ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Scantron expands its extensive family of leading-edge, data collection solutions with the introduction of an innovative new scanner. Clarity 120(tm) is the first scanner to combine intelligent mark recognition with document image capture in a single pass.
Clarity 120 is available in an image-only model or bundled with Scantron Intelligent Mark Recognition (SIMR) technology, which improves the scanner's ability to correct common misidentification of marks on documents.
Increased Operator Productivity
Traditional scanners are rated on how many pages per minute (ppm) can be scanned, a statistic that is often misleading because it does not take into account misfeeds or mis-identified documents and data. Scanner operators must then stop batches or rescan documents, a time-consuming process. Clarity 120 and the SIMR technology address this situation by combining high-speed (7,200 images per hour), direct path, duplex image capture with the capability to repair damaged forms and correct misfeeds.
Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) forms contain printed tick marks that scanners use to identify forms and locate filled-in bubble information. If the form is damaged, upside down or backwards, Scantron's SIMR technology electronically re-generates the marks allowing Clarity to process a form where a traditional OMR scanner would have stopped.
"Clarity and SIMR set a new standard in data collection," said Mark Espinola, president of Scantron's Data Collection division. "We have combined production-level data collection with high-resolution imaging in a single device and made it available at a department level."
SIMR: A New Benchmark for Data Accuracy
SIMR employs sophisticated error correction algorithms to correct mistakes common with traditional data collection scanners, such as misidentification of check marks, "Xs", erasures and bubbles. SIMR also recognizes marks that are completed in either ink or pencil, without requiring the operator to change cartridges.
Another innovative feature of Clarity 120 is dynamic barcode recognition, which eliminates the need for separator sheets in many applications. The flexibility of detecting barcodes on OMR forms or other documents at the time of scan reduces the size of document images and the time needed for batch scanning.
"The addition of Clarity 120 and SIMR continues our mission to provide customers with open standards-based, feature-rich data collection solutions," said Espinola. Other Scantron data collection products include:
-- Cognition, an automated forms process solution for workstation
or production level
-- eListen, which provides paper, e-mail, Intranet and Web-based
survey and reporting capabilities
-- ClassClimate, which provides Web and paper-based faculty
evaluations and analysis
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