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Saving the Forests With FormSprint
While is seems like the paperless office, predicted for decades, remains just out of
reach, FormSprint can help reduce the amount of paper used. For instance, FormSprint can be integrated with an email solution to automatically email say, the vendor copy of a purchase order or customer copy of an invoice. A side benefit of this is reduced postage and faster delivery.
FormSprint users have integrated FormSprint with a number of email solutions. Our favorite is KeyesMail and, in fact, ICS is a reseller for that product. However, just about any email solution that understands PCL will work. Some of our users even use FormSprintCV or the FormSprint PDF Utility to simply convert their FormSprint output to a PDF file and use a non-AS/400 email solution to handle delivery.
Ideally the email address is in the application spool file. If it isn't but is in a data base file, ICS can provide a utility to extract the email address as the form is processed. The From can be set generically, such as From purchasing@yourcompany.com or vary with say, a buyer name or number in the spool file if the form is a purchase
order. The Subject can also be generic or concatenated from spool file data. For instance, a purchase order from ICS could have as its Subject ICS PO# 00000000 where
ICS PO# is a literal concatenated with a purchase order number from the spool file.
So what happens if there is no email address in the spool file? In that case, the form will be set up to print the document rather than try to email it. Internal copies of the form print in either case. That is, unless you incorporate FormSprint's built-in archive database system. Now you are really talking paper independence. More about that below!
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Do You Really Need That Hard Copy?
Comprehensive imaging systems designed to handle nearly all documents whether produced internally or received from outside sources are expensive and may be over-kill for some applications. On the other hand, FormSprint comes with its own Archive Data Base System (ADBS) at no extra charge. Any FormSprint form can be set up to archive a page so it isn't necessary to print out a copy and file it away in a filing cabinet.
Archiving occurs simultaneously with printing and the archived copy can be saved as a PCL file or a PDF file (with optional FormSprintCV or PDF Utility), or both. Generally it is better to simply store an archived copy as a PCL file and only convert it to PDF on an as-needed basis. That saves disk storage.
In setting up the archive copy in the form, up to 10 fields can be used as index parameters. A record can be retrieved based on these parameters and printed with the touch of a key. The printed copy is identical to the original because the form is saved along with the data. Even if the form has changed since the archived copy was created, the copy still prints the same as the original.
If a PDF conversion utility is available, the retrieved record can be displayed on the PC screen and/or converted to PDF. Email and fax solutions can even be integrated with ADBS to provide one-key emailing or faxing of retrieved records.
W2s in particular lend themselves to the ADBS because it is troublesome to produce a copy to replace those that inevitably go astray. With ADBS, a missing W2 is easily retrieved and reprinted, a process taking minutes instead of hours as can be the case with preprinted multi-part W2 forms.
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Getting the Most Out of FormSprint
 You already know that FormSprint can liberate your organization from the tyrany of preprinted forms. We hope we have gotten you thinking about other ways FormSprint can help you achieve independence, at least in part. If you think your office might be ripe for a little rebellion, contact us. We'll be happy to discuss you ideas and help you save time and paper in your document management.
For those of you who didn't purchase the editor when you purchased FormSprint, you can do so through Labor Day and get PC Designer free! Power to the people!
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