Document processing features

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.

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.

Available Document processing features are:

Archive

The Archive feature lets you store jobs, documents, and job processing history in a repository and retrieve them by searching for job and document properties. For example, you 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, and check the production history. You can save the job or document to your workstation, or submit it to a workflow for reprinting or other processing.

Electronic Presentment

The Electronic Presentment feature works with the Archive feature, but must be installed separately. It is available at no charge and does not require a separate license.

The feature provides a collection of sample objects to demonstrate the process of storing information in a repository. The sample workflow receives jobs from an input device and uses a 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 repository.

Automated Verification

The Automated Verification feature lets you add barcodes to the documents in a print job. By reading barcodes, cameras or barcode scanners detect documents that failed to complete a step in their workflow. You can automatically reprint missing documents or manually pull them out of their workflow. A job log records the disposition of the documents in each job and the user ID of the operator who did the dispositions.

Inserter

The Inserter feature automates the insertion of printed documents and inserts (such as marketing materials) into envelopes. The feature can communicate with inserter controllers by sending control files to them and receiving results files from them. Using information in the results file, the feature tracks the insert status of each document in the job. Jobs are reconciled automatically (or manually, with operator control). Reprints are automatically generated for damaged documents.

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, Postal Enablement updates the documents in the job with the results from the postal software.

Postal software is not included in this feature. You can use your choice of external postal software.

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.

This no-charge feature is provided with the base product, but not installed by default.

Preprinted Forms Replacement

The Preprinted Forms Replacement feature lets you print jobs that previously required preprinted forms on plain paper . 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.

With the AFP Support feature, the Preprinted Forms Replacement feature also lets you insert PDF forms into AFP jobs.