Creating a New Document

In this topic

• Create a new document.
• Add a Background Form Image.
• Ensure that Background Form Image Rotation is correct.

Terms

Form ID Marks: Small black rectangles usually at the top of the form that uniquely identify it. ScanTools Plus requires that each sheet in an application has a unique form ID mark.

Timing Marks: A column of small black rectangles that follow the guide edge of the form. Each timing mark indicates to the scanner a row in which response bubbles can be positioned.

Procedure

Step 1: Checking Image Orientation

View the background form image to determine the location of the timing marks.

1. Using Windows Explorer, find the background form image for this exercise that came with your ScanTools Plus software. They are in the folder C:\Scanner\ScanTools Plus\Applications with file name 801 GPAS 223022.tif. This sheet is one-sided so there is no back side.
2. Open the 801 GPAS 223022.tif file using an imaging program (like Microsoft Windows Picture and Fax Viewer). Note the position of the timing marks on the left-hand side of the image.

3. You have now successfully determined the position of the timing marks for the background form images. That information is important to you when you add the background form image to your new document in the next section.

Step 2: Creating the New Document and Adding the Background Form Image

Next we need to create the document and add the background form image. Knowing the location of the timing marks is important because we need to specify Rotation during this process.

1. Select Document > New to open the New Document dialog box.
2. In the Title field, enter the name of the document. For this tutorial, we will name it 223022.
3. Notice that in the Output Record list, <Use Document Title> appears. Leave this unchanged as it creates an output record (the file to which your data will be written) with the same name as the document.
4. In the Top Background Image Characteristics section, click Browse. The Specify form image file dialog box opens, defaulting to the \Applications directory.
5. Select 801 GPAS 223022.tif from the list. Click Open to select the file and close the dialog box. You return to the Define New Document dialog box.
6. At this point, apply the rotation necessary to move the timing marks to the left-hand side of the form. However, because the timing marks were already on the left-hand side, we accept the default No Rotation Applied.
7. Accept the rest of the default settings and click Done to close the dialog box. The Document and Sheet Properties dialog box appears.

Timing mark and form ID mark locations are automatically defined from the background form image. This information is shown in text boxes in the Document and Sheet Properties dialog box. If timing marks were not found, it is likely that the rotation is incorrect.

NOTE: The background form image for General Purpose Answer Sheet No. 223022 is provided with ScanTools Plus software. For your applications, we recommend you have your form vendor supply a background form images.

8. In the Document and Sheet Properties dialog box, click OK. The color background form image for the sheet appears in the grid definition area. Timing marks appear along the left-hand side (guide edge). Form ID marks appear along the top (leading edge) in red, which indicates they are defined for that specific location.

You have now successfully created a new document and added a properly rotated background form image.