PRO DocNow: All the Document Re-Engineering Power You Need. When You Need It!

Processing in the Cloud Saves Time and Money

Virtually all printing operations that receive print-image data from internal or external clients need to manipulate that data before printing for a number of different purposes. PRO DocNow is a new way to handle document re-engineering tasks. Operating in a secure private cloud, PRO DocNow can perform all the modifications available from an on-premises software solution at a fraction of the cost.

Challenges

Virtually all printing operations that receive print-image data from internal or external clients need to manipulate that data before printing for a number of different purposes. They may need to change the appearance of the printed documents by adding mail inserting barcodes or moving the address block to align with envelope windows. On other occasions, clients request more striking modifications, such as adding variable data color or changing page layouts.

Often times the print files have been created in formats that are not compatible with the organization’s printers or print management software and need to be converted into a compatible print language. Many PDF print files are not efficient and can cause processing and printing delays without being optimized.

Often the print data has not been properly prepared for the post office and requires any number of postal optimizations to be processed against it to keep postage costs in check.

A challenge for many organizations is they may only need document re-engineering occasionally. Perhaps only one of their repetitive monthly jobs needs manipulation or a new job requires data extraction, control marks, or document enhancement. Purchasing on-premises software systems for occasional document re-engineering may not be cost-effective.

Without the ability to manipulate print-image data, print service providers (PSPs) will miss new revenue opportunities or struggle with inefficient workflows. Until recently, on-premises installation was the only choice.

Document Re-Engineering has never been this easy

PRO DocNow is a new way to handle document re-engineering tasks. Operating in a secure private cloud, PRO DocNow can perform all the modifications available from an on-premises software solution at a fraction of the cost. This service is a perfect solution for companies that cannot justify the expense of licensing and maintaining full-time on-premises software but still need the functionality such a system offers.

Full-Service Document Re-Engineering PRO DocNow provides document professionals with everything they need to correct or enhance documents. Whether the aim is improving document useability and appearance or making documents compatible with a standard document processing workflow, PRO DocNow’s functions will satisfy your requirements.

Here are some functions of document re-engineering software that companies use the most

Adding, Moving of Enhancing Data

Clients do not always design their documents to be compatible with available mail inserting equipment. They may lack the right barcodes, or have barcodes positioned improperly for cameras on the equipment. Solving this issue is the most common task for document re-engineering software. Converting or moving barcodes so documents process smoothly throughout the entire document processing operation is a simple task for document-re-engineering software.

As print service operations migrate to high-speed inkjet printing, they look for ways to maximize the productivity of their new printers. One popular strategy is combining small jobs into larger print runs. A challenging aspect to this approach is the location of mailing address blocks. To mail the documents from a combined print job, you must position the addresses to show through the window of an outbound envelope shared by all the documents. Software must move the address blocks to align with the new standard window location.

Print Stream Transforms

If your print devices all accept PDF and PostScript print streams, what happens if a customer sends you an AFP or Xerox Metacode file to print? You must convert those foreign print streams into a format your printers can ingest. That requires a transformation built into PRO DocNow. Use this on-demand software to accommodate those difficult jobs customers often insist service providers accept before they will award the lucrative work the print provider desires.

Without print stream transformation, print service companies will often run low volume or infrequent foreign print streams on a small printer purchased solely for this purpose. Alternatively, they subcontract the work to someone else. Either of these solutions decreases profits and is risky as they circumvent normal controls and workflow. Errors, data exposure, or competitive poaching are additional risks.

With PRO DocNow, the anomalies and associated risks are eliminated. Simply upload the print-image file and receive back a converted print file you can run on your preferred production equipment.

PDF Optimization

All PDF files are not created equal.

After all, PDFs are really programs, and some run very well, but others cause many issues when they are processed or printed.

PRO DocNow has CrawfordTech’s popular PDF Accelerator built into it, so it can be used to optimize PDF files for fast printing and processing. Using it for those problem PDFs is a very cost-effective way to solve many problems.

All PDF files are not created equal.

After all, PDFs are really programs, and some run very well, but others cause many issues when they are processed or printed.

PRO DocNow has CrawfordTech’s popular PDF Accelerator built into it, so it can be used to optimize PDF files for fast printing and processing. Using it for those problem PDFs is a very cost-effective way to solve many problems.

Colorizing

Color added to a document helps improve readability and comprehension. Sometimes, colorizing key areas of a document can have a dramatic effect on the number times customers call with questions, decreasing overall support costs.

In a white paper processing environment, color printing is essential. Color logos, form elements, or other graphics allow you to eliminate pre-printed paper stock and combine jobs to create documents more efficiently and less expensively. Give new life to monochrome documents created with legacy software without ever touching the code that generates the pages!

In the United States, changes in postage rates over the years have allowed mailers to add pages of marketing or informational content to transactional documents with no increase in postage. Companies can leverage the power of color in full-page promotional messages to create personalized and highly segmented offers — a vast improvement over pre-printed inserts.

Studies show that color increases brand recognition and information retention. With PRO DocNow, your print operation can add value to documents without a large investment in software or requiring IT or development support to change document composition routines.

Data Extraction

Print operations can add value to the documents they produce for their internal or external clients by pulling data from print image files.

Some standard data extraction tasks include information necessary to build mail inserter data files. These Mail Run Data Files (MRDF) tell the inserter how many pages go in each envelope, whether to divert a mailpiece, and which inserts to use. Mailpiece integrity systems use MRDF data to halt the machine if pages are out of sequence, missing, or duplicated so the operator can correct the error. MRDF files can also control printers mounted on inserting machines to print the envelopes with mailing addresses, return addresses, branding elements, or personalized messages.

Companies often use data extracted from print-image files to create indexes used by document archiving systems. When they load images into the document archive, the extracted information allows users to retrieve the documents using account numbers, names, or other data. Transactional documents contain a wealth of information about purchases, usage, customer loyalty levels, and more. Organizations can use the data already present in the documents to enhance the value of the communications and forge a closer relationship with each customer.

Consider the impact of data-driven advertisements based on the detail lines of an invoice, for instance. Customers may see dynamically generated ads for accessories or extended warranties associated with their purchases, depending on the data extracted from the invoice detail lines.

How it Works

PRO DocNow operates in a secure AWS private cloud environment. The service processes each file according to pre-defined specifications. Requested operations may include print stream transformations, colorization, data extraction, adding barcodes, or any other supported function.

New job definition is easy with PRO DocNow and requires no special technical skills. Crawford Technologies’ technical team will code the transformation and re-engineering instructions for the software according to your specifications and requests. Once defined, your job will be registered in the cloud application and added to your Directory Monitor. All you have to do is ensure your processes place the file to be reengineered in the appropriate location for it to be picked up by the Directory Monitor.

Crawford Technologies customers pay for PRO DocNow only when they use it. The cost is based on the number of pages processed.

The PRO DocNow Directory Monitor is a small application that is installed on-premises and watches for print files to be processed. It automatically identifies files and sends them to the processing application in the cloud. Once the job is completed, the cloud service automatically sends re-engineered print files back to Directory Monitor where they can be automatically placed wherever they need to be for printing or downstream processing. Directory Monitor also maintains back-up data and manages notifications, alerts, and audits. Users have visibility into activity via a web-based dashboard.

Benefits for Print Service Providers

You can improve your revenue because your operation will never have to turn down work or need to develop elaborate manual workarounds to process incoming files in the most efficient way. The power of PRO DocNow is available when you need it and remains dormant and waiting for work when you do not.

Cost savings can accrue since your document operations need not invest in the servers, maintenance, IT support, or seat licenses connected with commercial grade on-premises software. Simply establish an account and begin working with the professionals at Crawford Technologies to set up your first job. Once jobs are registered, processing can continue automatically.

PRO DocNow is useful for both in-plant print operations and outsource PSPs. In-plants can use the system to optimize utilization among their printing platforms. As they migrate to a white paper factory environment, they can adjust positions of address blocks and other elements that allow them to combine jobs.

Color and data-driven messaging based on document contents can add value to the documents they produce for their organization, with no need to fund an expensive IT development project.

Outsource PSPs support many applications from multiple clients. The disparity in formats, document control marks, and layout makes document re-engineering a must-have capability. Without this functionality, the work will be less profitable or even lost to a competitor.

PSPs operate in a highly competitive marketplace where clients sometimes view document services as a commodity. To stand out from the competition and achieve higher profit margins, PSPs must add value. Document re-engineering enabled by PRO DocNow is a straightforward way to achieve that goal. Show potential clients how to improve CX through the documents they thought were just a necessary expense. This strategy can allow PSPs to win business and price services based on the value they provide.

The CCM business is subject to rapid change as business technology advances. Organizations are striving to provide superior CX, and that effort includes the transactional documents they send to their customers. With the on-demand features of PRO DocNow, print operations can make improvements in the documents they produce for their internal or external clients. The re-engineered documents will support the client’s CX objectives.

Organizations sometimes face unexpected difficulties as they process infrequent jobs such as end-of-year tax documents. Instead of scrambling to make program changes, they can adjust the documents with PRO DocNow and avoid begging for the IT support necessary to meet looming reporting deadlines.

What About Operations Express?

Operations Express is the on premises document re-engineering and print stream transformation product that Crawford Technologies’ clients have counted on for years.

CrawfordTech continues to support and maintain and extend Operations Express, and clients may purchase this on-premises solution. For organizations with high volume continuous usage requirements, an on-premises solution may make more sense. PRO DocNow users can upgrade to Operations Express if their needs change in the future, and the job definitions can be easily moved.

PRO DocNow gives companies with less-strenuous requirements and a cloud operations strategy the way to benefit from the functionality of print-image file re-engineering without the expense, administrative and functional issues and complications associated with an on-premises installation.

Use Cases

Peak Processing Periods

Consider a PSP or in-plant print operation that prints and mails statements for financial institutions. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for this type of work can vary, based upon the type of document, its criticality and other factors. Processing the monthly statements which require document re-engineering is no problem for a company that uses an on-premises solution.

However, processing quarter-end and year-end statements can be a challenge. At these peak processing times, the volume of work swells by 50% or more. With an on-premises solution the organization must buy extra servers to process the document re-engineering work within the allowed time. These servers process jobs for just a few days at the beginning of each quarter. They sit idle the rest of the time.

With PRO DocNow, organizations can take advantage of the additional processing power needed during peak periods with no extra investment in hardware or software. PRO DocNow automatically allocates AWS servers when required based on the load.

White Paper Factory

​Installing a full-color inkjet press allows print operations to generate more print in a shorter time, saving money on equipment and labor. The challenge, however, is feeding the new press with enough data to keep the machine running at optimal speed. Frequent starts and stops are wasteful and inefficient on high-speed inkjet presses.

In a white paper document factory, print jobs no longer need pre-printed shells. Print organizations often combine documents from multiple small jobs into a single large job for efficient processing, but with no pre-printed stock, the variable data must be merged with electronic versions of forms, logos, and static text. PRO DocNow can read the print-image data, determine the proper form overlay, and apply the overlay to the data stream in a format that is ready to print in your environment.

Another issue with combining jobs is the placement of the address block so it shows properly through the window of a common envelope. PRO DocNow helps here as well, by lifting the address information from the original print image and moving it to the proper location on the page.

Address Quality

The US Postal Service extends postage discounts to mailers that correct addresses and presort the mail.

With PRO DocNow, print operations can extract mailing addresses from print ready & print-image files and process the data through postal preparation software.

PRO DocNow then places the standardized and updated addresses, including the USPS Intelligent Mail barcodes, back on the proper pages in the print file.

Extend Application Life

Many of the programs that still compose transactional documents were written decades ago in languages such as COBOL. The source code may no longer exist, or the organization cannot compile the programs if they need to make a change. Even worse, most of the people that could program in COBOL are no longer in the workforce. This may also happen with older CCM composition software.

If organizations want to make even a minor change to printed transactional documents because of regulations or other changes in the business, document re-engineering software is a must. Without ever touching the legacy source code or calling back an old programmer, companies can change their documents and delay an expensive re-programming project.

eDelivery Formatting

Companies deliver many documents electronically, but the programs that generate them were designed strictly for print. Viewing those images as PDF files on mobile devices is impractical. With PRO DocNow, companies can transform the print-image files to mobile-friendly, responsive, HTML5 and deliver the information via a customer portal.

Cloud applications are common business solutions today. Companies are seeking them as a first option in many cases. They do not want the overhead expense and infrastructure costs that come with on-premises solutions unless they are absolutely necessary.

Document re-engineering is no different. Finally, it is possible to pay for these services only when you need them. You can stop investing in the year-round expense of hardware and software while using it only at peak times or for certain jobs in your print production operation.

PRO DocNow customers need not have document engineering resources on staff to generate the documents desired by their internal or external clients. Just sign up and begin making document improvements.