Multi-function device (MFD) Scanner Setup

KBP001 - Configuring a multi-function device in Papercloud Elite

A stand-alone scanner/photocopier/printer is known as a MFD (Multi-function Device). These are network connected devices that don’t require any TWAIN driver software installing on the PC to make the scanner operate. The scanner will store scanned documents into specified folders on the network.

Papercloud Elite can be configured to detect scanned documents in these network folders.  When a scanned document is created by the MFD, Papercloud will detect it and import it into the '...In-Tray' area. Once imported, the scanned document contained in the network folder will be deleted. The network folders that Papercloud watches are referred to as ‘Hot Folders’.

Hot Folders can be configured in Papercloud Elite by following the below guidelines.  Papercloud Elite allows multiple hot folders to be configured.

1

There are two ways to configure a Hot Folder:

• The first is using a mapped drive. This can be setup in each user’s Windows login script to map to a network folder.
• The second, and preferred method, is to create a shared folder on the network and reference the folder in Papercloud Elite using a UNC path. Papercloud Elite will automatically postfix this path with the user’s UserID, Last Name and First Name to complete the full path name.  For example, if the root path to the network folder is \\server\scans\ and the Papercloud Elite username is John Smith and the User ID is 10, then the Hot Folder location becomes \\server\scans\10SmithJohn. New sub-folders will be created when new users first login.

2

The MFD will need to be configured for each user in order to identify their scanned documents. This is so that the scanner places the scanned documents into their relevant Hot Folder network location for that user. Contact the MFD supplier on how to do this.

3

To configure the Hot Folder in Papercloud Elite, select 'Connect Settings'.

4

From 'Connect Settings', select the ‘Hot Folders’ tab and select the plus button for a 'Global' or 'Local' Hot Folder.
Typically a 'Global' folder is a network drive i.e. \\Server\Shared Folder\Scans and a 'Local' folder is directly on the PC i.e. 'C:\Papercloud Scans'.

5

For 'Global' folders, enter the root path of the shared network folder as a UNC path. The path does not need to include the specific user's sub folder as this is automatically added by Papercloud Elite.

Then Click 'OK'. It should now appear.

Please Note: This network folder should have full permissions. As it is only a temporary folder, no permanent data will be held there.

6

Click ‘Create Subfolders’ to create all user's sub folders within the shared network folder location based on the current list of users in Papercloud.

7

By default, TIFF, JPEG and PDF document types are ticked to be imported into Papercloud Elite from the network folder.

It is recommended to set the scanner to Tiff for black & white and Jpeg for colour.
If the scanner creates PDFs, these can be converted to Colour Jpegs by ticking the 'PDF Convert' box. This will allow these documents to be viewed in Papercloud Elite without the need for a PDF reader to be used such as Adobe Reader. PDF documents can be left in their original PDF format by leaving the convert box unticked.

Sub folders for new users will be created automatically. The MFD will need to be configured to make use of any new sub folders created.

8

The bin icon on each 'Hot Folder' line can be used to remove hot folders if they are no longer required.

9

'Local' hot folders operate in the same way but do not use any sub-folders.

10

The MFD (Multi-Functional Device) can be configured in a few different ways depending on requirements and its capabilities.

It is important that the correct compression and file type are selected otherwise Papercloud will not process the images. The TIFF file format can produce a single file containing multiple pages and should be selected in the options. This format will keep the pages in order. CITT Group 3/4 compression type is supported which will produce simple black and white images (not grey scale). LZW is also supported for TIFF where both black/white and colour images are both supported in the same multi-page file. If LZW is not supported then JPEG can be used. This must be set to True or Full colour.

Grey Scale is not fully supported so may not work correctly.

Some testing may be required to select the appropriate compression and image format. Your MFD supplier will have information on how to configure the scanner output.