Nuance is excellent at recognizing and exposing text hidden in images; however, processing some PDFs, documents with oversized pages, and certain types of bitmaps can be a challenge. Adlib Software is able to pre-process these types of documents, and manage the success of the Nuance engine, to ensure the best output for a number of conditions.

Adlib provides a simple, flexible interface for performing all different types of document transformation. OCR - for recognizing text on image documents - is one type. The Adlib OCR solution uses the Nuance SDK for the recognition of text due to its superior accuracy and throughput capabilities.

Benefits of Adlib OCR working with Nuance SDK:

• A much simpler interface for integration (.NET Web Service & XML Job Ticket)

• Practically limitless scalability with automatic load balancing and intelligent job management

• Support for processing 300+ file types to PDF or other formats. You can even process images within MS Word files etc. via OCR to make all content searchable.

• Metadata-based rules processing capabilities via our forthcoming Director Web Service

• Pre-Processing capability to enhance OCR accuracy and throughput Enhanced / Extended PDF support (Bookmark retention, PDF annotation retention [image only]. These 4 important elements are lost when processing strictly through Nuance

• Document failure prevention. Our server based tools provide enterprise ready job management and fault tolerance to ensure maximum availability and throughput

• Enhanced automated error handling (based on document recognition quality) so that system output can be tailored to meet requirements

•  Extremely large document support (in terms of # of pages. In house testing of 15,000+ pages, limited by HD space only)

•  Automated OCR zoning to draw content from specific page locations

•  Seamless workarounds to a number of known issues/limitations in the Nuance engine

• Only versions of Nuance which meet our high quality standards for accuracy and stability are included saving our customers and partners valuable testing time

• Access to a rich set of functionality available in our Conversion, Publishing & Recognition products modules through an integrated interface

• Training, Support and Software for ISV Partners

Jeff Brand
Senior Technical Account Manager
Adlib Software

There’s a lot of excitement around the office right now; our veteran account executive Meagan Macpherson has just landed a major enterprise-wide deployment of Adlib Express at the world’ third largest pharmaceutical company! 

The company is using our solution across its global organization, in conjunction with Microsoft SharePoint  , to meet the strict regulatory compliance requirements of its industry.

It’s all part of a bigger trend that we call ‘the evolution of regulatory publishing through submission-ready PDFs.”

It makes sense that this Big Pharma organization has decided to take document rendering very seriously in order to meet compliance and regulatory requirements - and for them, that meant deploying Adlib's PDF conversion as a service.

They’ve been our customer for several years now - using Adlib Express in embedded applications implemented through various document management and regulatory compliance systems. But then they saw the opportunity to deploy Adlib more broadly as part of their enterprise-wide SharePoint implementation.

SharePoint is increasingly seen by many organizations as a flexible, configurable platform that can include documents appropriate for compliance requirements - as well as being a collaborative process.

The document trail gets pretty complicated at this pharmaceutical oranization. Their 80,000-plus employees produce thousands of documents each day out of facilities spanning three continents – documents that undergo significant collaboration over the course of several months.

 Big factors in the organization’s decision to go with Adlib Express include:

• The number of users working on a single document
• The multiple iterations of these documents
• The need for version control
• The requirement of meeting strict regulatory requirements
• The need for control and standardization of documents

 The immediate rollout of the enterprise deployment in North America means this company can now create submission-ready PDFs in the publishing of their FDA submissions - such as the 21 CFR Part 11 standard.

In the near future, the Adlib Express enterprise deployment will extend to EMEA submissions in Europe.

Our pharmaceutical client has told us they’ve already experienced increased capacity throughput and decreased QA time required to proofread documents; and they expect it will lead to an accelerated time-to-market for their products.

Oh yeah, and the top two companies in “Big Pharma” are also our customers; they currently use Adlib Express in embedded applications through various document management systems. Stay tuned for more updates and customer announcements!

Brian Maguire
VP, Sales & Marketing
Adlib Software

In this post, I’ll discuss how Nintex Workflow can be used with PDF for SharePoint to create workflows that include converting documents to PDF. This is what the finished workflow looks like with Nintex (see right). 

Workflows are used implement these types of business processes within SharePoint. SharePoint comes with a few workflows out of the box, but usually companies need to make their own to suit their particular business requirements. 

There are several products that can be used to create workflows in SharePoint. Some of the most popular workflow building products are:

• K2 blackpoint
• Microsoft SharePoint Designer (SPD)
• Nintex Workflow 2007

I am a fan of Nintex because it is easy to use, it provides an intuitive, graphical web browser interface that allows you to build complex workflows quickly and easily. Within minutes of installing it I was able to create a simple approve and publish workflow that included these steps:

• Request approval of the selected document
• If approved, set Document Status metadata column to TRUE and convert the document using PDF for SharePoint
• If declined, send a notification to the author

How it was done

The integration between Adlib and Nintex makes it very easy to add document rendering to your workflows. You simply insert a “Start Workflow” Action into the workflow you are building in Nintex, and then configure it to invoke any of the Adlib workflows for SharePoint that are deployed on your system. A list will automatically appear within the Configure Action window in the Nintex interface. It is easier and more interesting to show how this was done, watch this 30 second video to see how PDF conversion can be added to an approval workflow using Nintex and Adlib PDF for SharePoint.

See this short YouTube video for a visual demonstration of how this is done.

Converting documents to PDF is often part of a larger business process. Two examples of where this is used are:

• Converting documents, such as SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) manuals, to PDF after being approved so they can be published for internal use
• Applying electronic signatures to approved documents

Paul Dyck
Product Manager
Adlib Software 

If you will be in Las Vegas for the SharePoint Pro Summit, March 16-19, please drop by the Adlib Software booth. We will be there to talk about implementing document conversion to PDF using PDF for SharePoint.

Hope to see you in Las Vegas!

In PDF conversion solutions, the user experience is directly related to the total cost of ownership. If the conversion process is too complicated or offers too many options at the user level, the users may neglect important formatting steps. Or worse, they may fail to use the system at all, sabotaging larger objectives of converting documents to universally accessible and portable PDF format. Likewise, desktop-based PDF conversion solutions create work for IT staff in installing, training and maintaining the individual systems. For large multi-user environments, the costs of desktop solutions may also become prohibitive.

Server-based conversion solutions offer benefits to users, IT and cost considerations. Because they can be set up, wholly or in part, as background services that automatically convert documents according to pre-set business rules, they free users from concerns about standard conversions, and enable exceptional jobs to be routed to staff with more extensive formatting skills. The IT staff is relieved of desktop-related work, and the overall licensing costs may be significantly reduced.

Adlib is the leader in server-based solutions for document transformation, OCR and publishing. Its solutions integrate seamlessly into the user interfaces, such as Office applications or SharePoint, that are already familiar to the users.

The corporate requirements for PDF conversion is bound to grow as the benefits of portability and accessibility become more visible in the organization. The ease of scalability is a major factor in system selection.

Server-based conversion systems should offer a simple means to add processors to support growing volume and addition of more processing-intensive file types, such as complex or graphical files. Resource management, such as load balancing, should be a part of the underlying features of the system.

Adlib Express simplifies the addition of another server under the centralized system management to a matter of minutes. Advanced resource management options are built into the software architecture.

Scott Mackey
Director - Product Management
Adlib Software

The quality of rendering output is judged on clarity and fine detail, as well as fidelity to the original. A simple comparative test of the PDF rendering among competing solutions will usually show significant difference in the visual refinement of the pages.

True fidelity to the original is the mark of an advanced solution. Any conversion software will render a word-processed document into PDF, as long as you expect it to reformat it in terms of layout and pagination. But for a “light table match” of a highly formatted document with graphical elements, there are very few contenders in the market. Conversion of complex or graphically dense files requires multi-layered management of page design, graphics and fonts, and navigation elements.

The benefit of this level of quality production extends beyond the dependable reproduction of formatted or graphical pages needed for regulatory submissions or similarly mission-critical uses. It also opens up a world of new opportunities for use of the rendering solution, such as incorporation of digital signatures, conversion of schematics for easy portability for field crews, automated generation of picture-perfect marketing materials and signed correspondence, and flawless digital publishing.

Adlib has been recognized for both the exceptional refinement of its renderings and the “light table match” of its fidelity to the original by corporations that routinely generate complex documents and publish to exacting standards.

Scott Mackey
Director - Product Management
Adlib Software

As a Silver Sponsor at this year’s ShareFest, Adlib Software is able to extend an invitation to the conference to you at a 15% reduced cost. The discount can be obtained at the time of registration by clicking on the Register Now button at www.sharefestconference.com. An access code will need to be used. To receive this code, please e-mail us at communication@adlibsoftware.com. Use of this code will trigger the 15% discount. This discount offer expires February 26, 2010. 

Scott Mackey
Director - Product Management
Adlib Software

Not all PDF conversion solutions are created equal. The needs of a busy document management environment can be complex, varying from one department to another, one file type to another, or the requirements of a specific document type such as invoices orCAD designs. The ideal solution can handle it all.

Important options include optical character recognition to convert non-searchable PDFs or scanned paper documents into searchable PDFs. The system should be easily integrated into workflows and archiving structures of enterprise document management (EDM) solutions, as well as popular platforms such as SharePoint. Efficiency features such metadata enrichment for management of multiple formatting standards and easy job ticket creation to further leverage the rendering engine should be standard.

The depth and flexibility of Adlib’s flagship solution,Adlib Express, reflects the years of meeting individual customer requests for new features, which are then extended to the entire customer base in regular upgrades.

Considering the features offered with a solution could be one of the most important steps to take when choosing PDF conversion software.

Scott Mackey
Director - Product Management
Adlib Software

File transformation capability is the single most important feature of PDF conversion solutions, and a broad range of formatting options is key to making the most of PDF conversion. This begins with the ability to produce any type of PDF, depending on the PDF file’s function, such as archiving, research databases or regulatory submissions. In addition, the solution should be able to convert the full range of original document types that could possibly be presented to the system, from the MS Office applications to proprietary solutions. Finally, the solution should be able to render in other file formats, as well as PDF, such as Word or HTML.

Beyond that, formatting capabilities should address other business issues, such as supporting corporate standards of consistent page design and font, as well as watermarking, time-stamping and document security. Navigation elements such as table of contents, hyperlinks and bookmarks should be configurable to meet organizational or regulatory standards. Merge functions should enable compilation of multiple files into a single document with integrated navigation elements.

When choosing a PDF conversion solution, be sure to choose one that meets the highest standards of formatting. It should also be flexible, with exceptional formatting capabilities. To learn about Adlib’s solution for PDF conversion click here. 

Scott Mackey
Director - Product Management
Adlib Software