View scanned documents in any web browser without plug-in
Using File, Export to WEB in PixEdit, you can convert and publish any supported document type to a web server. Both single page and multi page documents may be exported.  The result is searchable and viewable in all types of web browsers without any need for plug-ins or view software. Since PixEdit is exporting your documents using plain HTML code, no special action is required by the reader to view the exported documents.

For easy navigation in multi page documents, a frame with clickable page thumbnails is displayed, as well as an optional search field. The picture below shows how an exported scanned file looks in Internet Explorer.

Click here to view a multi page exported document.

To browse to a page, click on any of the page thumbnails. Most browsers support additional methods for page browsing, such as the mouse wheel, PgUp and PgDn keys. Some internet browsers also support page zooming with Ctrl+mouse wheel.

With a high resolution screen, several pages may be shown simultaneously. Since PixEdit exports your documents using frames, a user may rearrange the space used for page thumbnails and main document.

General information about Export to WEB
PixEdit supports publishing using either FTP or direct access to any folder on your web server. If you want to export and publish just a few documents you can do this using File, Export to WEB. However, if you need to publish hundreds or even millions of documents it is better to automate the process using the Batch Wizard.

As an alternative, your document management system may automatically instruct PixEdit (using a programmed interface) to export a requested document by a web visitor and then later delete the generated document in order to save space on the web server. Note: this requires programming by qualified personnel.

Regardless of input formats such as TIFF, PDF, HPGL and so on, PixEdit will, during export, generate easy-to-read pages in JPG, GIF or PNG format with configurable resolution and quality. For best possible flexibility, PixEdit offers configuration of page resolution, page thumbnail size, placements and more. If you change the default values in this dialog, it is a good idea to preview the results of your changes before exporting many documents.

Exported documents will, most likely, require more storage space than the original scanned document as web browsers cannot read files compressed with commonly used compression methods such as CCITT Gr. 4 or JBIG2.  Documents scanned in pure black/white mode are therefore converted to a file format readable by the browser. During this process the resolution is reduced without significant reduction of readable quality. For pages scanned in greyscale or color, required storage space is usually less than the original scanned document.

Please note: exported documents should not be regarded as backup copies of your original scanned documents.
 

Configuring Export to WEB

Style This setting defines the general look of your exported documents. You can choose between Standard, Art deco, Seaside and other styles.

Text search Check this option to add a search field on each exported page. Some document types may already be searchable, but if the original document does not contain searchable text, PixEdit will perform OCR. Please note: this option is not visible if you don’t have the optional OCR snap-in module. The searchable text itself will not be visible; instead it will be hidden behind the original scanned graphics. This ensures the original document is still exactly as scanned, even if the OCR process makes mistakes.

Page range Default page range to be exported is all pages, but you may also export any page range selected in the Composition Window. You may also specify the page range manually by typing, for example, 5-10 in the page range field.

Save image as (preferred image type) PixEdit will by default use JPG as default image type, but other image types readable by Internet browsers are available. You can choose between JPG, GIF or PNG. JPG will usually generate the smallest files, especially if you choose a low JPG quality such as 30 or 40. Note: making very small files may seriously affect readability. Default JPG quality is 50. For almost lossless quality, choose a higher value. By definition, GIF and PNG are lossless formats.

Thumbnail page When exporting multi page documents, it is good practice to always use this option. The exported web page will contain an easy to use page navigation window as defined in setting Frame/table Layout. Default position for page thumbnails is on the left side of the main window.

Image and page thumbnail sizes You can define your own sizes in pixels, but we recommend checking the option Suggest image and thumb sizes, as this ensures correct image horizontal / vertical aspect ratio as well as a 10:1 ratio between page thumbnails and main image.

Where to save image files You can choose between different predefined structures for storing the images in your exported web. You can use a flat structure, storing the images in the same folder as the main file, in a standard ‘images’ sub folder, in a sub folder named after the main file or in a specified, user defined sub folder.

Auto cleanup When re-publishing your documents with a different structure or a different number of pages, for example, choose this option to automatically delete unnecessary files.

View report and verify in browser This option lets you view technical details about your exported document such as size and the number of pages, as well as the exported result in your default Internet browser.

Publish to web If your PixEdit has direct access to the target folder on your web server you don’t need to check this option to publish your files. To publish your exported documents using FTP, check this option. Type the FTP server name, username and password. If you are not familiar with FTP publishing, ask your system administrator for details.

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