Scanner Calibration 101

Your scanner has put in years of hard work. It handles everything you run through it – not only reams and reams of paper, but insurance and credit cards with embossed characters, too. And it does it all without complaint.

So why are you getting black streaks down all your scans, all of the sudden?

There’s actually a simple solution. Recalibration usually does the trick. By recalibrating, your scanner “learns” the full range of colors by defining black and white.

Step 1. Do you still have the calibration sheet? It looks something like this:

The card scanner sheet is on the left, the document scanner sheet is on the right.

If you do have your sheet, continue reading. If it’s been misplaced or you used it to take a phone message on or something, we’ve got a solution for you, too. Just follow the instructions with a clean white sheet of paper (the brighter, the better) instead of a calibration sheet.

Oh, and by the way, if you want calibration sheets, you can get some here.

Step 2. Open your primary scanning application. The one you scan from all the time.

Step 3. Open your scanner settings. Different scanning applications have different methods for accessing it. For instance, in Windows Fax and Scan, from the New Scan window, you’ll need to click the “Change…” button, then “Properties” in the ensuing window. From there, click the “Advanced” tab and then “Calibrate”.

In the AmbirScan interface, just click the “Custom…” button.

Then click “Calibrate”. Nice and easy.

Step 5. Next, make sure your calibration sheet is loaded straight, with the arrows facing toward the scanner.

Step 6. Click “Calibrate” in the popup window.

You’ve got about 15-25 seconds to kill while it calibrates, so feel free to check your email or pet the dog or grab another cup of coffee from the kitchen. When it’s done calibrating, your scans should be clear and crisp again!

Social media at #HIMSS12

Social media is blowing up in healthcare IT, and it’s here to stay.

More thought leaders are emerging online, making use of multiple hashtags (#HITsm, #healthIT, #HCSM, etc.) on Twitter and keeping several great, informative blogs. The community is active, and many organizations who’d never thought of using social media are earning their Twitter wings. So it comes as no surprise that this year’s HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas will feature an official HIMSS Social Media Center.

As we’re currently entrenched in our own preparations for HIMSS, and also relatively new to the world of social media, we’re looking forward to taking advantage of the resources at the booth. When it comes to keeping up with this stuff, every bit of help is welcome. After all, things move fast in the social media world.

At the Social Media Center, attendees can connect with bloggers and other social media specialists, as well as keep up on the latest live Twitter buzz about the conference on big screens.

It’s nice to know that your thoughts will have that much more exposure and impact during HIMSS. Even event-goers who don’t normally follow Twitter will see what you have to say when it’s on a giant screen in the middle of the floor. Here’s how to make yourself heard.

Join the conversation. Let others know where you’ll be, what you’ll be offering and how you can help them. Running a promotion or giveaway? Promote it. New product launch? Tell it to the whole (humongous) room. We will be. It will make the whole event more worthwhile. No one comes to HIMSS to sit idly by, hiding in a corner. If you’ve got it, digitally flaunt it.

Attendees will also be able to hear directly from some major players in three “Meet the Bloggers” Social Media Center Sessions. Topics include:

• Clinician engagement in social media
• Developments in mobile health
• Maintaining a successful health IT blog

No matter what you or your organization does, whether it’s EMR and practice management software, medical imaging devices, or content management solutions (like us), these talks will definitely prove valuable. There will also be several “#HIMSS12 Meetups” where attendees can discuss various topics in the health IT world.

It’s a good thing HIMSS maintains such a large and active social media presence. It creates excitement and a more personal feel that can serve to connect people and organizations, year-round. We’re excited to meet with several folks who, for most of the year, we only read about online. After some time spent following the #himss12 hashtag on Twitter, we feel we’re a little more prepared for the immensity that awaits us within the Venetian Sands Expo Center.

And if you have no idea what a hashtag is, don’t worry, there’s a HIMSS booth for that.

#HIMSS12: TGIF Edition

Reblogged from For the Health of IT:

On Monday, it will officially be two weeks until HIMSS 2012.  This week, we’ve got a streamlined list of the top hashtags and thought leaders to follow on Twitter to ensure you’re in “the know” in advance of the show.  Why streamlined?  We’ve been hard at work thinking about how we can best capture innovation at #HIMSS12.  As such, today we launched our HIT-in-Action contest.  We hope you’ll take some time to start thinking about how you too can best capture innovative HIT-in-Action …

High-speed ADF scanning for hundreds less

You need to scan a lot of paper. But you’d rather not spend a ton of it.

We’ve got a professional-grade solution that fulfills both those wishes.

Introducing the Ambir ImageScan Pro 930u and 940u, the newest additions to our comprehensive line of digital document scanners. These are our biggest and baddest models yet. They’re workhorses – and they’ll plow your fields of paper for a price that’s kind to your wallet. Plus, they’re pretty easy on the eyes.

Besides a sleek new industrial design, the ImageScan Pro duo boast an optical resolution of up to 600 dpi, scanning speeds of up to 40 pages per minute and ultrasonic misfeed detection, which means your documents pass through smoothly and your digital images emerge crisp, every time.

All of this is built into a device with a footprint of just 12.5” x 9”, which makes it perfect for virtually any office environment. Keep it in the back for large-scale scanning operations. Or showcase it at reception for forms processing and card scanning. It handles all of this automatically – including legal & letter-sized documents and ID, insurance and credit cards.

A built-in TWAIN driver means it’s compatible with literally thousands of software applications, including AmbirScan. This unique software ships with every model and allows you to manage your scans with simple, one-click imaging presets and drag-and-drop organization.

Both models are also compatible with ScanLink^® Pro, allowing for network scanning in remote desktop services and Citrix^® environments. That means your business or practice is totally connected, so information can get where it needs to be, quickly and securely.

As you might have already guessed, we’re excited about these two new products. We’re even more excited to offer them at a starting price of $695. With such versatile devices, we’re confident we can help change the way your company deals with physical documents & records while streamlining your workflow.

Card scanners or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Ditch the Copier

If you own or work at a medical practice, chances are you’ve got a point of admissions area or reception desk. Hopefully, you’ve hired a friendly face who greets patients and clients with a smile and helpful expediency. They make them feel at ease. Maybe they offer coffee and a welcoming assurance that someone will be with them shortly.

But how often does your receptionist (or as we like to call them, “Director of First Impressions”) say something like:

“Give me just a second. I need to go make a copy of your insurance card.”

Be honest.

If so, your practice is missing a key component of a positive patient experience. After all, patients are paying to be there. Oftentimes they’re nervous. They want personal, specialized attention from the moment they walk in the door. And they deserve it.

But don’t worry. There’s a simple cure. And it has nothing to do with the cloud, tablet computing or any sort of mobile app trickery.

Pure and simple, what your practice needs is a card scanner. It’s a compact little device that captures images quickly, clearly and at the point of admissions.

Now, we’ll be the first to admit: Card scanners aren’t an ultra-glamorous piece of technology. They don’t come equipped with LED screens or near field communication. But they do one thing, and they do it very, very well. One stapler-sized device helps streamline your check-in process and gets valuable information where it needs to be. It represents another valuable piece in the complete document management solution.

Because they’re so small (about 8″x2.5″), card scanners sit comfortably on even the most crowded desk, and they easily interface with network scanning software like ScanLink^® Pro to get clear images of ID and insurance cards into EMR or practice management software. And with network scanning, multiple users can scan into the system simultaneously, which is a whole lot more efficient than waiting in line at the copier. That’s what we like to call “meaningful use.”

And your receptionist (or “Chief Executive of Patient Experience”, whichever you prefer), can do what they do best, without having to head to the back to visit the copier.

Ambir, SOAPware team up for joint venture

We’re proud to announce our new partnership with SOAPware, an industry leader in EMR and practice management solutions. It puts smiles on our faces when we can work with the health IT solutions we’re trying to connect practices to, across the country.

SOAPware forms digital image capture partnership with Ambir Technology

New joint venture brings Ambir hardware, software to SOAPware customers

ELMHURST, ILL., January 23, 2012 – Ambir Technology, a leader in digital image capture solutions, today announced an hardware and software partnership with SOAPware, Inc., a market leader in electronic medical record (EMR) software. The two are confident the union of their product lines brings comprehensive digital document management solutions to customers in the healthcare industry.

“Our customers are looking for an easy, secure way to scan into our EMR software through terminal services. Ambir’s innovative document management products provide a cost-effective solution for the healthcare industry,” said Daniel Cox, director of business development at SOAPware. “Ambir products are designed with a small footprint, which fits well on a front desk, and they boast time-tested reliability and unparalleled sales and support service.”

SOAPware recommends several Ambir scanners for use in conjunction with their EMR and practice management software, including the Ambir ImageScan 820i, a high-speed, automatic-feeding duplex scanner that accommodates full-sized documents and ID cards. They also recommend that customers utilizing SOAPware’s hosted solution implement ScanLink^® Pro, a new Ambir software program that facilitates network scanning, connecting all office workstations to a secure centralized server.

“SOAPware healthcare IT solutions dramatically increase the efficiency of their customers’ practices by putting relevant medical information in doctors’ hands quickly,” said Mike O’Leary, CEO of Ambir Technology. “With our high quality scanners and integration software, we’re excited to give them a secure, streamlined admittance process and an easy way to organize and access their records, as well.”

About SOAPware, Inc.

Founded by physicians, for nearly two decades, SOAPware, Inc. has adhered to a simple philosophy of delivering affordable technology to healthcare providers. Improving healthcare and the quality of life by empowering medical professionals and patients with innovative technology and services is the mission we are committed to achieve. To learn more about SOAPware, visit http://www.SOAPware.com.

About Ambir Technology

For more than ten years, Ambir Technology has been an industry leader in digital capture and content integration products. Specializing in hardware and software solutions in ID card and document management for the healthcare, legal, field services, financial, government and hospitality sectors, Ambir strives to help organizations save time by reducing costs, increasing productivity and improving data security. www.ambir.com

For media inquiries:

Ambir Technology
Marketing Team
630-333-4688
tbush@ambir.com

SOAPware, Inc.
Brad Hampton, Marketing Director
479-466-6014
brad.hampton@soapware.com

How To: Scan directly to Google Docs

It’s time to get even more work done in the cloud.

A few posts ago, we outlined step-by-step instructions for scanning directly to Evernote. Today, we’ll go over how to scan straight to Google Docs – via an easy and useful feature within Presto! PageManager 9, which comes bundled with many Ambir document scanners.

Let’s get to work.

First, we’ll have to log into Google Docs from PageManager. To do that, simply click on the “Log into Google Docs” button and do your thing. It’s next to the Evernote elephant icon, located near the top right of the PageManager interface:

Now that you’re logged into Google, you’ll need to set a path for your scan to follow. For that, click the Scan Buttons Settings near the top right of the interface. Here it is:

This will open a Settings popup window. Scroll down the Google Docs icon located on the left-hand side (it’s highlighted blue in the screenshot).

After that, click the “Property…” button and choose the image format and the path you’d like the note to follow into Google Docs.

(Note: You’ll need to select a specific subfolder to scan into. We recommend creating one in the Google Docs interface named “Scans” or “Tax Stuff” or “Photos of Dogs” or whatever you’re into scanning at the moment.)

After you’ve selected your path, click “OK”.

You may have noticed a new section on the left side of your screen called “Cloud Services”. Or it may have already been there if you’ve scanned into Evernote. This is where you can view both your Evernote and Google Docs directories. Here’s a look at a basic directory:

Now that you’ve set your desired path, you can open the Scan Buttons and click “Scan to Google Docs”. Just follow your normal scanning routine. You’ll find your docs, business cards and photos right where you intended, safely nestled in the cloud and accessible from anywhere.

It’s magic. Well, it’s *like* magic.

Scanning the field: Finding the imaging device for you

You need to scan documents. Or photos or business cards or receipts. That’s easy. Lots of devices that can do that.

But which scanner is right for you?

The good news is, it won’t be hard to figure out. There are a few key questions to ask:

-What will you be scanning?

-How much of it will you be scanning?

-Where will you be doing all this scanning?

If  you can answer these, you’re well on your way to finding your scanner soul mate.

Sheet-fed scanners

Maybe you’re a personal organization guru. You know where everything is. Every receipt for every candy bar or cup of coffee you’ve ever bought is neatly filed away in its corresponding folder. But you’re tired of all that paper. It’s time it all got scanned and incorporated into Evernote or Google Docs.

Compact, powerful and affordable, sheet-fed scanners are perfect for weekend organization warriors. They take up about as much space as a three-hole punch and run on USB power, so they won’t occupy an electrical outlet, which can be at a premium around a home computer desk.

Many sheet-fed scanners, like the Ambir TravelScan Pro, offer one-button scanning straight to PDF, which universalizes your newly digitized documents and allows you to easily upload to the cloud. Sheet-fed scanners are quick, cost-effective and represent a perfect option for at-home users.

Automatic document feeder (ADF) scanners

Maybe you’ve got a whole room full of documents that need scanning. Or you own a small business that has some pretty demanding imaging needs.

ADF scanners are the workhorses on the scanner farm. They’re powerful, resilient and can get a ton done in one day. If you or your business has entire fields of paper to plow through, an ADF scanner is probably the right choice. By allowing you to load it up and walk away, an ADF scanner automates almost the whole process.

There are many affordable ADF options, including the Ambir ImageScan Pro 930u. And many aren’t much bigger than a sheet-fed scanner, so you can have powerful scanning and still not give up that precious desk space.

Card scanners

Perhaps you’re a traveling fiend. You’re on the road, doing business most of your waking hours, and you want to stay organized, connected and on top of things. You need to scan the new business cards you’re always collecting and the receipts you need for filing travel expense reimbursement. Or maybe your medical practice is looking for a super-compact way to scan insurance cards at the point of admissions.

A card scanner fulfills all of these needs and more. The Ambir PS667-AS, for instance, stows nicely in a laptop bag and takes up about as much room as a stapler on a desk. In three seconds, you get crisp images of personal ID, insurance and business cards, without requiring the user to leave the desk to make a physical record at a copier. Many can even handle the embossed characters on credit cards.

Flatbed scanners

If you need to scan irregularly-shaped objects, this is probably the one for you. There’s no machine to “feed” through, so the scanned object can be much thicker than paper. You can just set the object on the pane of glass, cover with the lid, and scan. (Plus, they can play music!)

Unfortunately, flatbed scanners have a larger footprint than the other types we’ve discussed. But for some, the specific need to scan 3D objects outweighs the lost desk space.

Simplex or duplex?

Simplex means one side at a time is scanned. Duplex means both sides are. It’s a simple question, really. Do you want to capture both sides of a document at the same time? Think about the documents you’re typically dealing with. If most of them are double-sided, a duplex scanner is probably the way to go. Single-sided, go with a simplex device.

5 Ways Network Scanning Can Connect (and Improve) Your Business

With a new year comes a new business solution.

Organizations today are totally connected to the world around them. They’re linked to their customers, their competition, and their media outlets. But it seems as if too many organizations employ scanning solutions that fail to even connect their own offices.

Scanning and backup should be easy. It should be automatic. And it should work – every time.

That’s why Ambir is proud to introduce ScanLink Pro, our answer to network scanning. It creates a scanning network in any office or medical practice. And it works. Every time.

Here are five ways it can help you:

1. Scan directly to a server from anywhere

Businesses can attest to what a problem network and remote scanning can pose. Something that seems so simple shouldn’t be so difficult.

You just want to get the information from A to B, without hassle.

With ScanLink Pro, it isn’t hard anymore. Users can complete the install themselves and be scanning to a server in no time. And because it doesn’t create a local folder on the workstation, ScanLink Pro cuts clutter out of the equation.

2. Scan from multiple workstations simultaneously

ScanLink Pro facilitates the ability to scan to a remote server from several stations at the same time. And it works in a remote desktop services or Citrix^® environment.

Reception can scan an ID card into the system while someone scans a stack of patient records in the back. Or two employees in a law firm can scan legal forms into the digital records simultaneously. So long as ScanLink Pro is installed on the workstations and the server, users can scan from anywhere.

ScanLink Pro is a true multitasker.

3. Digital records take up far less space

It’s easy to have stacks and folders full of printed documents take up valuable space.

It’s even easier to have organized digital copies of those documents that take up no space.

ScanLink Pro can help you replace your sagging shelves of records with tidy, integrated storage in a digital content management system.

4. Digital records are more secure

With the aforementioned printed documents, not only do you get less space in your office, but less security, too. Medical practices (who must subscribe to HIPAA laws) know this is a common concern.

Medical records can change hands several times a day, increasing the risk of being compromised.

Why not have them tucked tidily away in a server, where only certified personnel can reach them via a records management system?

5. Digital records are more efficient

Ever spend (waste) time searching for a physical document?

Ever just flat-out lose a printed record?

Yeah, we all have.

That’s why ScanLink Pro is helping to fix it. When your documents are organized and digitized, the relevant users know exactly where to find them via computer. And several users can find the same document simultaneously.

By making it easier to scan and store documents in a database server, ScanLink Pro brings you one step closer to efficient digital records management.

Two ways to scan directly to Evernote

 

Evernote is one of the fastest-growing ways to get organized. It’s a complete software suite that helps the user make “notes” (which can be anything – handwritten reminders, receipts or newly-created content) to stay on top of life. Remember: An elephant never forgets. It’s also available on PC, Mac and all of the major smart phone UIs.

Scanner users can quickly scan and incorporate their physical documents into Evernote in a few different ways. The first is with the Presto! PageManager 9 software, now bundled with all Ambir ADF scanners. The second method utilizes Evernote’s Import Folders function.

PageManager 9:

First, open PageManager, and make sure you’re logged into Evernote. You can do this with one click on the Evernote icon, near the top right of the screen:

Once you’re logged in, you’ll need to set a path for your scan to follow. To do this, click on Scan Buttons Settings in the upper left:

In the resulting Settings popup window, scroll down to the Evernote scan button on the left-hand side of the window (highlighted blue on the screenshot), click the “Property…” button and select the image format and the path you’d like the note to follow within Evernote.

You’ll now notice a section titled “Cloud Services” where you can view your Evernote folder directory. It’s located on the left side of the interface. Here’s what a basic directory looks like:

After you’ve set your desired path, open your Scan Buttons and click “Scan to Evernote” (It’s the green elephant button), and follow your normal scanning procedure.

After that, you’ll find your note waiting for you in Evernote, right where you wanted it.

Evernote Import Folders:

Another way to scan directly to Evernote uses Evernote’s Import Folders. First, you’ll need to create a new folder somewhere on your PC (or Mac), perhaps in your My Documents folder. You can name it whatever you’d like. We’re not picky.

Within Evernote, select “Import Folders…” from the Tools dropdown menu. In the resulting window, click “Add” to create a new Import Folder. Find the folder you just created in Windows (or Mac OS) and click “OK”.

Following that, just select the Import Folder as your file destination within your normal scanning software, follow your normal scanning routine and you’ll be scanning straight to Evernote in no time.

Happy scanning!