Document processing features

Document processing features expand the capabilities of a workflow from controlling and tracking jobs to controlling and tracking individual documents in a job.

Without changing the application that creates the job, you can change how the individual documents are processed, using business rules to indicate what processing to do. You can pull documents out of a workflow, attach documents to email, or reprint individual documents. The documents in the job can be split into multiple jobs, sorted based on document-specific information such as address data, or grouped into subset jobs based on data in the document.

Two features add basic functions and objects for processing documents. You must install one or both of these features before you can install the other document processing features:

  • PDF Document Support adds functions and objects for processing documents in PDF jobs. This no-charge feature is provided with the base product but is not installed by default.

  • AFP Support adds functions and objects for processing documents in AFP jobs.

The other document processing features add functions and objects for specialized needs such as archiving document information in a repository or inserting documents into envelopes. To install these features, you must install PDF Document Support, AFP Support, or both. If you install PDF Document Support, the other document processing features work with PDF files. If you install AFP Support, they work with AFP files. If you install both, they work with both types of files. Examples of these document processing features are:

  • Archive
  • Automated Verification
  • Inserter
  • Postal Enablement
  • Preference Management

PDF Document Support and AFP Support let you identify individual documents within a job and map data, such as customer names or postal codes, in the documents to RICOH ProcessDirector document properties. RICOH ProcessDirector stores the document properties and their values in a document properties file.

PDF Document Support includes RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat to identify documents and map data. You can also use the plug-in to add enhancements such as barcodes, OMR marks, images, hidden areas, and text to the documents.

AFP Support includes RICOH Visual Workbench to identify documents and map data. You can purchase features that add plug-ins to RICOH Visual Workbench:

  • AFP Editor lets you create barcodes and text, and hide areas that contain unwanted content, such as obsolete barcodes.

  • Whitespace Manager lets you define areas of white space and then fill the white space with content, such as images and text.

Object

PDF Document Support and AFP Support add the barcode format object. Barcode formats are used to interpret the data collected by a barcode scanner. You can define a barcode format that includes a document property that identifies each document in a job. Then you can scan the barcode on a document to find the document in the system.

You can use a hand-held barcode scanner attached to the computer to reconcile documents. We recommend that you configure your barcode scanner to send a New Line signal after each scan.

Workflow phase

PDF Document Support and AFP Support add the Assemble phase to the RICOH ProcessDirector workflow. The figure Document processing phase in the RICOH ProcessDirector workflow, shows how the Assemble phase fits into the workflow.

Note: If you have customized phase names in your system, those phase names differ from the phase names in the diagram.

Document processing phase in the RICOH ProcessDirector workflow

Image shows the Receive, Prepare, Assemble, Print, and Complete phases

Step templates

PDF Document Support and AFP Support add step templates for processing documents within workflows:

  • For PDF Document Support, steps based on the IdentifyPDFDocuments and BuildPDFFromDocuments step templates apply your document definitions, data mappings, and other document changes made with RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat to PDF jobs.

  • For AFP Support, steps based on the IdentifyDocuments and BuildAFPFromDocuments step templates apply your document definitions, data mappings, and other document changes made with RICOH Visual Workbench to AFP jobs.

  • A step based on the SetDocPropsFromConditions step template lets you update the document properties file for a job based on other document and job property values. For example, you can group documents based on a particular postal code range, and then create separate child jobs for the postal code groups.

  • Steps based on the SortDocuments, SplitDocuments, and GroupDocuments step templates let you manipulate documents within a single file and output the documents as one or more new jobs.

  • A step based on the EmailDocuments step template lets you email each PDF document in a job as an attachment to an individual email address. RICOH ProcessDirector can send email directly through the default SMTP server or indirectly through an email service provider.

  • A step based on the SetDocPropsFromList step template lets you read one or more list files in a directory and set the value of a specified document property for each document in the document properties file for the job. You can use the value of the document property to group documents in a job for common processing. For example, using this step, you can provide a "pull list" of documents in a job. Using the pull list, you can suppress documents from printing, divert them from inserting, or send them to an express mail service.

  • A step based on the SetPropertiesForReconcile step template lets you use the Insert sequence document property to find documents on the Reconcile Job dialog or the Documents portlet.

  • A step based on the Reconcile step template lets an operator set an action to take for the documents in a job. You can place a Reconcile step after a PrintJobs step in a workflow. When a job enters the Reconcile step, the operator selects the Reconcile action to reconcile a job manually. During manual reconciliation, the operator marks documents that are OK, any documents to be reprinted, and any documents to pull from the job without reprinting.

  • A step based on the CreateReprints step template processes documents to be reprinted after reconciliation by creating a child job containing only the reprints. The child job can be sent through the same workflow as the original job or through a different workflow.

For a complete list of step templates supplied with document processing features, see the Reference section of the RICOH ProcessDirector information center.

In this section:

  1. PDF Document Support
    The PDF Document Support feature adds functions and objects that let you process individual documents in PDF jobs. The feature includes RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat.
  2. AFP support for documents
    In addition to functions and objects that let you process AFP jobs, the AFP Support feature adds functions and objects that let you process individual documents in AFP jobs. The feature includes RICOH Visual Workbench.
  3. Inserter features
    The Inserter features help to automate the insertion of printed documents and extra inserts (such as marketing materials) into envelopes. RICOH ProcessDirector supports two features that support inserters: the full Inserter feature and the Quadient Inserter Express feature.
  4. Automated Verification
    The Automated Verification feature lets you add barcodes to the documents in a print job. Cameras or barcode scanners read the barcodes to detect documents that fail to complete a step in their workflow. You choose whether RICOH ProcessDirector automatically reprints any missing documents or an operator specifies an action to take for each missing document.
  5. Archive
    The Archive feature lets you store jobs, documents, and job processing history in a repository and retrieve them by searching on job and document properties. For example, you might search for documents by job name, customer name, and account number. After you retrieve a job or document, you can view it, review the properties that were stored with it, check the production history, and submit the job or document to a workflow for reprinting or other processing.
  6. Electronic Presentment
    The Electronic Presentment feature provides a sample workflow that receives jobs from a sample input device and uses a sample history record notification to capture the times when jobs are printed and mailed. The workflow stores jobs, documents, property values, and history information in a sample repository.
  7. Postal Enablement
    The Postal Enablement feature lets you extract mailing address data from the documents in a job and prepare the data for processing by external postal software. After the postal software verifies the addresses and improves their quality, the Postal Enablement feature can process results received from the postal software to update the documents in the job.
  8. Preprinted Forms Replacement
    The Preprinted Forms Replacement feature lets you print jobs on plain paper that previously required preprinted forms. You update the definition of each media object for the media requested by these jobs to include the electronic equivalent of the preprinted form data. The application that submits the print files to RICOH ProcessDirector can continue to specify the media for the jobs in the same way.
  9. Preference Management
    The Preference Management feature lets you update document property values with values from an external preferences file. These values can be used to change the content of selected documents or to change the processing of those documents.
  10. Usage scenarios for processing documents
    If you have the PDF Document Support or AFP Support feature, this topic provides links to usage scenarios. These scenarios show how document processing is used to improve your production processes and to offer new services to clients.

Related information:

AFP Support
Parent topic: Features