Technical FAQs

Question

What’s the difference between a Viewing Session and a Viewing Package?

Answer

Viewing sessions require source information for the document that you want to view. There are 3 types of sources to choose from: File, URL, and viewing package.

A viewing package is a file you want to view that is stored in its already “converted state”, which we call “pre-conversion”. This is different than a file or URL because these sources are converted and set in a temporary cache folder for use until the cache is cleared out.

Viewing package information can be set to never expire which is useful if you have documents that will be viewed over and over again by many clients. This allows the server not to have to convert the file every time and increases performance.

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Managing and viewing documents is critical to providing a quality user experience in today’s applications. Without some way of controlling the presentation of digital files like PDFs, organizations put themselves in a situation where they must rely on external solutions that may not be responsive to their needs. PDF integration into their applications helps developers to maintain control over their documents while providing a more consistent viewing experience for users.

What Are Your PDF Reader Options?

Sharing and viewing PDFs online has become much easier with the development of HTML5 viewing technology and PDF.js-based software. For many years, the only way to view a PDF was to download a file and open it using a dedicated PDF reader application. Although many of these readers could be added to a web browser using a plug-in, this wasn’t always a reliable solution and inconsistent support for these extensions often created security risks.

After Mozilla introduced the PDF.js open-source library in 2011, integrated PDF viewing quickly became an essential feature for web browsers. Most users now simply take PDF viewing for granted, trusting that their browser will be able to open and read any file. For some organizations, relying on a browser PDF reader is a perfectly reasonable solution, especially if they don’t have any concerns over controlling the document viewing experience.

But for many developers building web applications, these browsers and external PDF readers put them at the mercy of third-party providers. Changes or security problems with these solutions can leave development teams scrambling to implement workarounds that could have been avoided if they had their own dedicated viewing solution. That’s why applications increasingly feature a built-in PDF reader that allows them to better manage and present important digital documents.

Why Your Application Needs a Built-in PDF Reader

The core problem with relying on an external viewing solution comes down to control. In order to view a PDF in a dedicated reader, the file needs to be downloaded. Once that document is removed from a secure application, it could easily be distributed or altered without any authorization or oversight. This often results in serious version confusion that leaves everyone wondering which version of a PDF is the most up-to-date. By keeping documents within a controlled application, developers can ensure that the files viewed there are current.

Relying on external PDF viewers can also create an inconsistent user experience. Since not all viewers render documents, in the same way, it’s impossible to control what someone will see when they open a given PDF. In some cases, that could result in wrong fonts being displayed or some image layers failing to render properly. But it may also prevent someone from even viewing a file at all. For example, browser-based viewers that use the base PDF.js library without making any improvements to it often struggle to render lengthy or complex files. 

When applications incorporate a built-in PDF reader, developers can ensure that every document viewed within that solution will look the same on every device (and that it will open in the first place!). This level of control is incredibly important for organizations looking to build a frictionless and compelling user experience.

Integrating a PDF Reader

By incorporating a PDF reader into their web-based applications, developers are able to both retain full control over the viewing experience and keep files within a protected environment. When users are interacting with the application, all PDF viewing can be handled by the built-in viewer rather than handed off to external software. This makes it easier to manage access effectively and limits the number of downloads. 

Since every user will be viewing documents through the same built-in PDF reader, developers can also craft a consistent experience across multiple platforms. With more and more people accessing their applications with mobile devices, it’s important for development teams to offer responsive viewing solutions that can accommodate various screen sizes and interfaces.

In order to maintain complete control over files and deliver better performance, a built-in PDF reader should be able to operate as an entirely client-side solution. Whether it’s running within an on-premises technology stack or as part of an application’s cloud deployment, a PDF viewer without any complicated dependencies never has to worry about connecting to a third-party service to facilitate viewing. 

But why stop at PDF viewing?

PDF Editing

Often users need the ability to view as well as collaborate on their PDF documents, and providing the ability to edit those documents presents a challenge for developers. In a recent survey conducted amongst developers, there appears to be a disconnect between the PDF editing features that are available in most applications, to what developers actually need to fulfill and enhance their applications. So what’s the solution? 

Third-party Integrated PDF Viewing and Editing

A PDF solution provider has already worked out the challenges associated with viewing and editing PDF documents within an application. They’ve also devoted their resources to improving their document capabilities and expanding features to offer greater flexibility.

A good third-party provider also offers extensive support during and after the implementation process. If the developer needs to add a new PDF-related capability to their application or if they encounter a problem, they can quickly resolve the issue by working with their provider rather than wasting valuable resources trying to identify and fix the problem themselves. That combination of expertise and service means that developers can spend more time focusing on their application’s unique features rather than continuously wrestling with PDF-related challenges.

Enhance Your Application with PDF Integrations from Accusoft

With more than three decades of experience managing documents and images, Accusoft has been building innovative PDF solutions since the format was first introduced. Whether you need to add flexible front-end viewing and editing features to your application or are looking to add powerful programmatic PDF capabilities into the back end of your software, we provide a wide range of PDF solutions that address multiple development needs.

To learn more about how Accusoft can solve your PDF document management challenges, talk to one of our PDF specialists today and find the integration that works best for your software project.

 

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Businesses today are under constant pressure to stay innovative and provide immediate and constant improvements to their clients to stay competitive. In today’s post, we take an in-depth look at one of our clients, Mediarails, and how they were able to address the specific needs of their customers while saving on development time and cost.

 

Problem

Mediarails faced a problem that is becoming more common in business today: Customization. With a niche market and customer demands for specific output, Mediarails didn’t have the staff, time, or money to devote to developing their own custom software.

Their hundreds of customers upload ad creative files and contracts on a daily basis, and need an easy way to view and share documents and approve contracts while building campaigns. They also need their documents to be secure, so user permissions and file access control are a must.

The system Mediarails had in place wasn’t working; emailing documents for signatures and saving revisions back into the marketing ops platform was cumbersome, inefficient, and causing users to lose all existing document revision history. Looking for a solution that would satisfy their customers’ needs, as well as meet their own back-end requirements, Mediarails ultimately chose Accusoft and PrizmDoc.

 

Why Accusoft?

There are many factors to consider when choosing a software provider. Security, versatility, support, and features can vary widely between companies, so doing your due diligence is important. Mediarails VP of Data, Chris Farah, struggled to find a solution that fit the needs of his company. “We looked at a variety of alternatives—from using Dropbox widgets to using open source point solutions—but could not find something that delivered the full solutions.” So why did he end up selecting Accusoft? “We started working with Accusoft because of the preview capabilities and we finally were able to get a full document workflow solution that we could easily embed in our app.” Accusoft was able to do what a lot of companies can’t: Provide a custom solution tailored to the unique needs of Mediarails and their clients.

 

Solution

Knowing they needed a better way to view and share documents, Mediarails chose the PrizmDoc along with a File Manager add-on to help their clients easily organize and collaborate on documents. The viewer allows users to annotate, comment, sign, and share documents, while the file manager keeps them all organized and provides a quick image preview to save time. Along with the easy-to-use customer-facing features, PrizmDoc is equally impressive on the back-end, providing user permissions on the document and folder level.

 

Outcome

With a product that can be up and running with just a few lines of code, the most immediate impact of the PrizmDoc was in time savings. Ciccotosto estimates that he saved 1-2 months of development time and costs by using PrizmDoc. His clients are seeing the benefits as well, drastically reducing the time it takes to share files and move them through the approval process.

PrizmDoc and File Manager were the perfect fit for Mediarails and their clients, but every business has different needs. Learn more more about our features and how they can help enhance your document management solution. Sign up for a free account to try it for yourself.

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Question

How can I enable content encryption in PrizmDoc Viewer?

Answer

First, you need to enable content encryption on the PrizmDoc Server in the central configuration file. To do this, find the viewing.contentEncryption.enabled section and change the value to true. Save the changes to the file and restart the PrizmDoc services for the change to take effect.

The file paths for the central configuration file are: 

Linux: /usr/share/prizm/prizm-services-config.yml
Windows: C:\Prizm\prizm-services-config.yml

Next, you need to enable content encryption in the Viewer. To do this, in the index page of your viewer (Default.aspx in C#, index.php in the PHP sample, index.html, etc.), provide the encryption option in the viewer options parameter as follows so that the Viewer can handle encrypted data:

function buildViewerOptions() {
    ...
    var optionsOverride = args.pop(); // always last arg
    var options = {
        ...
        encryption: true
    };
    var combinedOptions = _.extend(optionsOverride, options);
    embedViewer(combinedOptions);
}

For more in-depth information on enabling content encryption in PrizmDoc, please refer to our documentation here.

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NEWS PROVIDED BY

Tampa Bay Tech

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2021 — The Tampa Bay Software CEO Council, founded by Tampa Bay Tech, selected Tampa Bay Area non-profit Computer Mentors as the recipient of the group’s annual fundraising efforts. This month, they presented Computer Mentors founder and Executive Director Ralph Smith with a check for more than $10,000.

“Every year we look for a local charity to connect with and the work Computer Mentors is doing to promote tech with area kids completely aligns with our mission,” said Jack Berlin, CEO of Accusoft. “The work they’re doing to empower kids to pursue careers in tech is instrumental to the future of Tampa Bay as a growing tech hub.”

Computer Mentors works to build opportunity through expertise for the underserved youth of the community. By establishing and building upon a fundamental skillset covering programming, entrepreneurism, public speaking, and more; Computer Mentors gives its students the tools and talent they need to become savvy, self-starting achievers in a tech-centric world.

The Software CEO Council comprises the area’s premier businesses, executives, and entrepreneurs of Tampa Bay’s technology community. Its mission is to create the largest communal ecosystem for tech startups in the state of Florida and put Tampa Bay on the map as a beacon for innovation and success, to foster talent and fuel growth. Council companies include A-LIGN, Accusoft, AgileThought, Bond-Pro, CrossBorder Solutions, Digital Hands, Geographic Solutions, Haneke Design, MercuryWorks, Sourcetoad, Spirion and SunView Software.

https://www.tampasoftwareceos.com/

“Tampa Bay Tech’s Software CEO Council represents several of our area’s most innovative, growing companies, and we are honored to be the recipient of their generous gift to our kids,” said Smith. “Donations like this help fund much-needed programs to help level the playing field for our kids and develop the next generation of talent right here in Tampa Bay.”

About Tampa Bay Tech:

Tampa Bay Tech is a 501(c) 6 non-profit technology council that has been engaging and uniting the local technology community for 20 years. Through their membership and partnerships their mission is to build a radically connected, flourishing tech hub where opportunity is abundant for all. With over 125 companies representing thousands of tech employees – as well as thousands of students within the area’s colleges and universities – Tampa Bay Tech provides programming and initiatives to connect the community, provide development opportunities, and support Tampa Bay’s growing workforce.

Jill St Thomas
Tampa Bay Tech
jill@tampabay.tech

About Accusoft: 

Founded in 1991, Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions. From out-of-the-box and configurable applications to APIs built for developers, Accusoft software enables users to solve their most complex workflow challenges and gain insights from content in any format, on any device. Backed by 40 patents, the company’s flagship products, including OnTask, PrizmDoc™ Viewer, and ImageGear, are designed to improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. The Accusoft team is dedicated to continuous innovation through customer-centric product development, new version release, and a passion for understanding industry trends that drive consumer demand. Visit us at www.accusoft.com.

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Tampa Bay Software CEOs Call

TAMPA, Fla. September 9, 2020 – In August, Tampa Bay Tech’s Software CEO Council (TBSC) met to tackle what so many CEOs and founders are experiencing right now as the country continues to reopen. The outlook was optimistic amongst the group as all attendees reported that their businesses were maintaining financial stability and growing headcount.

During this quarterly meeting, TBSC usually gathers to discuss business ideas, philanthropic efforts, and community involvement. This meeting was a little different considering the effects that COVID-19 has had on the market.

“It’s important for TBSC to keep our meetings going, especially during a pandemic,” states Seng Sun, CEO of SunView Software. “We can rely on each other to share feedback and ideas regarding the management of new COVID-19 protocols.”

Prior to the meeting, the members participated in a brief survey about the impact that the pandemic had on their businesses.

“Across the board our CEOs reported challenges in the past several months, but I was encouraged by the optimism for not only ending the year in a positive place, but heading into 2021 with solid strategies to grow,” reported Jill St Thomas, Tampa Bay Tech’s Executive Director. “The commitment of these leaders to support one another absolutely embodies our mission of building a radically connected tech community in Tampa Bay.”

“We need to understand the way the pandemic has influenced not only our own business plans and strategies, but how it will affect the technology landscape in Tampa Bay,” states Jack Berlin, CEO of Accusoft. “We have light-hearted meetings, but we do discuss serious subjects. I took over a page of notes on ideas my peers shared, and I’m interested in implementing them across my teams.”

Members of the group in attendance included: Jack Berlin, CEO of Accusoft, Kevin Coppins, CEO of Spirion, Seng Sun, CEO of SunView Software, Ed Holmes, CEO of FairWarning, Gregory Ross-Munro, CEO of Sourcetoad, Paul Toomey, CEO of Geographic Solutions, Chris Karlo, CEO of Mercury New Media, Jody Haneke, CEO of Haneke Designs, and moderator, Jill St. Thomas, Executive Director of Tampa Bay Tech.

For more information about TBSC, visit the group’s website at https://www.tampasoftwareceos.com/.

About Tampa Bay Tech

Tampa Bay Tech is a 501(c)6 non-profit technology council that has been engaging and uniting the local technology community for 20 years. With over 100 companies representing thousands of tech employees – as well as thousands of students within the area’s colleges and universities – Tampa Bay Tech provides programming and initiatives to support all those in the technology space. Through their membership and partnerships, their mission is to build a radically connected, flourishing tech hub where opportunity is abundant for all. Join the TBTech community at tampabay.tech and follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and Twitter.

About Accusoft

Founded in 1991, Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions. From out-of-the-box and configurable applications to APIs built for developers, Accusoft software enables users to solve their most complex workflow challenges and gain insights from content in any format, on any device. Backed by 40 patents, the company’s flagship products, including OnTask, PrizmDoc™ Viewer, and ImageGear, are designed to improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. The Accusoft team is dedicated to continuous innovation through customer-centric product development, new version release, and a passion for understanding industry trends that drive consumer demand. Visit us at www.accusoft.com.

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At Accusoft, we believe in making the world a better place, one innovation at a time. We are continuously working to improve and expand our technology with software that solves content processing, conversion, and automation challenges. With recent changes to our brand message, including an increased focus on SaaS and industry solutions, it was necessary to launch a new website that reflects who we are as a company and what that means to our customers. 

Over the past two years, we’ve taken the time to reflect on our two and a half decades in technology. We discussed how we’ve grown and evolved, and made a decision to express that growth through a new lens. Our new branding accurately reflects our achievements as well as our aspirations.

In our discussions, we asked ourselves vital questions about who we are as a company, how we want to convey our goals, what we want our stakeholders to know, and how we want to present ourselves to the community. What we’ve developed is a new messaging platform that presents our purpose as a company, our vision for the future, and belief statements that guide our behavior in the workplace.

Who We Are

Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions. From out-of-the-box and configurable applications to APIs built for developers, we help organizations solve their most complex content workflow challenges. Our patented solutions enable users to gain insight from content in any format, on any device with greater efficiency, flexibility, and security.

Our Mission

Our mission is to make the world in which we live and work a better place. We do this by inventing new ways to help organizations become more efficient and innovative, promoting the continuous improvement of our community and working to minimize our impact on natural resources.

Our Vision

Our vision is to transform the way organizations interact with content by providing software that solves complex workflow challenges, improves productivity, provides actionable data, and delivers results that matter.

Our Values

  • Excellence: We are proud of our heritage and use our collective talents and experience to ensure the highest quality in every solution, service, and interaction.
  • Tenacious Passion: We encourage innovation, curiosity, and risk-taking, and we apply a strong work ethic to deliver exceptional solutions and customer experiences.
  • Integrity: We treat each other with honesty and respect, assume best intentions in our interactions, and hold ourselves accountable to doing the right thing.
  • Inclusivity: We promote a workplace that is fun, friendly, and comfortable. We celebrate the creativity, diversity, and unique talents of our team members.
  • Collective Success: We believe in the power of collaboration and celebrating successes, and we help our team and customers reach their full potential.
  • Individual Growth: We encourage continuous learning, opportunities for professional development, and a supportive workplace focused on a flexible work-life balance.

Our Story

Founded in 1991, Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion and automation solutions. We enable users to solve their most complex workflow challenges and gain greater insights from content in any format, on any device.

Embedded in the technologies that power our world, from ATMs and medical imaging devices to enterprise content management solutions and websites used by millions of people, our technology connects people with progress.

Accusoft has been at the forefront of the document and imaging industry for more than two decades. With roots in digital photography and evolution into barcodes, forms, and workflow automation, our technology has not only kept pace with the rapidly changing landscape of digital content but has paved the way for its future. Today, Accusoft holds over 40 patents and an extensive catalogue of intellectual property.

Accusoft products are designed to improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. Our OnTask workflow solution helps businesses efficiently interact with content, and our PrizmDoc™ Suite and ImageGear Collection enable software engineers to shorten development cycles and unleash the power of Accusoft’s proprietary code.

At Accusoft, our focus is on superior quality, complete transparency, and exceptional customer service centered around your business process and product life cycle. We are dedicated to continuous innovation through customer-centric product development, new version release, and a passion for understanding industry trends that drive consumer demand. With full access to free product trials and demos, best-in-class technical documentation, and unrivaled engineering support, you will experience the benefits of our no-risk software before you even purchase it.  

Please join us in exploring all that our new website has to offer. Discover more information about technology trends, product solutions, and industry specializations in our resource center.

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TAMPA, FLA. (Dec. 1, 2021) Last night, the Tampa Bay Software CEOs (TBSC) met for their quarterly social meeting at the Current Hotel in the Rox Rooftop Bar. Hosted by Accusoft, this networking event provided a great venue for discussion about attracting top talent to the area’s innovative businesses, driving growth opportunities for the high tech industry in Tampa, and sharing mutual problems and uncovering solutions.

“Our tech community and the opportunity for further innovation in Tampa Bay is growing”,  said Jack Berlin, CEO at Accusoft. “With this great collaboration of software CEOs, we can bring the local tech community together, to attract top talent, effectively communicate to our leaders what our tech community needs, and learn from each other to drive further growth.”

The Software CEO Council comprises the area’s premier businesses, executives, and entrepreneurs of Tampa Bay’s technology community. Its mission is to create the largest communal ecosystem for tech startups in the state of Florida and put Tampa Bay on the map as a beacon for innovation and success, to foster talent and fuel growth. Council companies include A-LIGN, Accusoft, Applied Data Corporation, ComplianceQuest, CrossBorder Solutions, Digital Hands, Geographic Solutions, Haneke Design, MercuryWorks, Sourcetoad, Spirion, Transcendent and Vendita.

Pictured above left to right: Greg Ross-Munro, Prashanth Rajendran, Kevin Coppins, Dan Gaertner, Chris Karlo, Shamus Hines, Charlotte Baker, Jack Berlin, Jody Haneke.

For more information about TBSC, visit the group’s website at https://www.tampasoftwareceos.com/.

About Tampa Bay Tech

Tampa Bay Tech is a 501(c)6 non-profit technology council that has been engaging and uniting the local technology community for 20 years. With over 100 companies representing thousands of tech employees – as well as thousands of students within the area’s colleges and universities – Tampa Bay Tech provides programming and initiatives to support all those in the technology space. Through their membership and partnerships, their mission is to build a radically connected, flourishing tech hub where opportunity is abundant for all. Join the TBTech community at tampabay.tech and follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, and Twitter.

About Accusoft

Founded in 1991, Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions. From out-of-the-box and configurable applications to APIs built for developers, Accusoft software enables users to solve their most complex workflow challenges and gain insights from content in any format, on any device. Backed by 40 patents, the company’s flagship products, including OnTask, PrizmDoc™ Viewer, and ImageGear, are designed to improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. The Accusoft team is dedicated to continuous innovation through customer-centric product development, new version release, and a passion for understanding industry trends that drive consumer demand. Visit us at www.accusoft.com.

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TAMPA, Florida, February 9, 2022 — Accusoft announces the launch of the Women In Tech Scholarship for 2022. The new scholarship program is aimed at female students passionate about pursuing a career in the Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics fields.

The scholarship is open to a female-identifying undergraduate student pursuing a two or four-year degree and studying STEM. Accusoft will award $3,000 in scholarship to the winner. Apply at https://bold.org/scholarships/women-in-tech-scholarship/

The tech field has been exploding recently and offers lucrative job opportunities. Unfortunately, women are still quite underrepresented in all STEM fields, including tech. Despite making up roughly half of the workforce, less than 27% of tech positions are held by women and only 22% of Fortune 500 tech companies have female leaders.

This scholarship aims to support women pursuing STEM so they can find successful careers and create a more diverse workforce.

“Accusoft is a software company with a mission to make the world in which we live and work a better place,” said Jack Berlin, CEO of Accusoft. “We do this by inventing new ways to help organizations become more efficient and innovative, promoting the continuous improvement of our community, and working to minimize our impact on natural resources. We hope that our new scholarship will not only encourage women to go into the tech field but also to give them the resources to complete their degree.”

To apply, students must write an essay detailing why they are interested in STEM and what their career goals are. Apply at https://bold.org/scholarships/women-in-tech-scholarship/

Applications are due May 29th, 2022. The winner will be announced on June 30, 2022.

About Accusoft

Founded in 1991, Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions. From out-of-the-box and configurable applications to APIs built for developers, Accusoft software enables users to solve their most complex workflow challenges and gain insights from content in any format, on any device. Backed by 40 patents, the company’s flagship products, including OnTask, PrizmDoc™ Viewer, and ImageGear, are designed to improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. The Accusoft team is dedicated to continuous innovation through customer-centric product development, new version release, and a passion for understanding industry trends that drive consumer demand. Visit us at www.accusoft.com.

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On July 23, 2021, Accusoft announced the latest update to SmartZone, its versatile data capture SDK for forms processing. The version 6.1 update expands the integration’s already robust language support for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) by adding 65 new languages, with a special emphasis on Central European, Cyrillic, Baltic, and Asian language groups.

“We have a strong customer base in North America with SmartZone, but we’ve received multiple customer requests to expand support to a global range of languages,” said Irina Tabac, Product Manager for Forms and Cloud APIs at Accusoft. “This update will help developers serve their international customers better and offer OCR support for new customers around the world.”

Newly supported languages include: 

  • Turkish
  • Malay
  • Russian
  • Polish
  • Greek
  • Chinese
  • Korean
  • Japanese
  • Thai
  • Vietnamese
  • And over 50 more…

SmartZone v6.1 also expands the SDK’s OCR capabilities to include full page recognition for forms processing. Now developers can give their forms processing applications the ability to capture data using targeted zonal recognition or by extracting text from the entire page.

Available as an individual SDK or as part of the FormSuite Collection, SmartZone’s data capture technology eliminates the need for manual data entry in forms workflows. To learn more about Accusoft’s SmartZone OCR/ICR SDK or download a trial for a first-hand look, please visit our website.

About Accusoft: 

Founded in 1991, Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions. From out-of-the-box and configurable applications to APIs built for developers, Accusoft software enables users to solve their most complex workflow challenges and gain insights from content in any format, on any device. Backed by 40 patents, the company’s flagship products, including OnTask, PrizmDoc™ Viewer, and ImageGear, are designed to improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. The Accusoft team is dedicated to continuous innovation through customer-centric product development, new version release, and a passion for understanding industry trends that drive consumer demand. Visit us at www.accusoft.com.

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FormAssist, a part of FormSuite, makes it easy for you to automatically extract your data from your forms. At Accusoft, we are currently working on a new update that will support extracting image data directly from compatible PDF documents.

We want to allow our users to process their scanned documents using FormAssist and FormSuite as easily as possible. However, PDF documents produced from scanners vary by vendor. So during development, we looked for the simplest set of traits that were found among the documents produced within our test set.

We found that scanned documents had one image per page and no visible text. So to support these documents, we defined what makes up an image-only PDF document. These qualifications include:

  1. Each page must have exactly one image
  2. Each page must have no visible text

System Administration Guide

This page in this image has only one image, but it has a visible text layer, and so it is not image-only.

Common scanners will produce PDFs with these traits when scanning documents including scanners from Brother, Cannon, Epson, Ricoh, and Xerox. Some scanners can produce searchable documents by running the image through an internal OCR engine, then adding a hidden text layer overtop of the characters detected in the image. For our purposes, we chose to ignore invisible text layers, like in those searchable documents, when determining if a document is image-only.

With these rules in place, we implemented image-only support by extending part of the ImagXpress API used within FormAssist. Additionally, this check is made on a page-by-page basis. A particular page can be loaded from a document individually, and that page will be accepted as image-only (if it meets the criteria) even if the other pages of the document do not.

This update will allow you to load a compatible PDF in FormAssist using the same methods as the other image files you were already using. Any compatible PDFs then have their contents decoded and extracted to a Device Independent Bitmap (DIB), able to be processed like a DIB from any other image type supported by ImagXpress and FormSuite like TIFF or JPEG. All of this will let you use scanned PDF documents immediately within your processing workflow. No document conversion or additional processing required.

This new feature is being added as part of the ImagXpress API, so now your own projects can take advantage of the new image-only PDF handling by including ImagXpress. All you need is a set of your own image-only PDFs, with no text or extra images.

 

Brian Bordeaux Bio photo

Brian Bordeaux, Software Engineer I

Brian Boudreaux started at Accusoft in the support department back in June of 2017. He is a 2016 alumnus from the University of Central Florida’s Computer Science program. He currently works as a software engineer in Accusoft’s SDK group, contributing to products like FormSuite, ImagXpress, and ImageGear. In his time outside of work, Brian can often be found playing Magic, practicing Shorin-ryu karate, or trying to learn a new language (again).

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On March 10, 2021, Accusoft announced the arrival of the free-to-use Accusoft PDF Viewer, the latest addition to its family of PDF solutions. An entirely client-side integration with no complicated server dependencies, this lightweight JavaScript PDF viewer also features a responsive UI for out-of-the-box mobile support.

“We’re excited to offer this free version of the Accusoft PDF Viewer to developers,” says Jack Berlin, CEO of Accusoft. “Our team worked hard to build a viewer that’s a step above what you can get from open source offerings. We think it’s going to solve a lot of the problems developers typically encounter with existing PDF libraries.”

Accusoft PDF Viewer integrates into an application quickly and easily with just a few snippets of code. It runs entirely within the browser to deliver an optimized viewing experience across all devices. The intuitive UI controls allow users to zoom, pan, jump to page, navigate thumbnails, and pinch-to-zoom on mobile screens with ease. And thanks to lightning fast full-text search, locating essential information is easier than ever.

“Accusoft PDF Viewer is great for developers because it allows them to maintain complete control over documents without having to set up any cumbersome server infrastructure,” says Mark Hansen, Product Manager. “Having a responsive UI that adapts to mobile displays will also increase their flexibility tremendously.”

The free version of Accusoft PDF Viewer allows developers to quickly add powerful viewing capabilities to their web applications. We’re currently working on additional features (such as annotation and eSignature) that will be included in an upgraded paid version.

To learn more about Accusoft PDF Viewer or download it for a first-hand look, please visit our website.

About Accusoft:
Founded in 1991, Accusoft is a software development company specializing in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions. From out-of-the-box and configurable applications to APIs built for developers, Accusoft software enables users to solve their most complex workflow challenges and gain insights from content in any format, on any device. Backed by 40 patents, the company’s flagship products, including OnTask, PrizmDoc™ Viewer, and ImageGear, are designed to improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. The Accusoft team is dedicated to continuous innovation through customer-centric product development, new version release, and a passion for understanding industry trends that drive consumer demand. Visit us at www.accusoft.com.

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