Designing a Scannable Form
A scannable form is one which has been designed and scanned in the
correct way, so that the image can be read by the OMR form processor.
Most often if there is a problem with form detection or detection of hand-marks in checkboxes, it is because -
- The form has been designed with the components being too close or obscuring each other.
- The Mark Threshold Setting isn't correct for the form image and will need to be re-set. (If the checkbox size has been changed, the mark threshold might need to be changed)
- The forms weren't scanned with the correct resolution setting.
Important Information
FormReturn OMR is fast and accurate but can only process response data from form images that it recognizes. Make sure any form you have designed for being completed by respondents, has been Test Previewed using your scanner, before you publish your forms.
FormReturn uses:
- Detection of the Form ID barcode to recognize each form page and to reconcile
the captured data with the form publication and data table records it belongs to.
- Detection of the Segment barcodes to located where the Mark Areas and any other Key Fields appear on the form.
- Detection of the unbroken Mark Area checkbox borders, to accurately detect any marked box or boxes.
- Detection of the shading in checkboxes to successfully capture the response mark data.
If the Form ID Barcode can't be recognized, the image will be
rejected by
FormReturn and put in the Unidentified Images folder in the Processing
Queue. The scanned form images that FormReturn reads, must be clear
enough to detect and recognize barcodes. It is really important that
the
Form ID Barcodes don't touch any other black text or lines on the page
and
are not squashed or made smaller. When the Form ID Barcode is
recognized in the recognition Test preview, it has a pink border.
If the segment barcodes can't be detected, the OMR software won't be
able to detect and located the mark areas, therefore the form won't be successfully processed into captured data. The
reason why segment barcodes might not be detected could be because they
are touching other black marks, like text or lines which have been
added to the page. When segment barcodes are
detected in the recognition Test preview, they have a blue border.
If any mark area fragment can't be detected, the response data won't
be processed. Therefore it is really important that all fragment edges
on the segment are not touching any other marks like black text or
black lines added to the page, it interferes with and breaks the
detection of the checkbox mark areas. When fragments are detected in
the recognition Test preview they have a red border.
If the segment, which contains the mark areas can't be detected it
is probably because one of the elements added to the segment is
overlapping the segment edges. So as not to break any detection when
the scanned forms are being processed, it is important to keep all elements clear
of the segment edges. When the segment is detected in the recognition
preview, it has a green border.
Overall it is important to keep the default form margins. Breaks in detection can occur if any scanned images are badly skewed causing barcodes or mark areas to touch the edge of the page.
Rules for Designing Scannable FormReturn Forms.
As you design your form template, make sure no black text or dark lines are touching the barcodes, checkboxes, OMR ID grid or Barcode Area. You want optimal detection of these parts of the forms when they are being read by the form processor.
Make sure the Form ID Barcode hasn't been made smaller in any way. It should always be added to the left of the page and then moved over without touching the right hand side of the form.
Leaving the default margin around the edge of the form page, will
ensure any of the components that must be detected by the OMR form
processor, won't be obscured from the page if a scanned form image is skewed (out of line).
A quality document scanner with a good automatic document feeder, will decrease the risk of badly scanned form images, and make your captured response data accurate.
A poor quality scanner or incorrect settings, can cause more black or white to show up on the form image, which could cause errors with detection of the barcodes or location of the mark areas. To overcome the risk of low quality form images causing errors in
detection, increasing the resolution or the contrast on the scanner's
settings could make a big difference. Sometimes it can be a game of cat
and mouse to get the scanner's settings correct so that quality images
can be produced.
If the respondents will be using pencil to mark the checkboxes, this can cause errors in detection of marks. The luminance and mark threshold settings in FormReturn can be increased to overcome this.
Recognition Preview is used to detect the segment, barcodes and mark areas added to the form template, as you go and when you are finished. There should be no errors in detection of these components. Make sure there is detection of the segment border, the barcodes, the checkbox mark areas and Key Fields such as ID grids and Barcode areas. These are all used for detection and capturing information in the OMR form processing.
Test Preview the form before you publish it, to test the detection of a scanned image from your form template.
Test Preview the Form Template Layout
Because all scanners are different, a test preview of the form template using a scanned image from your scanner, tests your scanner's ability to create quality scanned images. The test preview will pre-determine how the handmarks made in checkboxes will be detected by
the FormReturn. If there are errors in the detection of the hand-marks, you can change the Recognition Settings of FormReturn or your scanner's resolution and contrast settings and try the test preview again until everything on the form is detected accurately.
A screenshot of a form Recognition Preview. The Barcodes, the segment, the fragments and any marks are shown as detected. The OMR ID Grid is also a fragment and should be detected in the Recognition Preview.
When a barcode is added, care should be taken so as to not squash
the barcode, which makes it smaller. A smaller than default size barcode could cause a defect in its detection by FormReturn's processor.
When adding the Form ID Barcode, make sure is has plenty of room for expansion.
Keep the Form ID Barcode clear of all other
elements added to the form, to
allow for good detection and recognition of the barcode.
Adding Barcodes
Make sure the segment barcodes are kept clear of any checkboxes you add to the segment as well as any text, lines or borders.
A screenshot of the top segment barcode detected in the Recognition Preview. If one barcode can't be detected, neither of them will show as detected.
Fragments
When you add fragments to the segment, which include checkbox areas, ID Grid Area or a Barcode Area, look at them in the Recognition Preview to make sure they are detected before you publish your form template.
A screenshot of the Recognition Preview of the segment with the fragments and the OMR ID Grid detected. If there is a defect in the detection of any of the fragments, none of them will show as detected in the Recognition Preview.