ACDSee LuraDocument plug-In
Welcome to LuraDocument® Plug-in

LuraDocument® is a highly innovative software technology designed for compressing and archiving scanned colored documents that combine both text and images.  Users can take high-resolution color scans and make them available as highly compressed files optimized for the Internet, intranet applications and corporate networks.

LuraDocument enables users to overcome the bandwidth challenges of storing scanned documents.  Prior to LuraDocument, the high resolution required to preserve the quality of images, and at the same time keep text readable, created file sizes that were too unwieldy for acceptable download and transfer speeds.

LuraDocument optimizes compression by processing text and image data separately, and applying best suited compression algorithms for the different data structures.  LuraDocument encoder software performs an image analysis that separates the original document into text and image regions.  Text regions are then compressed using a state-of-the-art bitonal compression algorithm while the image regions are compressed using LuraWave®, LuraTech's patented wavelet-based image compression technology.

LuraDocument benefits & features

•	Significant savings in disk and network resources through the use of highly compressed digital documents.

•	Operating system independent standard file format for documents.

•	Significantly higher image quality in comparison to standard compression techniques (like JPEG and Fax Group 4).

•	Automatic partitioning between text and image regions, bitonal compression of text regions, color or grayscale wavelet compression of image regions.

•	Storage of multipage documents in one file.

•	Thumbnail preview images.

See:

Encode Settings


How to Use This Help File

The following are some tips to assist you with the use of this help file.

The help file dialog

Depressing the Help Topics button opens the Table of Contents on the left side of the help file dialog. This is the default setting when you open this help file, as seen below…

To close the Table of Contents to allow for more topic viewing room, click on the button once.

The help file dialog size can be expanded and reduced as needed.  Simply move your mouse pointer to the frame of the dialog, and when the pointer turns into a [image], click your primary mouse button and drag the frame.

Context sensitive help (what’s this?)

With certain application windows, you have the option of clicking on the [image] button located in the top-right corner of the window.

This will change your mouse to the [What’s this?] [image] cursor.  Place the cursor on the area in question to access a brief explanation of the field.

Alternately, you can access the same information by clicking an area with the alternate mouse button.  However, this method will not work with text boxes (those that can be edited).


About this Trial Version

This plug-in is provided as a free trial version.  The plug-in has full image decoding capabilities, but limited encoding capabilities.  30 days after installation the encoding feature will be disabled (i.e., file conversion will not be possible).

See also:

About LuraTech Document Format

How to Purchase the LuraDocument Plug-in


Compressing a File

To compress a file using LuraDocument:

1.	In ACDSee, select the file you would like to compress.

2.	Alternate mouse click on the file and select [Convert…].  The following dialog box will appear:

3.	Select [LuraTech Document Format] and click the [Format settings…] button.  The [LDF Encode Settings] dialog will appear.

4.	Select your compression options; an explanation of these options can be found on the Encode Settings page in this help file.

5.	Click on OK.


Encode Settings

The following contains a description about the LuraDocument encode settings.

Coding Mode Settings

Text Settings

Compression Settings

Note:

•	To save the option settings for use the next time you compress a file, select the [Save these settings as the defaults] checkbox.

•	To restore the options to the system default, click on the [Reset all] button.


Mode
Coding Mode Settings

Mode

There are four coding modes available for LuraDocument compression.  Click on the drop down arrow to make your selection:

Everything:	Text, background image and text color are coded.
Text Only:	All text will be coded as black.  The background image will be discarded.
Image Only:	Only the background image is coded.  All the text in the image will be discarded.
Image/Black Text:	The background image is coded and all text will be coded as black.
Save thumbnail

With this option you can include a small thumbnail version of the image in the image file.  This option is recommended because it will allow you to preview the image quickly without decoding the entire file.


Text Settings

There are several text options for you to choose from when creating a LuraDocument compression.

Quantization

Quantization is the conversion from a colored representation of a grayscale image to a black and white (binary) image.  This binary image is the input for the text detection (the segmentation), which generates the text layer.

There are two different quantization methods available; click on the drop down arrow to make your selection.

Adaptive:	Adapts locally to small regions.
Constant:	Also known as ‘fixed threshold’ quantization.  Uses a given value for the entire image.
Threshold

If the Constant quantization option is chosen, you must select a threshold.  This is the value that will be used to quantize the entire image.  Chose a value between 0 and 255 with 0 being the lowest threshold between black and white and 255 being the highest.

Text sensitivity

This allows you to adjust sensitivity for text detection.  The higher the value is set, the more sensitive the text detection becomes.  For dull images with low contrast, use a high value.

Segmentation

The segmentation stage classifies areas of the document as either text or image regions.   There are three segmentation options; click on the drop down arrow for a list of the options.

Automatic Text Detection:	Automatic segmentation is performed which only detects dark text.
Automatic (Allow Inverse Text):	Automatic segmentation is performed which detects dark text and inverse text (light text on a dark background).
Everything Dark is Text:	No segmentation is performed.  This is the most conservative setting as everything dark in the image is assumed to be text.
Bitonal coder

The text layer may be encoded with either of the following coders.  Select the appropriate radio button.

LDF-Bitonal:	This is a highly efficient bitonal coder, 10-30% better than Fax Group 4.  This option is recommended.
FaxG4:	This is the industry standard bitonal coder.  It allows the text image of your LuraDocument file to be viewed on any TIFF Fax Group 4 compatible image viewer.


Compression Settings

You can alter the compression ratio by moving the slider bar left or right.  A low compression rate will result in high image quality, but a large file size.  A high compression rate will reduce the file size, but compromises image quality.


How to purchase
How to Purchase the LuraDocument Plug-in

The price of the LuraDocument plug-in is $149.95 US.

Ordering

The following methods of ordering are available:

Telephone

Fax

Internet

Postal Mail


Purchasing by Telephone

To purchase by phone:

Call 1 (866) 244-2237 (ACDS)  24 hours a day, 7 days a week

For corporate and site license arrangements:

Call 1 (800) 579-5309  Mon to Fri, 8 am to 5 pm PST

Where international 800 service is unavailable:

Call 1 (250) 544 6700  Mon to Fri, 8 am to 5 pm PST

Payment can be made using one of the following credit cards:

•	MasterCard

•	VISA

•	Discover

•	American Express


Purchasing by Fax

Follow these two steps to purchase by Fax:

1.	Print out and complete the supplied order form.

2.	FAX the completed form to 1 (817) 265-6877.

Alternate fax number: 1 (250) 544 0290.


Purchasing by Internet

You can order online by following this link:
http://www.acdnet.com/english/products/plug-ins/index.htm

Payment can be made using one of the following credit cards:

•	MasterCard

•	VISA

•	Discover

•	American Express


Purchasing by Postal Mail

Follow these two steps to purchase by postal mail:

1.	Print out and complete the supplied order form.

2.	Send the completed order form with your US funds check or money order to one of the addresses listed at the top of the order form.


Order form
LuraDocument Order Form

USA	Canada

ACD Systems, Inc.	ACD Systems, Ltd.

2201 North Collins, Suite #100	PO Box 36

Arlington, TX  76011	Saanichton, BC Canada V8M 2C3

North America	International

Phone: 	1 (800) 414 2237	Phone: 	1 (250) 544 6700

Fax: 	1 (800) 819 2207	Fax: 	1 (250) 544 1085

Date___________________________

Name_________________________________________________________________________________________

Company____________________________________________________	Phone_________________________

Street_______________________________________________________	FAX___________________________

City _________________________	State/Province______	Country___________________ Zip/PC______________

Email______________________@__________________________________________________________________

All amounts are in United States dollars.

Please call about site licenses rates, special educational discounts and other offers.

Single user license	___@ $149.95	=__________

            (or)

Single user license + software on CD-ROM	___@ $159.95	=__________

Disk shipping and handling, if applicable

___ @ $4.95	=__________

Total  (US funds only)	=__________

Method of payment:  Check*___	 Money order___	 MasterCard___	VISA___

* Checks must be from a US bank and be pre-approved (some delay in shipping will result).

Name exactly as on credit card_____________________________________________________________________

Card number____________________________________________________________________________________

Exp. Date_____________ Signature_________________________________________________________________


Technical Support

For more assistance with LuraDocument plug-in, please e-mail us at: acdtech@acdsystems.com.

If you do not have e-mail access, you may telephone us at 1 (250) 544-6701.  Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm PST.

For up-to-date information on LuraDocument plug-in and other products from ACD Systems, please go to http://www.ACDSYSTEMS.com/.


Four coding modes are available for LuraDocument compression:

Everything:	Text, background image and text color are coded.
Text Only:	All text will be coded as black.  The background image will be discarded.
Image Only:	Only the background image is coded.  All the text in the image will be discarded.
Image/Black Text:	The background image is coded and all text will be coded as black.


This allows you to adjust sensitivity for the text detection.  The higher the value is set, the more sensitive the text detection becomes.  For dull images with low contrast, this value should be set to high a value.


Quantization is the conversion from a colored representation of a grayscale image to a black and white (binary) image.  This binary image is the input for the text detection (the segmentation), which generates the text layer.

There are two different quantization methods available.  Either a fixed threshold quantization or an adaptive quantization can be used. The adaptive quantization adapts locally to small regions while constant quantization uses a given value for the entire image.


If the constant quantization option is chosen, you must select a threshold.  This is the value that will be used to quantize the entire image.


The segmentation stage classifies areas of the document as either text or image regions.   There are three segmentation options:

Automatic Text Detection:	Automatic segmentation is performed which only detects dark text.
Automatic (Allow Inverse Text):	Automatic segmentation is performed which detects dark text and inverse text (light text on a dark background).
Everything Dark is Text:	No segmentation is performed.  This is the most conservative setting as everything dark in the image is assumed to be text.


The text layer may be encoded with either of the following coders:

LDF-Bitonal:	This is a highly efficient bitonal coder, 10-30% better than Fax Group 4.  This option is recommended.
FaxG4:	This is the industry standard bitonal coder.  It allows the text image of your LuraDocument file to be viewed on any TIFF Fax Group 4 compatible image viewer.


The desired compression ratio may be altered.  A low compression rate will result in high image quality but a large file size.  A high compression rate will result in poor image quality but a small file size.


These options deal with the text layer of the image.


With this option you can include a small thumbnail version of the image in the image file.  This option is recommended because it will allow you to preview the image quickly without decoding the entire file.