Technical FAQs

Question

I am trying to retrieve documents and files to view in PrizmDoc Viewer. The files are located in a NAS device. The file server is available via an HTTP link but I would prefer not to use the HTTP put method.

Answer

A NAS device is short for Network Attached Storage. Typically, to access these devices would be no different than a shared network drive from a server.

You can setup Prizm Application Services (PAS) to point to a NAS device, if there are actual file shares set up on that device. Also, a key note to remember is that both PrizmDoc and PAS should be running with a domain id which has full access to that share so that the services can access the files when called.

For instance, you have a folder on the NAS device called PrizmFolders and it is shared with a network drive share of \mynasdevice\PrizmFolders. You can modify the pcc.win.yml file to point to that root folder by updating the document.path as outlined below. Keep in mind that the backslashes have to be escaped so you will need an extra backslash for each backslash in the path:

documents.path:"\\\\mynasdevice\\PrizmFolders"

Once this is done, when posting a viewing session through PAS, you can simply specify the subfolder\filename. For instance, if there was a folder called northregion and a file called metrics.pdf (\mynasdevice\PrizmFolders\northregion\metrics.pdf) you would be able to specify northregeion\metrics.pdf in the post command.

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Question

Where does PrizmDoc store E-Signatures and how can I retrieve them?

Answer

PrizmDoc does not store E-Signatures on the server. However, PrizmDoc does store them in the browser’s local storage so that an end user can use the same signature across multiple documents and multiple sessions within the same browser.

In the Viewer Sample, end users are able to save their individual signatures for their own record using the “Download Signature” button under the Manage E-Signatures menu. This will download a plain-text JSON file of the selected signature.

In the E-Signing Sample, if you want to retrieve the E-Signature from your own browser, you can open the developer tools (F12 on Chrome), go to the application tab, select local storage, and inside you can find the JSON of the E-Signature in the value of pccvEsignSignatures.

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Question

When viewing documents within the PrizmDoc Viewer using a particular browser, we are seeing garbage text. Viewing the same document with other browsers shows the text properly. What could be causing this to occur?

Answer

There are two possible causes for this in Internet Explorer 11 and you can check the settings below to potentially fix the issue:

In Internet Explorer 11 settings, ensure the Font Download option is enabled:

  1. Click on Internet Options.
  2. Select the Security Tab.
  3. Under Local Intranet zone, select Custom Level.
  4. Under Downloads, set Font download to Enabled.

Disable the “Turn off Data URI” support setting:

  1. Click Start, type gpedit.msc in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
  2. In the navigation pane of the Local Group Policy Editor window, expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer > Security Features.
  3. In the right pane, double-click Turn Off Data URI support.
  4. Select Disable, click Apply, and then click OK.
  5. Go back to the navigation pane of the Local Group Policy Editor window, expand User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer > Security Features.
  6. Repeat steps 3 and step 4 above.

In Internet Explorer 11 settings, ensure Ignore font styles specified in webpages is not checked.

  1. Click on Internet Options.
  2. Select the General Tab.
  3. Click on Accessibility button.
  4. Un-check Ignore font styles specified in webpages.

In Chrome this is a bug that was found about 3 years ago and fixed in Chrome Canary, but not in Chrome Stable at the time:

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/chrome/rpmz56gnFKc/nPLtsbYZBwAJ

This may be why Chrome is having problems. Consider either updating Chrome Stable to the latest version or testing in Chrome Canary to see if that fixes the garbage character issues with that browser.

In Mozilla Firefox there is a setting you can enable which could resolve this problem in that browser:

  1. Go to Options/Preferences > General: Fonts & Colors > Advanced and select Allow pages to choose their own fonts (instead of My selections above).
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Question

Why am I seeing requests sent through pcc.ashx when they shouldn’t be?

Answer

The default option for the imageHandlerUrl is pcc.ashx so if, for instance, you misspelled imageHandlerUrl or in some other way do not have the setting properly implemented, you will see requests sent through pcc.ashx.

This has been seen when trying to set up the pas-service reverse proxy redirect for Prizm Application Services (PAS).

A sample implementation of this setting can be found in the viewer.js around line 288.

options.imageHandlerUrl = options.imageHandlerUrl || "../pcc.ashx";
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Question

In PrizmDoc, why can’t I delete a full page redaction? The menu pops up for a rectangle redaction, so why not for a full page?

Answer

First, some terminology for PrizmDoc Viewer menus:

Traditionally, when you right click on a page, application, etc. the menu that pops up is called the “context menu”. However, in PrizmDoc, we refer to that menu as the Immediate Actions Menu, and there is a larger box that appears off to the side that we call the Context Menu. 

This functionality is viewable in the demo linked below. When you create a full page redaction and right-click on it, you get the Immediate Actions Menu. When you create a rectangle redaction and left- or right-click on it, off to the side you’ll see the Context Menu, and can delete it using either that menu or the “delete” key.

https://www.accusoft.com/demos/redaction-demo/

When you make a full page redaction, the only way to delete it is by using the delete button in the Immediate Actions Menu. You cannot click on it and press “delete”, and you cannot delete it via our Context Menu. This is currently a design feature being discussed below at the time of writing:

https://ideas.accusoft.com/ideas/PDEN-I-512

By default, the parameter immediateActionMenuMode is set to off, which disables the menu. If you are having trouble getting this menu to open in your application, you may need to set it to be on when you have a redaction on the page. You can read more about enabling and disabling this feature here.

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Question

In PrizmDoc, why do I fail to load/convert Excel documents with the error “Exception from HRESULT: 0x800AC472”?

Answer

The error message Exception from HRESULT: 0x800AC472 is usually associated with a failure involving an Excel document, found in the MsOfficeConverter.log. Below are some known triggers of it:

If the user is logged in as "SYSTEM", "LocalSystem", or any other non-user-account variant, this will cause PrizmDoc to fail when using MSO services. This is expected behavior when working with Microsoft Office documents in PrizmDoc. Please see step 6 of the Windows Installation documentation regarding this:

http://help.accusoft.com/PrizmDoc/latest/HTML/webframe.html#windows-installation.html

"Specify the login account (account name and password) that PrizmDoc Server will run under. If you are using the Microsoft Office (MSO) Conversion add-on, please make sure that the "login account" is a real user account with Administrator rights. Running PrizmDoc under the LocalSystem user or another Microsoft Windows integrated service account is not supported for this option."

It’s also crucial that the copy of Microsoft Office on the system has been activated. A not-licensed, not-activated, expired, or trial license will all cause Microsoft Office to not work with PrizmDoc.

More information: https://help.accusoft.com/PrizmDoc/latest/HTML/windows-requirements.html

"The installed copy of Microsoft Office must be activated in order for PrizmDoc’s Microsoft Office Conversion Service to work properly. Not licensed, not activated, an expired or trial version of Microsoft Office will not work with PrizmDoc."

Your default printer must be the Microsoft XPS Document Writer when working with Excel documents in PrizmDoc. Specifying another printer could possibly lead to this exception.

More information: http://help.accusoft.com/PrizmDoc/latest/HTML/natively-render-mso-documents.html

"The Microsoft Office Conversion Service requires the Microsoft XPS Document Writer printer driver to be installed for the best conversion performance and rendering fidelity of MS Excel documents"

Ensure the Print Spooler service is started and the Microsoft XPS Document Writer is the default printer.

There is a known issue with version 13.3 of PrizmDoc where completely blank Excel files are not loadable in the Viewer. They will fail to load and throw the aforementioned HRESULT exception. This has been fixed in PrizmDoc version 13.6.

In short, please set up the PrizmDoc service correctly to run with a real user account, ensure the copy of Microsoft Office has been activated, and make sure the default printer is set to "Microsoft XPS Document Writer", then restart the service. This should fix this particular issue in most cases.

For more reading on considerations that Microsoft recommends when running their client-side MSO applications on the server, see this article:

Considerations for server-side Automation of Office

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native excel support

Despite the explosive growth of big data and sophisticated analytics platforms, a 2019 study by Deloitte found that 67 percent of business leaders are not quite comfortable using them to inform decision making. For many organizations, spreadsheets remain the preferred tool for managing data and evaluating trends. Developers looking to build the next generation of business applications can accommodate those tendencies by integrating native spreadsheet support for Microsoft Excel workbooks.

Excel Worksheets vs Excel Workbooks

Although sometimes referred to interchangeably or described broadly as spreadsheets, there is a key distinction between an Excel worksheet and an Excel workbook. A worksheet consists of only one spreadsheet while a workbook contains multiple different spreadsheets separated by tabs.

The difference may not be very important when viewing or sharing XLSX files natively in Microsoft Excel, but it can create serious challenges when rendering those files in another application. Without some way of accurately rendering dynamic spreadsheet data, viewers are often forced to resort to a static print preview image. This process makes the file viewable, but also leaves it “flattened” because all interactive elements are removed from the spreadsheet cells.

If the workbook contains worksheets with linked data (that is, cell data from one sheet is affected by cell data from another sheet), it’s critical that a viewing solution preserves the dynamic aspects of the file. The advantage of a spreadsheet is that it can serve as a working document. Without the ability to interact with it, users might as well simply copy and paste the data into a text document.

Managing Excel Workbooks with PrizmDoc Cells

PrizmDoc Cells provides several options for managing Excel workbooks, making it easy to transition back and forth between XLSX format and web browser viewing. Once a proxy route is set up within the application to send API calls to the PrizmDoc Cells server, three different commands can be used to manage Excel workbooks.

Upload Workbook

This API call adds a new XLSX file for viewing and editing. When a document is uploaded to the system, the server assigns a unique workbook ID to it so it can be found and rendered in the application’s viewer in the future. After uploading a workbook, a new session can be created using the workbook ID for viewing and editing purposes. 

Download Workbook

When PrizmDoc Cells displays a spreadsheet, it renders the XLSX file itself, but it doesn’t make any alterations to that file. As each session makes edits to the workbook, those changes are associated with the document ID rather than the original XLSX file, which preserves the integrity of the original spreadsheet. At some point, however, those edits may need to be saved into a new Excel workbook. 

The download API call converts the current session document so it can be downloaded as an XLSX file. File availability can be set during the download process to control who will have access to the new workbook.

Delete Workbook

Old versions of workbooks often need to be deleted for security reasons, usually because they contain confidential data. Since the original XLSX file remains safely within application storage, there often isn’t much sense in retaining workbooks IDs that aren’t being used. The delete API call removes a workbook ID from the server. Once removed in this way, the workbook cannot be viewed, edited, or downloaded by PrizmDoc Cells.

Preserving Workbook Functionality

Since PrizmDoc Cells natively renders information contained in an XLSX file, it retains the dynamic elements that make spreadsheet workbooks so useful to organizations. Not only does it preserve proprietary business logic and formulas, but it also maintains the integrity of this information across multiple worksheets. Cell content can still be searched to quickly locate important text or data throughout the workbook.

For situations where proprietary formulas need to be protected, PrizmDoc Cells allows users to upload XLSX workbooks as values-only files, with all spreadsheet formulas removed. Also, any cells locked in an uploaded XLSX file will remain locked in PrizmDoc Cells to preserve workbook security.

True Spreadsheet Workbook Support for Your Applications

Many organizations continue to depend upon spreadsheet workbooks to manage their business. By providing feature-rich workbook support within their applications, developers can help them retain control over their proprietary spreadsheet formulas without sacrificing the functionality they expect from Excel. 

PrizmDoc Cells makes it easier than ever to share spreadsheet workbooks without having to rely upon Microsoft Excel dependencies. Shared XLSX files can remain safely within a secure application environment to prevent unauthorized downloads or troublesome version confusion. Get a first-hand look at how PrizmDoc Cells can enhance your application in our extensive online demo.

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spreadsheet security

Few document formats are more common than XLSX spreadsheet files. Although many alternatives are available, most enterprises continue to rely on the broad (and familiar) functionality of Microsoft Excel when it comes to their spreadsheet needs. However, few organizations take the appropriate steps to ensure Excel spreadsheet security, which could leave their private data and formula assets exposed to substantial risk.

As a third party dependency, Excel represents an obvious security gap that could easily be exploited. Any time a file travels outside a secure application environment, there is a potential risk of data theft and version confusion. In any situation where files are travelling between separate applications, there is also an opportunity for malicious files to slip into unsuspecting workflows. By focusing on ways to shore up their Excel spreadsheet security, organizations can minimize risk and protect their sensitive data.

Excel Spreadsheet Security Risk #1: Malicious File Extensions

Most organizations are aware that opening a file attached to an email is one of the most common ways to introduce malware into a system. What they may not realize, however, is just how pervasive the problem is or how well those files are masked. It’s easy to identify a malicious email attachment when its name is a jumble of letters and it has an unfamiliar file extension. The real threat comes when it actually resembles something familiar and potentially legitimate.

Unfortunately, XLSX spreadsheet files are frequently used to distribute malware. According to a comprehensive cybersecurity study conducted by Cisco in 2018, Microsoft Office file extensions (such as DOCX and XLSX) were used by 38 percent of malicious email attachments, higher than any other format. These extensions are attractive to cybercriminals precisely because they’re so widely used. Someone working in a financial services organization, for instance, is usually quite accustomed to sending and receiving spreadsheets via email, so they are more likely to open an XLSX file out of curiosity.

Of course, this raises a separate question about basic cybersecurity. No organization today should be relying on poorly secured channels like email to share sensitive documents in the first place. By integrating native XLSX viewing and editing capabilities directly into their web applications, developers can provide the tools necessary to share spreadsheets without the risk of exposing collaborators to malicious file extensions. Embedding spreadsheet files into the application allows for easy access, but also keeps the file safely within a secure environment. Once users become accustomed to accessing spreadsheets this way, they’ll be less likely to fall prey to a malicious XLSX extension in their email. 

Excel Spreadsheet Security Risk #2: Insufficient Access Control

Spreadsheets can contain a great deal of information. Not only do they make it easy to reference data and carry out complex calculations in seconds, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes that may not be immediately obvious to the average user. Spreadsheet cells typically incorporate highly detailed (and often proprietary) formulas that help organizations to estimate costs, assess risk, and adjust revenue forecasts. For many industries, there’s simply no software that can compete with the extensive capabilities of spreadsheets.

But that versatility comes with a cost. Any user with a rudimentary knowledge of spreadsheets can easily reveal hidden information and examine the formulas behind the document’s calculations. And once they’ve downloaded their own copy of the spreadsheet, there’s nothing to prevent them from using it elsewhere, which can be a serious problem for any organization that depends upon its proprietary formulas to drive business success.

The root problem in this case comes down to who has control over the spreadsheet. When an XLSX file is shared, it can then be copied or even altered without the knowledge or permission of its original owner. The best way to maintain control over spreadsheets is to integrate native XLSX viewing capabilities directly into a web application. This allows developers to control which elements of the spreadsheet are being shared and prevents anyone from downloading a copy without permission. Since users can only interact with the spreadsheet on the terms set by the file’s owner, they can’t peek “under the hood” to obtain proprietary assets like cell formulas.

Secure Your Spreadsheets with PrizmDoc Cells

Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Cells is a powerful API integration that allows developers to provide dynamic spreadsheet viewing and editing capabilities within their web application environment. Far more versatile than traditional viewer integrations that offer only a static “print preview” image of a spreadsheet, PrizmDoc Cells makes it possible to scroll both vertically and horizontally and even enter information into cells to perform calculations. It’s the most secure way to provide access to spreadsheet resources without sacrificing control over editing permissions. And since the XLSX file never has to travel beyond a secure application environment, there’s no need to worry about malicious file extensions when sharing spreadsheets.

Developers can use PrizmDoc Cells’s whitelabeling features to customize its look and functionality within their application. From editing cell content and format to embedding graphics, they retain complete control over the way viewers interact with spreadsheet files to maximize security and protect vital proprietary information. To learn more about how PrizmDoc Cells can enhance Excel spreadsheet security within your application, visit our product page to explore this powerful integration’s features.

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Hybrid viewing solution

Integrating third-party viewing solutions like Accusoft’s PrizmDoc allow developers to seamlessly incorporate powerful document conversion and viewing capabilities into their web applications to deliver a seamless user experience to their customers. However, building a solution that works great for customers without heavy server reliance, and a fast responsive viewing experience can sometimes be challenging as usage demands scale. PrizmDoc’s new Hybrid Viewing feature makes it easy to meet growing viewing requirements without locking developers into unsustainable processing loads.

How PrizmDoc Hybrid Viewing Works

Rather than converting files into large SVGs, a web-friendly format, for client viewing on the server side, PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature instead converts files into optimized PDFs and then offloads the viewer processing work to client-side devices. Rendering PDF files in the browser on the end user’s device significantly reduces the amount of pre-conversion workloads needed to display documents. Since all the processing work associated with viewing is being handled on the client’s device, the user experience is much more responsive.

The Business Case for Hybrid Viewing

The Accusoft engineering team developed the Hybrid Viewing feature based on extensive conversations with PrizmDoc customers about their evolving application needs. While there are still many situations where documents need to be processed and edited on the server to take full advantage of PrizmDoc’s server-side features, customers were looking for a more flexible option that would allow users to simply view files without increasing server loads.

Hybrid Viewing provides several important business benefits to existing and potential PrizmDoc customers.

Reduced Costs

One of the challenges with server-based processing is that scaling to a larger number of users can be expensive. Adding more users increases the overall server workload because each viewing session requires the server to prepare and process the document for viewing. Scaling this model after a certain usage threshold becomes expensive for many organizations. By offloading the processing work needed for viewing to client-side devices and minimizing server loads, PrizmDoc customers can scale usage more cost-effectively.

Improved Performance

Server-based viewing sometimes struggles to keep up when users are scrolling through a large, multi-page document. Lag can be even more significant if they need to jump from one section to another, forcing the server to stop loading one page so it can begin processing another. Offloading that processing work to a client-side device speeds up viewing performance because the device doesn’t have to continually connect to the server each time the user pulls up a new page. Increased responsiveness provides end users with a better overall viewing experience.

Tech-Stack Consolidation

Limitations with server-based viewing forced many customers to implement alternative solutions that made sense for their applications but involved a lot of extra development and maintenance. These solutions often include outdated desktop-based viewers that don’t offer much in the way of features. Transitioning to PrizmDoc Hybrid Viewing will allow customers to consolidate their tech stack, streamline development, and provide a more unified user experience without sacrificing performance or incurring additional costs.  

Frequently Asked Questions about Hybrid Viewing

It’s understandable that there are many questions about how the Hybrid Viewing feature works and how it will impact deployments. To address those concerns, we’ve provided answers here for some of the most common questions we’ve received.

Do I have to move to metered licensing?

PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature is only available with metered licensing. We understand that some customers are currently on OEM licensing or one of our deprecated licensing options and we will work with you, review your current and projected transactions, and make the move to metered licensing as easy as possible.

How will metered licensing impact my data security?

Under our metered licensing plan, your PrizmDoc Server instance must contact Accusoft to 1) report the number of documents you have processed and 2) validate that your license is still current. Each report covers a period of time (usually 4-hour intervals) and is sent once every 18 hours. The data contained in these reports include:

  • Timestamp of when the period began
  • Duration of the period
  • Count of documents processed
  • An auto-generated ID

No other data is reported back to Accusoft.

Do I have to upgrade PrizmDoc to use Hybrid Viewing?

Yes, PrizmDoc Hybrid Viewing is only available starting in v13.22. We always recommend that customers upgrade to the latest version of PrizmDoc Server. Our engineering team is constantly implementing bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and critical security updates. Neglecting to upgrade PrizmDoc Server instances could leave your application exposed to potential security risks. All PrizmDoc versions are backward compatible. The Hybrid Viewing feature works for self-hosted, private cloud-hosted, and public cloud-hosted servers and requires customers to use metered licensing.

Start Taking Advantage of Hybrid Viewing Today!

If you’re already a PrizmDoc customer and you’re looking for a better way to scale your application’s viewing capabilities, our new Hybrid Viewing feature can help you achieve those goals. Talk to your Accusoft Account Manager to find out how you can implement Hybrid Viewing today.

Considering using PrizmDoc to implement powerful viewing and document management tools into your application? Talk to an Accusoft solutions specialist to learn more about how Hybrid Viewing can help you deliver greater value to customers without taking on unsustainable costs.

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legaltech

Technology trends are moving quickly in the legal industry as firms scramble to adapt to a shifting business landscape. Although many firms and organizations were already taking steps to break away from old fashioned processes and embrace the potential of LegalTech solutions, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated change initiatives and forced legal professionals to reassess their foundational business models. To get a better sense of the technology impact on law firms, developers would be wise to review recent tech surveys of the industry that assess how LegalTech software is being utilized.

LegalTech Technology Survey: A Closer Look 

According to a 2020 technology survey conducted by Bloomberg Law, legal firms are seeing tremendous benefits from the implementation of LegalTech tools. Four out of five firms and 73 percent of corporate legal departments have seen an increase in work volume, with both reporting that technology has also improved the quality of their work. On balance, high-value tasks are getting more attention, with 56 percent of respondents indicating that they spend at least somewhat more time on higher-level tasks. Low-value task loads have been reduced by an even larger rate, with 73% of respondents spending at least somewhat less time on less skilled, lower-level tasks.

Critically, these improvements seem to have come without also introducing a new set of challenges. One of the frequently cited concerns about implementing new LegalTech solutions is that it will create workflow disruptions or cause other difficulties with legal processes. In reality, such critiques appear to be largely unwarranted. Bloomberg Law’s 2020 tech survey found that large majorities of respondents did not believe LegalTech added to the number (78 percent) or difficulty (86 percent) of workflow impediments.

LegalTech Automation Needs

Despite the positive technology impact on firms, there are still many tasks being done manually that could be automated with software tools. In 2020, Accusoft conducted a technology survey of legal professionals about how they’re managing productivity and utilizing LegalTech applications. We discovered that while 54 percent of respondents were utilizing digital solutions to view and collaborate on documents, automation tools had yet to eradicate time-consuming manual tasks.

legaltech Manual Skills
Given the enduring prevalence of manual processes, it’s hardly a surprise that 52 percent of respondents had difficulty locating the right document assets when they needed them. That figure, in particular, is unfortunate considering that a 2020 Clio report on legal trends found that 69 percent of consumers would prefer to work with legal firms capable of sharing documents electronically. 

The Technology Impact on Law Firms in Business Terms

Failing to implement effective LegalTech tools, then, could very well be costing many firms business. Longstanding legal business models that focus on profit per partner (PEP) metrics and emphasize short-term priorities are already giving way to technology-driven models that deliver faster, more efficient services at more competitive price points for customers. While boutique “big law” firms may continue to resist automation trends due to the specialized and strategic nature of their business, smaller firms and legal departments will need to reorient their operations to deliver the routine, day-to-day services that most customers are seeking. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has made many legal organizations more open to adopting technology solutions. Bloomberg Law’s report found that prior to 2020, only 40 percent of legal leaders described themselves as being “very open” to implementing new tech. Following the pandemic, that number has increased to 54 percent, perhaps acknowledging a new reality for the legal industry as existing business models are reconsidered.

Building the Future of LegalTech

LegalTech developers face several challenges as they work on designing the next generation of technology solutions for the industry. The first question almost always comes down to whether it makes sense to build application features from scratch or to buy and integrate proven solutions. Many legal organizations are looking for powerful software tools that incorporate the latest in process automation technology, which often demands substantial development resources to build and implement. For many software developers, it can be difficult to get products to market quickly without cutting some corners here and there in terms of features when they have to build everything from the ground up.

By incorporating ready-made functionality in the form of specialized integrations, developers can dedicate more of their resources to the innovative technology that powers their LegalTech solution. From HTML5 viewing that makes it easy to securely view a variety of file types to collaboration tools that allow for markup and redaction, software integrations can rapidly expand the capabilities of an application to make it more attractive to legal organizations.

Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Viewer allows developers to integrate versatile viewing and conversion functionality into their LegalTech solutions. It also features powerful annotation and redaction tools that can significantly streamline the eDiscovery process. Learn more about these and other solutions in our LegalTech Fact Sheet.

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Question

When viewing documents within the PrizmDoc Viewer using a particular browser, we are seeing garbage text. Viewing the same document with other browsers shows the text properly. What could be causing this to occur?

Answer

There are two possible causes for this in Internet Explorer 11 and you can check the settings below to potentially fix the issue:

In Internet Explorer 11 settings, ensure the Font Download option is enabled:

  1. Click on Internet Options.
  2. Select the Security Tab.
  3. Under Local Intranet zone, select Custom Level.
  4. Under Downloads, set Font download to Enabled.

Disable the “Turn off Data URI” support setting:

  1. Click Start, type gpedit.msc in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
  2. In the navigation pane of the Local Group Policy Editor window, expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer > Security Features.
  3. In the right pane, double-click Turn Off Data URI support.
  4. Select Disable, click Apply, and then click OK.
  5. Go back to the navigation pane of the Local Group Policy Editor window, expand User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer > Security Features.
  6. Repeat steps 3 and step 4 above.

In Internet Explorer 11 settings, ensure Ignore font styles specified in webpages is not checked.

  1. Click on Internet Options.
  2. Select the General Tab.
  3. Click on Accessibility button.
  4. Un-check Ignore font styles specified in webpages.

In Chrome this is a bug that was found about 3 years ago and fixed in Chrome Canary, but not in Chrome Stable at the time:

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/chrome/rpmz56gnFKc/nPLtsbYZBwAJ

This may be why Chrome is having problems. Consider either updating Chrome Stable to the latest version or testing in Chrome Canary to see if that fixes the garbage character issues with that browser.

In Mozilla Firefox there is a setting you can enable which could resolve this problem in that browser:

  1. Go to Options/Preferences > General: Fonts & Colors > Advanced and select Allow pages to choose their own fonts (instead of My selections above).
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PrizmDoc is a powerful API-based integration that enables developers to incorporate powerful document viewing features into their applications. By offloading document viewing to the end user’s device, PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature can save server resources by up to 30% and improve overall performance. Let’s take a look at how Hybrid Viewing works and how it can benefit your application.

How Does Hybrid Viewing Work?

Accusoft’s technical team works hard to incorporate customer feedback and develop state-of-the-art features that cater to businesses of all sizes. PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature showcases their commitment to delivering innovative technology that meets customer needs and takes their applications to the next level.

PrizmDoc Hybrid Viewing works by offloading much of the processing workload associated with document viewing from the server to the end user’s device. This reduces server strain as well as improves overall performance since the client-side device doesn’t need to communicate with the server for every action taken in the viewer. 

How Can I Benefit from Using Hybrid Viewing?

PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature is a game-changer for organizations looking to improve their document viewing capabilities. By offloading the document viewing functions to the user’s device, Hybrid Viewing can save up to 30% in server resources while simultaneously improving their viewing performance. This technique not only streamlines the process but also frees up resources, allowing businesses to allocate their resources and focus on other vital areas.

Reducing server utilization by 30% can quickly translate into huge cost savings for applications with heavy document viewing workloads. Since most of the viewing is handled by the end user’s device, there’s also no need to download and save files to view them at a later time.

What Are Some of The Other Benefits of Hybrid Viewing?

Another benefit of Hybrid Viewing is the ability to process, view, and manage multiple documents faster by diverting workloads to local, client-side devices. As more document processing is handled locally rather than server-side, the performance of the viewing process improves significantly. This means that users can work with documents more efficiently and effectively, saving time and increasing productivity.

Hybrid Viewing also makes scaling viewing capacity across multiple users less resource intensive for industries with high-volume workloads. With the processing work being done on the end user’s device, the server can handle a greater number of requests without becoming overloaded. This means that businesses and organizations can scale their document management systems with less investment in additional hardware or infrastructure. By reducing the need for server-side processing, Hybrid Viewing provides a cost-effective solution for businesses looking to expand their document management capabilities.

Finally, Hybrid Viewing has the capability to convert all file types into ready-to-view PDFs. This not only reduces server load but also minimizes storage requirements. By converting all file types into PDFs, businesses can streamline their document management systems and reduce the amount of storage space required. This feature is particularly useful for organizations with large volumes of documents, as it helps to optimize document storage and retrieval processes.

Reduce Server Workloads by 30% with Hybrid Viewing

PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature is an excellent solution for developers who want to offer their clients faster, more reliable document viewing experiences without having to worry about runaway server costs or sacrificing quality of service. By offloading document processing to client-side devices, applications can save up to 30% in valuable server resources that can be dedicated to other priorities. Hybrid Viewing also allows users to access and load documents faster without sacrificing other PrizmDoc features like annotation, redaction, and watermarking.

If you’re looking for a powerful yet cost-effective way to provide your customers with an exceptional viewing experience while minimizing server utilization, start your free PrizmDoc trial to see how Hybrid Viewing can enhance your application.

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