signature might use a suffix of SIG. For serial number 1, the archive clip for the signature would then be named 000001SIG.TIF where 000001 is the serial number, SIG is the file name suffix, and .TIF is the file extension. ScanTools ensures that all suffixes used within a particular document are unique. It is permissible to have a null suffix. You can enter a maximum of 10 characters.

For scan-time archiving using the iNAME image archive function, you have more flexibility in defining file names for image clips generated during scanning. The File Name Suffix appears as an Image to Archive when you configure iNAME.

NOTE: The file name suffix is not the same as the file extension. All archive clips have a .jpg or .tif file extension. The suffix is added to the document serial number to make the archive clip file name.

Dynamic Threshold Data Type for Bitone Clips

Sets the Dynamic Threshold Data Type for this individual bitone image clip. The Dynamic Threshold Data Type for Bitone Clips controls how the bitone point is determined. This group of controls is enabled only when both the Grayscale Bitone in this dialog box and Clipping Moe Sparsed (individual) in the Image Clips are selected.

Manual Bitone Threshold

Allows you to set the bitone threshold point for this individual clip. This control is enabled only when the Dynamic Threshold Data Type for Bitone Clips controls (above) are enabled and set to Manual. Values are based on 0 = black and 255 = white.

Bitone Edge Contrast Enhancement

Select this if you want to use the bitone edge contrast enhancement for this individual clip. This function removes shadows around dark text and other dark areas,remove shadows from white text on black backgrounds, andoutlines (in white) dark text on shaded backgrounds. If you are using a computer that meets only the minimum system requirements, enabling this function may negatively affect the speed at which sheets are scanned. This control is enabled only when Grayscale= Bitone and Compression = G3 or G4, and, in the Image Clips dialog, Clipping Mode = Sparse.

The parameters used for this function are defined in the ScanTools Main Window, Configure Menu. See Configure Bitone Edge Contrast Enhancement.

Background Offset for Grayscale Clips

Allows the user to affect the grayscale to which all image values greater than the Upper Grayscale Filter (controlled via Dynamic Threshold Type - Document/Sheet Level) are set. It does this by allowing the user to select a number to be added to the Upper Grayscale Filter to be used as the grayscale level for all pixels whose grayscale level is above the Upper Grayscale Filter. This function can be used to reduce the contrast between the kept full range grayscale below the Upper Grayscale Filter in grayscale level and the brighter single grayscale level background. This can be helpful in reducing eyestrain while viewing the image. If this control is not checked for a 256 Grays individual image clip, the background is set to the fully white 255 grayscale value. This control group is enabled only when both the Grayscale 256 Grays in this dialog box and Clipping Mode Sparse (individual) in the Image Clips are selected.

Enable Background Offset

Check to enable background offset for grayscale clips. If not checked, the background is set to the fully white 255 grayscale value.

Background Offset

This sets the number to be added to the Upper Grayscale Filter to be used as the grayscale level for all pixels whose grayscale level is above the Upper Grayscale Filter. This control is only enabled when the Background Offset for Grayscale Clips is enabled and the Enable Background Offset is checked (see above).

Select a number from 0 to 100. The default is 40.

 

 

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