OMR: Optical Mark Recognition
Optical mark readers have been used for decades and have been determined to be the fastest, most cost-effective and accurate means for getting data into a computer system. Designing, producing and storing OMR forms, however, has not been as efficient.
Outsourcing Challenges
- Lead time to design and obtain preprinted scannable forms is on average 5 weeks.
- Often requires minimum quantity purchase that places a high demand on storage and inventory.
- High cost of form creation and printing. Additional charges apply for customization, foreign languages and duplex forms.
Solution
Creating OMR forms electronically provides a significant cost savings over the traditional pre-printed method and allows for on-demand customized printing.
VisionDP and Proform/DeskTop Designer allow OMR forms to be designed and created right at your PC for print on common high-speed and desktop laser printers. The critical alignment of the OMR form elements is handled entirely by the software. Therefore, there is never a need to manually align timing marks with response bubbles and form identification marks.
Other common OMR design techniques, such as title boxes, written response boxes and response numbering, are also automated. Once your OMR form is designed, it can easily be printed.
Benefits
- Lytrod Software's VisionDP, Proform and DeskTop Designer enable in-house replication of OMR forms
- Enables In-Plant control to design customized from without waiting for outsourcing turn-around time
- OMR and data can be printed simultaneously
- Easy creation of OMR objects and drag-and-drop data placement and data field assignment
- Fast design and print turnaround, even for high-volume runs
Lytrod Software Designer Features
- Automatic creation and alignment of timing marks and form identification marks
- Automatic box drawing around responses
- Add written-response boxes
- Customize responses by changing box style, thickness and shading
- Automatic numbering of items and questions
- Wide selection of "bubble" shapes including circles, ovals, boxes, rectangles, etc.
- Customize bubbles by choosing font, style and size
- Easily change bubble direction
- Title information becomes part of OMR responses and is formatted accordingly
- Sophisticated grid layouts that ensure proper alignment of OMR elements with other form elements such as text
- Supports 6X5, 6X6 and 6X8 form layouts, 40 and 48 channel
