Getting Started with FlexStream Basic

FlexStream Basic is a software program designed for users who need to add scancodes (OMR, 1D or 2D BCR) to their documents to increase integrity and enable automatic processing on inserters and who want to reduce costs by combining documents for the same addressee into single mail pieces.

This article describes the basic steps to setup a project in FlexStream Basic.

In this article:

 

Opening document files

FlexStream can open one or multiple Pdf-files. To open a document file do the following:

  1. On the Home tab, in the Document Files group, click Link.

  2. In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click the drive or folder that contains the document.

  3. In the right pane of the Open dialog box, open the folder that contains the Pdf-file that you want.

  4. Click the document and then click Open.

    Note: You can select multiple files to open by pressing the Ctrl-key and clicking on additional files.

When you have linked a document file to your project, you can link additional files using the Append command. To use Append follow the instructions for opening a single file and then for each file that you want to append, select Append in the Document Files group.

For more information about opening documents files, see Working with document files.

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Capturing document data

FlexStream allows you to define areas on the linked Pdf-file that you can use to identify documents and that you can use to group documents intended for the same recipient. An area you specify and may contain text or graphics

To create an area:

  1. On the Home tab, in the Areas group, click Document Area.

  2. The cursor will then change to a cross and you can use the cursor to draw a rectangle on the document where you want to capture the data.

    When you have drawn the area, the defined area will be overlaid with a colored shade and the Document Area dialog will open.

  3. In the Document Area dialog, do the following:

    • Give the area a descriptive name that allows you to identify the area when you want to use it.

    • Select the type of content. You can select Text or Graphics.

    • In the Type drop-down list, select if you want the application to search every page, first page, or last page in your document for this area.

    • You can use pattern matching, replacements, and formatting to manipulate the captured text and get the result you want.

    Note: You can preview the results of all the settings in the Preview pane of the dialog.

  4. When you are satisfied with the settings, click OK.

For more information about defining document areas, see Document Areas.

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Defining document breaks

A document break is a delimiter that marks the end of one document and the beginning of another, and can be defined based on a fixed number of pages, data contained on a page, or data changing between pages.

To define a document break:

  1. On the Home tab, in the Group group, click Document Break.

  2. In the Document Break dialog, do the following:

    • Select a Break type and its corresponding values in the related boxes. These settings should describe how you want the application to identify the pages that belong together and make up a document.

    • The Mail piece size limits area of the dialog enables you to specify the maximum number of pages that can go in an envelope. This depends on the inserter you are using, and is often also dependent on the processing options you have selected for your job (e.g. fold type).

For more information about defining document breaks, see Document Breaks.

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Grouping documents

Set grouping enables you to group documents for the same receipient into a single mail piece (set).

To group documents into sets:

  1. On the Home tab, in the Group group, click Set Grouping.

  2. In the Set Grouping dialog, do the following:

    • Specify the datasource you want to use for grouping and the type of set grouping you want to carry out.

    • The overcount splitting feature allows you to control what is done when the total number of pages of all documents for a single receipient is larger than the maximum for a mail piece.

For more information about grouping documents, see Set Grouping.

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Adding a scancode

With FlexStream you can add OMR and BCR (1D and 2D) marks that can be read by inserting systems. FlexStream generally refers to these codes as scancodes.

To add a scancode to your document:

  1. On the Home tab, in the Scancode group, click Insert.

  2. In the Scancode Setup dialog, do the following:

    • Select the scancode configuration you want to use.

      The scancode configuration defines the composition of the scancode for your inserter. If you have not yet defined scancode configurations, you will be prompted to do so now. For more information about defining inserter configuratons, see Inserter Configuration.

    • Select or review the scancode type you want to use.

      Note: This list may be disabled if there is only one type of scancode available.

    • In the various panes of the dialog, make the settings you want for your project.

  3. When you are satisfied with the settings, click OK.

For more information about scancodes, see Scancodes.

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Print the document

To print the document:

  1. Click the File tab and then click Print. Then click Print in the right pane.

  2. Under Settings, the default print settings for your printer are selected for you. If you want to change a setting, click the setting you want to change and then select the setting that you want.

    • Under Printer, make sure that the printer that you want is selected.

    • Make sure the options for Print Duplex and Reverse print order are set correctly.

  3. When you are satisfied with the settings, click Print.

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Save the project

To save a project:

  1. Click the File tab.

  2. Click Save As.

  3. In the File name box, enter a name for your project.

  4. Click Save.

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