Solutions: Using Multifunction Devices

Most offices now have one or many MFDs set up on their internal networks. An MFD (Multifunction Device), also known as an MFP (Multi Function Printer/Product/Peripheral) or an all-inone (AiO), or even a mopier (Multiple Optical coPIER) is commonly used in small, medium, and large size offices to allow users to copy, print, fax, and scan documents using a single device.

The sample configuration shown automates documents that are scanned on MFDs:

• Extremely easy for end users, especially if control sheets are used.
• Repurpose existing hardware infrastructure.
• Set as the first step for a variety of business cases: expense reports, archiving, and data entry.

A Note On Control Sheets

Control sheets are a way for the Content Workspace Processor to know something about the documents being scanned and processed.

Control sheets are generally printed out ahead of time, then used and reused by people every time they scan.

For example, if users occassionally want a scanned document emailed to themselves, they would have a control sheet with their email address. Suppose that user receives some correspondence that they would like to have in a PDF file so they can forward it to someone in another office. They would put it into the MFD with the control sheet as the first page and press "Go". The MFD would send the document to the Content Workspace Processor. CWS Processor would recognize the email address on the control sheet and send it to that recipient.

Control sheets can also do the following:

• Specify that the page is the beginning of a new document.
• Specify a repository to send the document.
• Specify metadata about the document: author, department, study, etc.
• Specify repository information: document type, lifecycle, workflow, etc.
• Email the document to a specific recipient.
• Store the document in a folder.
• Attach a signed form to a specific Microsoft Word document in Documentum or a file system.