MetaServer > Help > What is the best Separator Sheet design?

01 Separator Sheet – Introduction

When scanning batches of documents, automatic document separation boosts the speed of your scan process.

There are many ways to separate documents on the fly, like sticking a small QR label on the first page of each page, but you can also use separator sheets that you put before each first page of a document in a batch.

We have designed an optimized separator sheet with QR codes, because their detection is fast and reliable. The QR codes are printed in different angles, so you can scan the sheet in any direction and the barcode reader will always detect at least one of them very quickly.

We have tried different positions, sizes and other barcode types to get the most reliable separation result. Based on this research we have created PDF templates for both A4 and Letter Size paper.

At the end of this page, you’ll find a link to the PDF templates and instructions how to print the sheets and set up the Separation rules.

A4 SIZE

02 Printing Instructions

1. Download the PDF template

For regions using Letter Size paper:

Download the PDF Template for Letter Sized Paper

For regions using A4 paper:

Download the PDF Template for A4 Sized Paper

2. Use Adobe Reader DC or equivalent to print your separator sheets

IMPORTANT: Make sure to set page sizing or scaling in your printer setup to “actual size” or 100%. Avoid settings like fit to margins or fit to paper.

Below are the recommended Adobe Reader DC printer settings.

For the most accurate separation results, always print the separator sheets from the original PDF. Do not copy an already printed separator sheet.

3. Separate on QR Code – Setup

The QR codes in the templates all contain the same word: “SEPARATOR”.

Consequently, we want to configure document separation to create a separation point when it detects a QR code with the value “SEPARATOR”.

We have instructions for the case where the separation is performed by MetaServer, or if separation is performed by Kofax Express.

1. Configuring MetaServer

1) Create a field and give it a meaningful name, like “Separator” or “Separator Word”.

2) Add a Separate Document / Process Page action to your workflow.

3) Add and Extract Barcode rule. Set the Separator field to the field you’ve just created (e.g. “Separator”).

Since the separator sheet itself is not required for the output, you can remove it after separation by setting the “Delete page” option to “separator”.

1. Main settings

Types: Only select QR code
Multiple Read: Disabled
Maximum barcodes: 1
Deskew mode: Pre-printed barcodes
Skew line jump: 100

3. Advanced Image Processing Settings

Line Jump: 50
Use fast scan: Enabled
Fast scan line jump: 100

5) Test your separation action by pressing the Preview button.

All pages of your test document will be analyzed and when a QR code detected, a new document will be generated and the separator sheet will be deleted from the document.

2. Configuring Kofax Express

1) Open the Bar Code Setup tab

2) Select QR Code as the bar code type from the Separation drop down button

3) Enter 9 as the Minimum length (the word SEPARATOR contains exactly 9 characters)

4) Enter “SEPARATOR” as the Format including the quotation marks.

5) To test, scan a document prepared with the QR separator sheet.