The Tax Professional’s Guide to a Paperless Tax Workflow

Tax Document Scanning 201: Using Software Provided with Your Scanner

So you’ve gone out and purchased a scanner—now it’s time to figure out how to use it. The purpose of this entry—courtesy of Sarah Smith from Fujitsu—is to make sure that you are getting the most out of your scanner and the software that comes with it.

Guest blogger Sarah Smith writes:

In a perfect world, we would be working with perfect documents all the time.  But, like most users, you probably have old documents and new documents—of all different sizes and all different qualities—and really do not want to go through each and every one in order to make sure they are all facing the right direction.

If this is the case, you are going to want to dust off the image enhancement software that came with your scanner. Because I know Fujitsu scanners best, this entry is going to focus on the software that comes bundled with Fujitsu scanners. But keep these image enhancement features in mind when making purchasing decisions for new scanners, or when using scanners that have already been purchased.

All Fujitsu fi-series scanners (beginning with the fi-6130 and up) come bundled with a few basic pieces of software that will make your life easier when it comes to document imaging. The two most important pieces for scanning tax documents are Kofax VRS and Adobe Acrobat Standard. These software licenses come free in the box with every Fujitsu scanner, which is a HUGE value to you.

First, let’s talk about Kofax VRS. VRS stands for Virtual ReScan. Translation to you: amazing software that does all of the heavy lifting when it comes to scanning documents. VRS works behind the scenes to perfect the image quality of every document you scan.

Here are some of the significant “I can’t live without” features included in Kofax VRS:

• Crop – The software crops images so that no matter what size document you scan, all you see is the document—no borders
• Rotate – Images are automatically rotated to face the correct direction/page orientation
• De-skew – If a document is scanned at an angle, the software will automatically de-skew it
• Blank Page Deletion – If some of the documents are double sided and some are not, the software will automatically remove the blank pages from the finished set of images
• Advanced Clarity – Wrinkled and other imperfect source documents are no match for VRS!  Advanced Clarity will process documents with complicated, textured backgrounds.
• To read more detailed descriptions of the features included with VRS software, visit: http://www.kofax.com/vrs/features.asp

Basically, image enhancing software does all of the prep work so that all you have to do is throw (or place) your documents in the ADF (Auto Document Feeder), and your messy, unorganized paper has been transformed into picture-perfect electronic files. 

Next up, Adobe Acrobat Standard. You probably already know what this is and have Acrobat viewing capabilities (Adobe Acrobat Reader)… but do you have a full version of Adobe Acrobat Standard that allows you to actually create and edit PDF documents? Adobe Acrobat Standard makes working with electronic documents easy by creating an environment where scanned documents can be processed, edited and shared electronically. 

Among other capabilities, Adobe Acrobat Standard allows you to:

• Create and edit PDF documents
• Add tick marks to electronic PDF workpapers
• Add comments and other annotations from multiple users on PDF documents
• Add, edit, and move bookmarks (electronic links) to any page within a PDF file
• Combine PDFs from multiple sources or scans

(Editor’s Note:  Detailed tutorials on working electronically with PDF source documents will be covered in later blog posts.  Stay tuned!)

In summary—some say that they don’t need the functionality provided by image enhancement software, but that is probably because they have never used it! Once you begin using document scanning software with these features, you will never want to scan tax documents without them again.  

Learn more about using scanned client source documents to prepare returns.  Read our free white paper, Five Essential Techniques for Preparing Returns using Scanned Tax Documents.

Key Questions to Consider When Choosing a Tax Document Scanner

Sarah Smith from Fujitsu guest blogs on how to choose a scanner that best suits your office environment:

This article is designed to help you ask yourself the right questions when you are in the market for a new document scanner.  I hope you find it helpful!

Key Questions to Consider When Choosing a Document Scanner:

1. Do I need to scan both sides of a document?  If so, you’re looking for a duplex scanner.  A simplex scanner scans only one side of a page. A duplex scanner scans both sides at once. This distinction can make a significant difference in maximizing the time-saving benefits of the scanner you choose.
   
   
2. Do I need to scan multiple documents at once?  When scanning tax documents, you’d ideally like to be able to throw a stack of documents into the scanner, hit scan, and voila!  You’re done.  In this case, you’re looking for an Auto Document Feeder (or ADF) scanner.  Fujitsu ADF scanners can scan documents ranging from 2”x3” to 12”x18” in length and from 11 to 56.2 lb. in weight (standard printer paper is weighted at 20 lb. per 500 sheets). If you are scanning anything thinner than tissue paper or thicker than an embossed credit card—or if you often like to scan pages out of books or periodicals—then you probably want to consider a scanner that has both ADF and flatbed functionalities.  
   
   
3. What speed should I be looking for? Scanners of today range in speed from 10 pages per minute (that is 20 images when scanning both sides) to 120 pages per minute.  Focus on the speed of the scanner when scanning at 300dpi in black and white.  This is the optimal setting for scanning tax documents, and therefore the setting you will be using most.
   
   
4. Am I scanning documents into a specific software application? Many software applications cannot communicate with scanners unless the scanners are TWAIN or ISIS compatible.  TWAIN and ISIS are standard drivers that basically tell the hardware (your scanner) how to communicate with the software you’re connecting to.  If a scanner does not specify compatibility, do not assume it is TWAIN or ISIS compatible!  More likely than not, you will be left with an incompatible scanner.
   
   
5. How many documents do I intend to scan per day?  Are you scanning less than 2,000 documents per day? If so, then you are looking for what we call a workgroup scanner. These scanners are typically small in size, yet still fast and powerful.  Their small size allows them to fit easily on a desktop, so the primary user doesn’t need to get up from his or her desk to do the scanning.  If you are scanning between 2,000 and 4,000 documents per day, we recommend you consider a departmental scanner. Departmental scanners are still usually small enough to sit on the desktop, but work at a much quicker pace. Because of their speed, they can even be set up in a centralized location for multiple users to access.
   
   
6. How much should I expect to pay for a quality document scanner? Workgroup scanners are typically priced between $800 and $1,200. Departmental scanners range between $1,500 and $2,000.
   

As you can see, there are several factors to consider when deciding which scanner is best for your firm. Rest assured that, though there is a lot to consider, there are people here to help you! If you have any questions around finding a device that is right for you—or any other questions specific to Fujitsu scanners—please contact the Fujitsu Pre-Sales Support Team @ 888.425.8228 or email them @ fujitsu_inside_sales@fcpa.fujitsu.com.

Where do I go from here?

Now that you know what to look for, here are a few options from industry-leader, Fujitsu, for you to keep in mind when shopping around:

Workgroup Scanner:  An ideal workgroup scanner is the Fujitsu fi-6130.  This is an ADF, duplex scanner that can scan up to 30 pages per minute (60 images per minute, both sides) at an image resolution of 300dpi.

Departmental Scanner:  A great departmental scanner is the Fujitsu fi-6140.  This is an ADF, duplex scanner that can scan up to 40 pages per minute (80 images per minute, both sides) at an image resolution of 300dpi.   

Both of these scanners are perfect for tax document scanning, and can be purchased at a special Copanion discount from Fujitsu premier partner, 1st-in-Scanners.