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Glossary of Terms

Ablate To remove. Used to describe the laser-readable "pits" in the recorded layer of optical disks.
Acetate-base film A film substrate used in microfilm production. Considered a safety film (ANSI Standard).
ADC Analog to Digital converter. Changes analog signals to digital representations (numbers).
Additive Color All the colors in the light spectrum add up to make white light. Computer monitors use a three additive colors, Red, Green & Blue (RGB).
ADF Automatic Document Feeder. This is the means by which a scanner feeds the paper document.
AIIM The Association for Information and Image Management – focused on electronic imaging.
Aliasing When computer graphics output has jagged edges or a stair stepped appearance when magnified. Homonym is "anti-aliasing".
Alphanumeric Characters composed of letters, numbers (and sometimes punctuation marks). Excludes printer/flow control characters, (Carriage Return/XON & XOFF).
Analog The electrical replica or waveform of a physical process caused by changes in amplitude or frequency. Opposite of digital (Zeros & Ones).
Annotations The changes or additions made to a document using sticky notes, a highlighter, or other electronic tools. Document images or text can be highlighted in different colors, redacted (blacked-out or whited-out), stamped (e.g. “FAXED” or “CONFIDENTIAL”), or have electronic sticky notes attached. Annotations should be overlaid and not change the original document.
ANSI American National Standards Institute
ANSI American National Standards Institute. Member of ISO and IEC.
Aperture Card An IBM punch card with a window which holds a 35mm frame of microfilm. Indexing information is punched in the card.
ASCII (pronounced ask-ee) American Standards Committee II. An eight bit computer coding structure for letters, numbers and characters in which seven bits are used to identify each individual entity (128 maximum), with one bit for parity. When no parity bit is used, all eight bits can be used to represent up to 256 characters; this character set is extended ASCII.
ASCII American Standard Computer Information Interchange. Used to define computer text that was built on a set of 255 alphanumeric and control characters. ASCII has been a standard, non-proprietary text format since 1963.
Aspect Ratio The relationship of the height and width of any image. This must always be preserved to prevent distortion.
AVI Audio-Video Interleave. A Microsoft standard for Windows animation files. The format interleaves audio and animation to provide medium quality multimedia.
Backfiles Existing paper or microfilm files.
Bar Code A method of representing data by combining lines of varying width (e.g.
Bar Code A small pattern of vertical lines that is read by a laser or an optical scanner, and which corresponds to a record in a database. An add-on component to imaging software, this feature is designed to increase the speed with which documents can be archived.
Batch Processing The name of the technique used to input a large amount of information in a single step, as opposed to individual processes.
BBS Bulletin Board System.
BCS Boston Computer Society, one of the first associations of PC/Apple users and one of the largest and most active.
Beginning Document Number or BegDoc# The first page of a document or record.
Bibliographical/Objective Coding Extracting information from electronic documents such as date created, author recipient, CC and linking each image to the information in pre-defined objective fields.  In direct opposition to Subjective coding where legal interpretations of data in a document are linked to individual documents.
BIOS Binary (or Basic) Input Output Specification – the specific PC input/output "rules" and the programs which execute these to allow the transfer of information to/from the "central processing unit" of the PC.
BIT Binary Digit. Single position in base 2 arithmetic (2 n ) – either on (1) or off (0).
Bit Map Creating characters or images by creating a "picture" (matrix) of individual bits (pixels). The individual bits may just be binary (black and white) or high definition color. In color systems, the "z-axis" of each pixel has a value which represents the "shade of gray" or color of the bit. This value can be as high as 32 bits for very high resolution color. This results in a large, uncompressed file. For instance, a 300 dpi, E-Size drawing bit map is approximately 16MB.
Bitmap/Bitmapped See BMP and Raster/Rasterized.
Bi-Tonal Bi-tonal (black and white only, one bit per pixel). A Bi-tonal image is created by a thresholding process from a grayscale input, either during the scanning process or subsequently. Thresholding is an irreversible process which results in speckled images with noticeably "stair-stepped" diagonal lines.
BMP Bit Map unique format for Windows electronic graphics files.
BMP A native file format of Windows for storing images called “bitmaps.”
Boolean Logic The use of the terms “AND,” “OR” and “NOT” in conducting searches. Used to widen or narrow the scope of a search.
Box A square graphic element on a form used to enter a single character, usually used in strings for entering constrained data.
BPI Bits Per Inch. For instance, this defines data densities in disk and magnetic tape systems.
bps bits per second.
Briefcase A method to simplify the transport of a group of documents from one computer to another.
Burn (CDs or DVDs) To record or write data on a CD or DVD.
Business Process Outsourcing

Business process outsourcing occurs when an organization turns over the management and optimization of a business function, such as accounts payable or purchasing, to a third party that conducts the activity based on a set of predetermined performance metrics. 

Business Process Outsourcing

  • IT Outsourcing:  focus on life cycle and PC uptime
  • BPO manages people and processes
  • “It's important for companies to recognize their core competencies compared with activities that could be handled more efficiently by a third party”, says Charles Kafoglis, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York.  For example, “back-office functions such as payroll or accounts receivables aren't likely to "make or break" a company, so it might make sense to farm them out if someone else can support them more effectively,” says Kafoglis.
  • Companies outsource to streamline processes, save time or leverage the strengths of third-party specialists.  Small companies outsource in order to cut costs and build a function like accounts receivables in a short time.  Large companies, on the other hand, traditionally choose BPO to improve their efficiencies.
Buss (also Bus) The "highway" which connects the various components of a computer system.
BYTE Eight bits. The ASCII standard to define letters, numbers and characters – maximum of 256. KB – Kilo-bytes, a thousand bytes (actually 2 10 or 1024 bytes). MB – Megabytes, a million bytes, (actually 2 20 or 1,024 KB or 1,048,576 bytes) GB – Gigabytes, a billion bytes (actually 2 30 or 1024 MB or 1,073,741,824 bytes)
Cache A dedicated, high speed portion of computer memory which can be used for the temporary storage of frequently used data to make the application run faster (prevents having to constantly access the data from disk/tape storage).
Caching (of Images) The temporary storage of image files on a hard disk for later migration to permanent storage, like an optical or CD jukebox.
CCD Charge Coupled Device. A computer chip (with say 2048 cells) whose output is proportional to the light or color passed by it. Individual CCD's or arrays of these are used in scanners as a high-resolution, “digital camera" to "read" documents. These devices are micro-chip size and their resolutions run as high as 1000 pixels per inch.
CCITT Consultative Committee for International Telephone & Telegraphy. Sets standards for phones, faxes, modems etc. The standard exists primarily for fax documents.
CCITT Group 4 A compression technique/format that reduces a file generally, about 5:1 over RLE and 40:1 over bitmap. For example, at a 300 bpi scan rate, the approximate storage requirements are: Size Raw RLE Group 4 A 1MB 200K 40K B 2MB 400K 75K C 4MB 820K 150K D 8MB 1.6MB 300K E 16MB 3.2MB 580K
CD Compact Disk
CD Compact Disk. A 4 3/4" diameter device which can be read by a laser beam.
CD Publishing An alternative to photocopying large volumes of paper documents. This method involves coupling image and text documents with viewer software on CDs. Sometimes search software is included on the CDs to enhance search capabilities.
CDMA Code-Division Multiple Access – an emerging wireless communication technology for all digital voice and data networks.
CDPD Cellular Digital Packet Data. A data communication standard which uses the unused capacity (bandwidth) of cellular voice providers.
CD-R

Compact Disk Recordable. The standards for recording CD-ROM disks. The digital disks are 4" in diameter and can store 650 MB. For standard CD's. Each disk has a layer of laser sensitive, dyed polymer plastic sandwiched against a reflective layer between protective layers. When the laser burns a spot in the polymer, the reflective surface shows through the hole. Dye polymer is easier to burn and requires a much lower power laser than to burn holes through a metal layer (such as ablative optical WORM drives.) The CD-R media is gold in appearance, rather than silver surface of a typical CD-ROM.

The logical format standard is ISO (International Standards Organization) 9660. There are several standard formats: 1. "Yellow Book" – for simple computer data or images. Divides the tracks into 2,352 byte-sectors of which 2,048 hold data and 304 bytes are devoted to headers, mode selection and error correction. 2. "CD-ROM-XA" (Extended Architecture) or "Mode 2" for interleaving data, audio and video on the same disks. Mode 2 sacrifices error correction for a larger usable data storage. Sectors have 2,336 bytes of data space. 3. "Red Book" or "CD-Digital Audio" for digitally sampled audio, technically PCM 44.1 kHz, sampled 16-bit stereo audio. The standard for recording music. 4. "Orange Book" or "Multisession". The standard that software follows to encode a blank CD. Part I is the standard for "rewritable" (MO) CD-ROMs . Groups of data can be added to the disk at different times. 5. "Green Book" or "CD-1". For interactive games or video.
CD-R Short for CD-Recordable. This is a CD that can be written (or recorded) only once. It can be copied to distribute a large amount of data. CD-Rs can be read on any CD-ROM drive whether on a standalone computer or network system. This makes interchange between systems easier.
CD-Recordable Often also used as an acronym for CD-ROM's that can be written more than once. The succeeding writings must utilize unused sections of the original, with a library o directory of the total use. Optical storage technology using formats compatible with CD-ROM's. CD-ROM discs must be "pre-mastered" to insure that the data is correctly formatted. Using a "double speed" recorder, it takes about a half hour to burn a complete 650MB disc.
CD-ROM Compact Disk – Read Only Memory. A type of high density optical disk with a 4" diameter and a 650MB capacity. The information (1's or 0's) is permanently etched by a laser into the surface of the disk and read by a laser beam. The ISO 9660 standard defines how a CD-ROM is written for computer interface. It is not rewritable. It is legally accepted and written on a single-side.
CD-ROM Compact Disc Read Only Memory. Written on a large scale and not on a standard computer CD burner (CD writer), they are an optical disk storage media popular for storing computer files as well as digitally recorded music.
CD-ROM Drive A computer drive that reads compact discs.
Centronics Interface A parallel interface standard for connecting printers and other devices to computers. Pioneered by the Centronics Inc., a printer manufacturer in New Hampshire. Uses a 36 pin connector. See SPP.
CGA Color Graphics Adapter. (See VGA).
Character Treatment The use of all caps or another standard form of treating letters in a coding project.
CIE Commission International de l'Eclairage. The international commission on color matching and illumination systems.
Cine-Mode Data recorded on a film strip such that it can be read by a human when held vertically.
Cinepak A compression algorithm, see MPEG.
CITIS Contractor Integrated Technical Information Service. The Department Of Defense now requires contractors to have an electronic document image and management system
Client/Server A computer system functionally distributed across several nodes on a network, sometimes called a distributed application. The basic theory is that the various components of the system can be tailored to perform specific functions, hopefully for the good of the entire network. Client/Server systems are also typified by a high degree of parallel processing across distributed nodes. Usually the clients are individual PC's connected to server(s) which act as central storehouses and "traffic cops" for information and applications.
Client-Server Architecture vs. File-Sharing Two common application software architectures found on computer networks. With file-sharing applications, all searches occur on the workstation, while the document database resides on the server. With client-server architecture, CPU intensive processes (such as searching and indexing) are completed on the server, while image viewing and OCR occur on the client. File-sharing applications are easier to develop, but they tend to generate tremendous network data traffic in document imaging applications. They also expose the database to corruption through workstation interruptions. Client-server applications are harder to develop, but dramatically reduce network data traffic and insulate the database from workstation interruptions.
CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. A subtractive method used in four color printing and Desktop Publishing.
Coding A means of capturing specific, standardized data from a collection of documents and creating a database linking the data to the images.  The term “coding” is generally used in the legal and medical markets.  It is similar to “indexing” in the commercial marketplace.
COLD Computer Output to Laser Disk. The computer system contains files of ASCII data (from input or application programs) or bit-mapped files previously scanned from microfilm documents or pictures. These output files are compressed by a factor of 5-20:1 from the original documents and stored on WORM optical/laser disks. The stored data is then available to all on the network. Generally, the format of these databases are compatible with SQL and imaging formats.
COLD Computer Output to Laser Disk. A computer programming process that outputs electronic records and printed reports to laser disk instead of a printer. Can be used to replace COM (Computer Output to Microfilm) or printed reports such as green-bar.
COM Computer Output to Microfilm. The computer converts and stores data directly on microfilm/fiche from a variety of available inputs. This older technology is cheaper and more convenient than paper, but one of the most difficult to use in actually storing and retrieving the data.
COM Computer Output to Microfilm. A process that outputs electronic records and computer generated reports to microfilm.
Comb A series of boxes with their top missing. Tick marks guide text entry. Used in forms processing rather than boxes.
Comic Mode Human-readable data, recorded on a strip of film which can be read when the film is moved horizontally to the reader.
Component Video Separate luminosity and color signals that provide the highest possible signal quality. Distinct from video standards such as NTSC or PAL.
Composite Video A video stream that combines red, green, blue and synchronization signals into one so it only requires one connector. Composite video is used by most televisions and VCR's.
Compression Any method which reduces the amount of data necessary to transmit information from one point to another. Compression generally eliminates redundant information and/or predicts where changes will occur. "Lossless" compression techniques totally preserve the integrity of the input. "Lossy" methods disregard some of the originals.
Compression Ratio The ratio of the file sizes of a compressed file to an uncompressed file, e.g., with a 20:1 compression ratio, an uncompressed file of 1 MB is compressed to 50 KB.
Continuous Tone An image (e.g. a photograph) which has all the values of gray from white to black.
Convergence Where the RGB signals "converge" on a single pixel. That pixel should be white at full brightness of the RGB components.
CPI Characters Per Inch
CPU Central Processing Unit – The portion of a computer which performs most of the logical and arithmetic functions.
CPU Central Processing Unit. The “brain” of the computer.
CRC Cyclical Redundancy Checking. Used in data communications to create a checksum character (hexadecimal) at the end of a data block.
CYAN A colored ink. Reflects blue & green & absorbs red.
DAC Digital to Analog Converter. Changes digital numbers to an electrical waveform.
DAD Digital Audio Disk – "compact disk".
DAT Digital Audio Tape – Although generally used for audio, a DAT (120 meters long) can hold up to 10 gigabytes if used for digital data storage. Has the disadvantage of being a serial, rather than a random access device.
Data Extraction The process of pulling information out of either hard copy or electronic documents.  The process may be manual (read and key) or electronic via a pattern recognition methodology.
DB Data Base. Information arranged in the computer in a rigorous, defined format to allow ease of recording and retrieval.
Descenders the portion of a character which falls below the main part of the letter (e.g. g, p,q)
De-shading Removing shaded areas to render images more easily recognizable by OCR. De-shading software typically searches for areas with a regular pattern of tiny dots.
De-skewing The process of straightening skewed (off-center) images. De-skewing is one of the image enhancements that can improve OCR accuracy. Documents often become skewed when they are scanned or faxed.
De-speckling Removing isolated speckles from an image file. Speckles often develop when a document is scanned or faxed.
DIA/DCA Document Interchange Architecture. An IBM standard for transmission and storage of voice, text or video over networks.
Digital A system of mathematics consisting solely of zeros and ones. The mathematics used by digital computers. Used to represent characters and numbers and to mathematically manipulate these. Electronic Document Management 53
Digitize The process of converting an analog value into a digital (numeric) representation.
Disc An optical disc.
Disk A magnetic floppy or hard disk.
Disk/Disc Round, flat storage media with layers of material which enable the recording of data.
Dithering

Creating the illusion of new colors and shades by varying the pattern of dots. Newspaper photographs, for example, are dithered. If you look closely, you can see that different shades of gray are produced by varying the patterns of black and white dots. There are no gray dots at all. The more dither patterns that a device or program supports, the more shades of gray it can represent. In printing, dithering is usually called halftoning, and shades of gray are called halftones.
Dithering Manipulating the arrangement or shape of dots to simulated gray tones. (e.g. Newspaper pictures). 
Dithering The process of converting grays to different densities of black dots, usually for the purposes of printing or storing color or grayscale images as black and white images.
Document One or several single pages of images that make a logical single communication of information.  Examples include a letter, a report, a memo or an airline ticket.
Document Date The original creation date of a document usually noted on the document itself.  In the case of a letter, when the letter was written indicated by the date of the letter.  On an email indicated by the date-stamp of the email.
Document Imaging Programs Software used to store, manage, retrieve and distribute documents quickly and easily on the computer.
Document Sizes

(U.S.):
A Size 8.5" by 11" (A4)
B Size 11" by 17" (A3)
C Size 17" by 22" (A2)
D Size 24" by 36" (A1)
E Size 36" by 48" (A0)
Document Type or Doc Type A  typical field used in bibliographical coding.  Typical doc type examples include letter, memo, report, article and others.
Document/Record A document is a page or collection of pages that are physically or logically (or both) linked.
Dot Pitch Distance of one pixel in a CRT to the next pixel on the vertical plane. The smaller the number, the higher quality display.
DPI Dots per inch.
Drag-and-Drop The movement of on-screen objects by dragging them across the screen with the mouse.
DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory, a memory technology which is periodically "refreshed" or updated – as opposed to "static" RAM chips which do not require refreshing. The term is often used to refer to the memory chips themselves. Varieties are: CDRAM Cache DRAM (contains static cache) EDODRAM Extended data out DRAM EDRAM Enhanced DRAM (contains a static memory buffer and cache controller) SDRAM Synchronous DRAM (added clock and burst addressing capability) SGRAM Synchronous Graphics RAM (a single port SDRAM) WRAM Window RAM (dual port video RAM) VRAM Video RAM (a dual ported DRAM, good for graphics)
DSP Digital Signal Processor (Processing) – a special purpose computer (or technique) which digitally processes signals and electrical/analog waveforms.
DTP Desktop Publishing. PC systems used to prepare direct print output or output suitable for printing presses.
Duplex Two-sided page(s)
Duplex Scanners vs. Double-Sided Scanning Duplex scanners automatically scan both sides of a double-sided page, producing two images at once. Double-sided scanning uses a single-sided scanner to scan double-sided pages, scanning one collated stack of paper, then flipping it over and scanning the other side.
DVD Digital Video Disk
DVD Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc. A plastic disc, like a CD, on which data can be written and read. DVDs are faster, can hold more information, and can support more data formats than CDs.
EDI Electronic Data Interchange. Eliminating forms altogether by encoding the data as close as possible to the point of the transaction. (e.g. Paying your phone bill direct from your PC to the system used by the phone company.)
EDMS Electronic Document Management Systems.
EGA Extended Graphics Adapter. See VGA.
EIA Electronic Industries Association – a trade association.
EIM Electronic Image Management.
EISA Extended Industry Standard Architecture. One of the standard busses used for PC's.
Electronic Data Discovery (EDD or ED) A process, just like that for paper documents, of documents and data that exist in a medium that can oly be accessed through the use of a computer.
Electronic Document Management Imaging, Indexing/Coding and Archiving of scanned images
Electrostatic Printing Paper is exposed to electron charge. Toner sticks to the charged pixels.
Em In any print font or size is equal to the width of the letter "M" in that font and size.
En Half the width of an Em.
Encryption The coding of messages to increase security and make transmission only readable by recipients with the ability to decode only by using the same algorithms.
End Document Number or End Doc# The last single page image of a document
End User Program The program used to perform searches, viewing and retrieval of a scanned and/or coded collection of images.  Examples include Summation, Concordance, JFS Litigators Notebook, Ringtail, Paradox, InMagic DB/Textworks and many others.
Endorser A little printer in a scanner that adds a document-control number to each scanned sheet. Some forms control processing software can control this printer.
Enhanced Titles The act of reading a document and creating a meaningful title for it in Bibliographical coding.  The opposite of Verbatim Titles.
EOF End of File. A distinctive code which uniquely marks the end of a data file.
EPP Enhanced Parallel Port – also known as Fast Mode Parallel Port. A new, industry standard parallel port, having high transfer times competitive with SCSI.
EPS Encapsulated PostScript. Uncompressed files for images, text and objects. Only print on PostScript printers.
Erasable Optical Drive A type of optical drive that uses erasable optical discs.
ESDI Enhanced Small Device Interface. A defined, common electronic interface for transferring data between computers and peripherals, particularly disk drives.
FAT File Allocation Table – An internal data table on DOS-based disks that lists the contents and address of each file on the disk.
FAX Short for facsimile. A process of transmitting documents by scanning them to digital, converting to analog, transmitting over phone lines and reversing the process at the other end and printing. "Group 3" indicates the 3rd generation of faxes which transmits a page at 9600 baud in about a minute – with a normal resolution of 203 x 98 dpi and a fine resolution of 203 x 196.
FLOPS FLOPS are floating-point operations per second. Floating-point is, according to IBM, "a method of encoding real numbers within the limits of finite precision available on computers." Using floating-point encoding, extremely long numbers can be handled relatively easily. A floating-point number is expressed as a basic number or mantissa, an exponent, and a number base or radix (which is often assumed). The number base is usually ten but may also be 2. Floating-point operations require computers with floating-point registers. The computation of floating-point numbers is often required in scientific or real-time processing applications and FLOPS is a common measure for any computer that runs these applications.
Fiber Optics Transmitting with light pulses over cables made from thin strands of glass. Field Separator A code, usually a comma, that separates the fields in a record. (Also, a "delimiter")
Field or Data Field A name for an individual piece of standardized data to be extracted from an image collection.  Fields can be the author of a document, a recipient, the date of a document or any other piece of data common to most documents in an image collection.
Flatbed Scanner A flat-surface scanner that allows users to input books and other documents.
Folder Browser A system of on-screen folders (usually hierarchical or “stacked”) used to organize documents. For example, the File Manager program in Microsoft Windows is a type of folder browser that displays the directories on your disk.
Forensics

In document management terms, forensic work is comprised of:

  • Recreating “deleted” or missing files from hard drives
  • Validating dates and logged in authors / editors of documents
  • Certifying key elements of documents and/or hardware for legal purposes
Forms Processing A specialized imaging application designed for handling pre-printed forms. Forms processing systems often use high-end (or multiple) OCR engines and elaborate data validation routines to extract hand-written or poor quality print from forms that go into a database. This type of imaging application faces major challenges, since many of the documents scanned were never designed for imaging or OCR.
Forms Routing The process of routing a form throughout an organization electronically – without any paper copies.
FTP File Transfer Protocol. An Internet protocol to move files from one computer to another.
Full Duplex Data communications devices which allow full speed transmission in both directions at the same time.
Full Text Search The ability to search a data file for specified key(s) defined by the occurrence of words, numbers and/or combinations or patterns thereof.
Full-text Indexing and Search Enables the retrieval of documents by either their word or phrase content. Every word in the document is indexed into a master word list with pointers to the documents and pages where each occurrence of the word appears.
Fuzzy Logic A full-text search procedure that looks for exact matches as well as similarities to the search criteria, in order to compensate for spelling or OCR errors.
GIF A compressed file format used by the CompuServe system for photographs. Limited to 256 colors.
GIF CompuServe’s native file format for storing images.
Gigabyte A billion bytes or 1,000 megabytes (See "BYTE").
Gigabyte One billion bytes. Also expressed as one thousand megabytes. In terms of image storage capacity, one gigabyte equals approximately 17,000 81/2" x 11" pages scanned at 300 dpi, stored as TIFF Group IV images.
Gray Scale The use of many shades of gray to represent an image. Continuous-tone images, such as black-and-white photographs, use an almost unlimited number of shades of gray. Conventional computer hardware and software, however, can only represent a limited number of shades of gray (typically 16 or 256). Gray-scaling is the process of converting a continuous-tone image to an image that a computer can manipulate.
Gray Scale The binary range of a graphic representation between pure black and pure white. A scale of 256 shades of gray will be a better representation than 16 shades.
Grayscale See “Scale-to-Gray.”
Groupware Software designed to operate on a network and allow several people to work together on the same documents and files.
GUI Graphical User Interface, or "gooey". Presenting an interface to the computer user comprised of pictures and icons, rather than words and numbers.
Half Duplex Transmission systems which can send and receive, but not at the same time.
Halftone The graphic representation of an object by dots, which simulate continuous tones. Usually used to represent or replicate an original photograph input.
Halftone dots Vary in size; larger appear darker, smaller appear lighter. 
HD High Density (Floppy Disks) – A 5.25" holds 1.2 MB and a 3.5" holds 1.4 MB.
Hexadecimal A number system with a base of 16 (2 4 ), 4 bits. The position digits are 0-9, A-F, where F equals the decimal value, 15.
Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) Software that automatically migrates files from on-line to near-line storage media, usually on the basis of the age or frequency of use of the files.
Holorith encoded data on aperature cards or old-style punch cards that contained encoded data
Host In a network, the central computer which controls the remote computers and holds the central databases.
HP-PCL & HPGL Hewlett-Packard graphics file formats.
HTML A Hypertext Markup Language, developed by CERN of Geneva, Switzerland. The document standard of choice of Internet. (HTML+ adds support for multi-media.)
Hub A central unit that repeats and/or amplifies data signals being sent across a network.
Icon In a GUI, a picture or drawing which is activated by "clicking" a mouse to command the computer program to perform a predefined series of events.
ICR Intelligent Character Recognition. The conversion of scanned images (bar codes or patterns of bits) to computer recognizable codes (ASCII characters and files) by means of software/programs which define the rules of and algorithms for conversion.
ICR Intelligent Character Recognition. A software process that recognizes handwritten and printed text as alphanumeric characters.
IDE Integrated Drive Electronics – An engineering standard for interfacing PC's and hard disks.
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. An international association which sponsors meetings, publishes a number of journals and establishes standards.
Image Enabling A software function that creates links between existing applications and stored images.
Image Key The name of a file created when a page is scanned in a collection. 
Image Processing To capture an image or representation, enter in a computer and process and manipulate it.
Image Processing Card (IPC) A board mounted in either the computer, scanner or printer that facilitates the acquisition and display of images. The primary function of most IPCs is the rapid compression and decompression of image files.
Index Creating a set of rules and data files which define scanned document sets and allow easy and complete retrieval.
Index/Coding Fields Database fields used to categorize and organize documents. Often user-defined, these fields can be used for searches.
Indexing Universal term for Coding and Data Entry
Interlaced TV & CRT pictures must constantly be "refreshed". Interlace is to refresh every other line once/refresh cycle. Since only half the information displayed is updated each cycle, interlaced displays are less expensive than "non-interlaced". However, interlaced displays are subject to jitters. The human eye/brain can usually detect displayed images which are completely refreshed at less than 30 times per second.
Internet A worldwide computer network containing a broad array of services and information available to any individual with a PC and the paid connection.
Internet Publishing Specialized imaging software that allows large volumes of paper documents to be published on the Internet or intranet. These files can be made available to other departments, offsite colleagues or the public for searching, viewing and printing.
IPX/SPX Communications protocol used by Novell networks.
ISA Industry Standard Architecture.
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network. An all digital network which can carry data, video and voice.
ISIS and TWAIN Scanner Drivers Specialized applications used for communication between scanners and computers.
ISO International Standards Organization.
ISO 9660 CD Format The International Standards Organization format for creating CD-ROMs that can be read worldwide.
JMS Jukebox Management Software.
JPEG A compression algorithm for still images, see MPEG.
JPEG An image compression format used for storing color photographs and images.
Jukebox A mass storage device that holds optical disks and loads them into a drive.
Juke-Box Automated disk changer for high-performance, centralized storage for multifunction CD-ROM's & optical disks
K Generally accepted as shorthand for 1,000. Actually stands for 2 10 or 1,024.
Kerning Adjusting the spacing between two letters from the "normal" spacing. Often done to enhance the quality of the typography – for instance in a headline.
Key Field Database fields used for document searches and retrieval. Synonymous with “index field.”
Keywords Used in bibliographical coding to indicate that each page in a collection must be reviewed for certain important words and wherever they occur the database must reference the page where they occur.
Kofax Board The generic term for a series of image processing boards manufactured by Kofax Imaging Processing. These are used between the scanner and the computer, and perform realtime image compression and decompression for faster image viewing, image enhancement, and corrections to the input to account for conditions such as document misalignment, "speckles," etc.
LAN Local Area Network – usually a collection of PC's, connected by cable. Landscape Mode The image is represented on the page or monitor such that the width is greater than the height.
Laser Disk Same as an optical CD, except 12" in diameter.
Latency The time it takes to read a disk (or jukebox), including the time to physically position the media under the read/write head, seek the correct address and transfer it.
Leading/"Ledding" The amount of space between lines of printed text.
Level Coding Used in Bibliographical coding to indicate that certain document types will get a more thorough extraction of data than others.  Thus they get a deeper “level” of coding.
Line Screen The number of half-tone dots that can be printed per inch. As a general rule, newspapers print at 65 to 85 lpi, large city newspapers at 100 or 120 lpi; magazines at 133 or 150 lpi; and, glossy, "coffee table" books at 175 to 200.
Load file A file that relates to a set of scanned images and indicates where individual pages belong together as documents.
Lossless compression Exact construction of image, bit-by-bit, with no loss of resolution or color fidelity
Lossy compression Reduces storage size of image by reducing the resolution and color fidelity while maintaining minimum acceptable standard for general use.
LZW Lempel-Zif & Welch. A common, lossless compression standard for computer graphics – used for the majority of TIFF files. Typical compression ratios are 4/1.
Magenta Used in four color printing. Reflects blue & red and absorbs green.
Magneto-Optical Drive A drive that combines laser and magnetic technology to create high-capacity erasable storage.
MAPI Mail Application Program Interface. This Windows software standard has become a popular e-mail interface and is used by MS Exchange, GroupWise, and other e-mail packages.
MAPI Mail Near-Line Documents stored on optical disks or compact disks that are housed in the jukebox or CD changer and can be retrieved without human intervention.
Marginalia Handwritten notes in the margin of the page in documents.
Mastering Making many copies of a CD-ROM from a single master.
MCA Micro Channel Architecture – an IBM buss standard.
MDE Magnetic Disk Emulation. Software that makes a jukebox look and operate like a hard-drive such that it will respond to all the I/O commands ordinarily sent to a hard drive.
Megabyte A unit of information or coputer storage equal to approximately one million bytes. A megabyte is commonly abbreviated as MB and sometimes meg.
Meta Data The data that is attached to files in a computerized filing system.  For instance, in a word processing document, the metadata includes: the author, date created, person and date editing the document, the name of the document, the location stored on a hard drive, how many times and when it has been accessed, changed or altered, etc.
MICR Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. The process used by banks to encode checks. Microfilm Film on which documents etc. are photographically greatly reduced in size.
Microfiche Reduced sized document(s) filed on sheet microfilm (4" by 6"), containing reduced images of 270 pages or more in a grid pattern. Usually with a human-readable title.
MO Magneto-Optical. A disk storage technology which competes with traditional magnetic hard disks. Form factors are 3.5", 5.25" and 12". Advantages are that one 5.25" MO drive can store about 1.3GB (3 1/2" hold up to 230MB); media is removable and portable; and, can last for 20 years – ideal for archival storage. The disadvantages are cost, traditionally slower disk access and longer disk write times. The information is written on the disk by changing the polarity with strong magnets and read by a laser by sensing the magnetic flux changes (1's or 0's). This technology is re-usable.
MODEM Modulator/Demodulator. A device which can take digital data from a computer, translate it into analog signals (tones) and transmit the information over telephones lines. Another modem at the receiving computer will receive the information, translate it back from analog to digital and store it. Typical speeds are from 1,200 to 14,400 bits per second. Some modems also correct any errors which occur in the transmission process.
Monochrome Displays capable of only two colors, usually black & white. Mosaic A program used for finding and reading documents on the World-Wide-Web.
MPEG-1 & 2 Two different standards for full motion video to digital compression/decompression techniques advanced by the Moving Pictures Experts Group. MPEG-1 compresses the bandwidth needed for 30 frames/second of full-motion video (several hundred megabytes) down to about 1.5 Mbits/sec. MPEG 2 only compresses to about 3 Mbits and provides for better image quality when comparing compressed files of the same size. This industry application competes with other compression techniques, know as JPEG, Captain Crunch, Cinepak and Indeo.
MS-DOS Microsoft (MS)-Disk Operating System. Used in PC's as the control system.
MTBF Mean Time Between Failure. Average time between failures. Used to compute the reliability of devices/equipment.
MTTR Mean Time To Repair. Average time to repair. The higher the number, the most costly and difficult to fix.
Multisynch Analog video monitors which can receive a wide range of display resolutions, usually including TV (NTSC). Color analog monitors accept separate red, green & blue (RGB) signals.
NetWare Loadable Module (NLM) An application that runs as part of the network operating system (NOS) of a Novell NetWare server.
Non-Interlace When each line of the video image is scanned separately. Computer monitors use non-interlaced video.
NT Network Technology. Refers to Microsoft Windows NT server and workstation software.
NTSC National Television System Committee. The North American TV standard – analog, 525 lines @ 30 frames per second. TV's line scan rate is then 15,750 lines per second (525 lines @ 30 Hz).
OCR Optical Character Recognition. The computer conversion of scanned input images (bar codes or patterns of bits) to computer recognizable codes (ASCII letters, numbers and characters).
OCR Optical Character Recognition. A software process that recognizes printed text as alphanumeric characters.
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer – Classically, a company who buys products from another company, re-labels the products under its own name and re-sells (usually in large quantities). Has come to define nearly any large customer who re-sells products, branded or not.
Off-Line Archival documents stored on optical disks or compact disks that are not connected or installed in the computer, but instead require human intervention to be accessed.
OLE Object Linking and Embedding. A feature in Microsoft's Windows which allows each section of a compound document to call up its own editing tools or special display features. This allows for combining diverse elements in compound documents. 60 Glossary
OWR Optical word recognition is the next generation of text conversion. Available only with certain retrieval systems (including AmDoc's iCONECTnxt offering), OWR allows users to find misspelled words. Matches are done on word-by-word basis (entire string of characters) rather than on a letter-by-letter match. This allows more accurate recognition.
On-Line Documents stored on the hard drive or magnetic disk of a computer that are available immediately.
Optical Disks Computer media similar to a compact disc that cannot be rewritten. An optical drive uses a laser to read the stored data.
Optical Jukebox See “Jukebox.”
PackBits A compression scheme which originated with the Macintosh. Suitable only for black & white.
Packet A fixed block of data transmission which also contains identity and routing information.
Page A single image of a “one piece of paper”.  One or several pages make up a “Document”
PAL Phased Alternative Line, the TV standard used in most of European. PAL uses 625 lines per frame and 25 frames per second – versus 30 for NTSC, resulting in more flicker.
Paper Styles & Definitions.

a. Acid Free Paper – Won't change color (yellow) for many years.

b. Brightness – The percentage of light the paper reflects. Most white papers reflect 60% to 90%.

c. Coated Papers – "glossy" paper, coated with clay.

d. Cotton "Rag" Paper – Premium paper with 25% to 100% cotton fibers.

e. Laid finish – Paper surface embossed with lines to resemble handmade paper.

f. Ream – 500 sheets.

g. Vellum finish – A less smooth version of real vellum (fine parchment).

h. Wove finish – Very smooth surface. Characteristic of the majority of papers made
Parallel Transmission of all the bits (e.g. in a character) at the same time. If the character has eight bits, there are eight wires. Faster and more expensive than serial where the eight bits would be sent, "sideways", one at a time.
Pattern Recognition An electronic application utilizing an algorithm that searches data for like patterns and flags or extracts the pertinent data.  For instance, in looking for addresses, alpha characters followed by a comma and a space followed by two capital alpha characters followed by a space followed by five or more digits are usually the city, state and zip code.  By programming the application to look for that pattern, the information can be electronically extracted rather than re-keyed by human intervention.
PCI Peripheral Component Interface (Interconnect). A high-speed interconnect local bus used to support multimedia devices. Promoted by Digital among others.
PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. Plug-in cards for computers (usually portables), which extend the storage and/or functionality.
PCX The file format used for drawings by Corel Paint and Windows Paint Brush.
PDA Personal Digital Assistant – a small, usually hand-held, computer which "assists" business tasks.
PDF See Portable Document Format
Petabyte A unit of information or computer storage equal to one quadrillion bytes. It is commonly abbreviated PB.
Phase Change A method of storing information on rewritable optical disks.
PICA One sixth (1/6) of an inch. Used to measure graphics/fonts.
PICT Picture Format. A color file format exclusively for Macintosh.
Pitch Characters (or dots) per inch, measured horizontally.
PIXEL Picture Element. A dot.  One step/addressable position in the total TV or CRT presentation. The minimum VGA display has 307,200 pixels (640 by 480).
Pixel Picture Element. A single dot in an image. It can be black and white, grayscale or color.
PMS Pantone Matching System. A color standard in printing.
POD Print On Demand. Document images are stored in electronic format and are available to be quickly printed and in the exact quantity required, long or short runs.

Portable Document Format

PDF

 A file standard for documents that can be processed (generally viewed and printed) by any computer, regardless of the specific application program which created the original.  Adobe
Portable Volumes A feature that facilitates the moving of large volumes of documents without requiring copying multiple files. Portable volumes enable individual CDs to be easily regrouped, detached and reattached to different databases for a broader information exchange.
Portrait Mode A display where the height exceeds the width.
Proximity Search For "full-text" searches, the ability to look for words which are within a prescribed distance of another word (e.g. Find "glove" within 15 words of "baseball".)
QBIC Query By Image Content. An IBM search system for stored images which allows the user to sketch an image and then search the images files to find those which most closely match. The user can specify color and texture – such as sandy beaches or clouds.
QIC Quarter Inch Cartridge. Digital recording tape, 2000 feet long, with an uncompressed capacity of 5 GB.
Quality Control The process of ensuring the highest level of results in a given task.  In document management processes, this includes image quality (resolution, skew, speckle, legibility); data quality (correct information in appropriate fields, validated data for dates, addresses, names/issues lists). 
RAID

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. Arrays or Jukeboxes of CD-ROM's or CD-R's. There are five commonly uses, different levels of data protection, RAID 1 through RAID 5 which are tradeoffs of protection versus storage capacity.

Level 0      Data written in blocks across multiple drives without an protection on failures.

Level 1      Disk Mirroring.

Level 3      The drive spindles are synchronized such that the heads all seek at the same time and are positioned over the same read/write areas simultaneously. Data is written one bit at a time with parity to a separate drive. Thus if there were four disks in the array and there was a megabyte of data to transferred at 1 MB/sec, the effective rate is 4MB/sec.

Level 5      Writes data in chunks (usually smaller blocks 512 bytes to 2 K) with the parity striped along with the data. Achieves a higher I/O rate.

RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks. A collection of hard disks that act as a single unit. Files on RAID drives can be duplicated (“mirrored”) to preserve data. RAID systems may vary in levels of redundancy, with no redundancy being a single, non-mirrored disk as level 0, two disks that mirror each other as level 1, on up to level 5, the most common.
RAM Random Access Memory – Memory which can be read or written in any section with one instruction sequence. (See DRAM)
Raster Display/Graphics Represents images by an horizontal and vertical array of dots or pixels.
Raster/Rasterized (Raster or Bitmap Drawing) A method of representing an image with a grid (or “map”) of dots or pixels. Typical raster file formats are GIF, JPEG, TIFF, PCX, BMP, etc.
Recycled Paper Federal Guidelines suggest at least 50% "non-virgin" content.
Redaction A portion of the image is blacked out intentionally to conceal information from the document.
Refresh Rate How many times a second and image on a CRT or TV is updated.
Region (of an image) An area of an image file that is selected for specialized processing. Also called a “zone.”
Registration Lining up a forms image to determine which fields are where. Also, entering pages into a scanner such that they are correctly read.
Return on investment There are various ways to determine ROI. One way is to estimate the extra money a new IT system will bring in, or its cost savings, minus its cost and depreciation. Overall, companies have several tools to calculate the return on IT investments or how they will impact the bottom line. When figuring the real cost of IT projects, Norton recommends that a company factor in training and consider hiring a full-time project manager to lower the risk that the investment may not produce the return the company is expecting. He notes that most IT projects take longer to complete than initially projected, and companies should take care to add more development time to their expense and earning projections.  
Rewriteable Technology Storage devices where the data may be written more than once – typically hard drives, floppies and optical disks. The assets are re-use, high speed and capacity. The optical disks have the same basic characteristics as a CD-ROM, except that you can write over the existing data.
RGB Red, Green and Blue. The three primary colors in the additive color family which create all the computer color video signals for a computer's color terminal.
ROM Read Only Memory – random memory which can be read but not written (i.e. changed).
Rotary Camera In microfilming, the papers are read "on the fly" with a camera that's synchronized to the motion.
Sampling Rate The frequency at which analog signals are converted to digital values during digitization. The higher the rate, the more accurate the process. In printing The number of pixels scanned per half tone dot.
Scalability The capacity of a system to expand without requiring major reconfiguration or re-entry of data. Multiple servers or additional storage can be easily added.
Scale-to-Gray An option to display a black and white image file in an enhanced mode, making it easier to view. A scale-to-gray display uses gray shading to fill in gaps or jumps (known as aliasing) that occur when displaying an image file on a computer screen. Also known as grayscale.
Scanner An input device commonly used to convert paper documents into computer images. Scanner devices are also available to scan microfilm and microfiche.
Scanning Software Software that enables a scanner to deliver industry standard formats for images in a collection.  Enables the use of coding of the images.  IPRO, DocuLex and ZyImage are several examples.
SCSI Small Computer System Interface. A common, industry standard, electronic interface (highway) between computers and peripherals, such as hard disks, CD-ROM drives and scanners.
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface. Pronounced “skuzzy.” A standard for attaching peripherals (notably mass storage devices and scanners) to computers. SCSI allows for up to 7 devices to be attached in a chain via cables. The current SCSI standard is “SCSI II,” also known as “Fast SCSI.”
SCSI Scanner Interface The device used to connect a scanner with a computer.
Search Review AmDoc process of final quality control (when requested):  utilizing images, data and/or text to find specific documents within a delivery; using the documents as a client would to search and retrieve.
Serif The little cross bars or curls at the end of strokes on type fonts. For example, in this sentence, the horizontal line at the bottom of the letter ‘r’.
Service-Level Agreement A service-level agreement is a contract that defines the technical support or business parameters that an application service provider or other IT outsourcing firm will provide its clients. The agreement typically spells out measures for performance and consequences for failure.  
SGML Standard Generalized Markup Language. An informal industry standard (lingua franca) for open systems document management which specifies the data encoding of a document's format and content.
SGML/HyTime A multimedia extension to SGML, sponsored by DOD.\
SIMM Single, In-Line Memory Module – A mechanical package (with "legs") used to attach memory chips to printed circuit boards.
Simplex One-sided page(s)
Six Sigma Six Sigma is a highly structured program for improving business processes and represents the latest incarnation of the quality movement. The program, grounded in efforts to improve manufacturing quality during the 1980s, brings the methods and analytic tools of engineers to bear on the questions, What matters to customers? and Where will changes to work processes most improve these points?
SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol. A connection to Internet in which the interface software runs in the local computer, rather than Internet's.
Smart Card A credit card size device which contains a microprocessor, memory and a battery.
Splatter Data that should be kept on one disc of a jukebox goes instead to multiple platters.
SPP Standard Parallel Port (IBM-Centronics). See Centronics.
SQL Structured Query Language, a standard 4GL programming language.
SQL Structured Query Language. The popular standard for running database searches (queries) and reports.
Subjective Coding The coding of a document using legal interpretation as the data that fills a field.  Performed by paralegals or other trained legal personnel.
Subtractive colors Since the colors of objects are white light minus the color absorbed by the object, they are called subtractive. This is how ink on paper works. The subtractive colors of process ink are CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) and are specifically balanced to match additive colors (RGB).
SVGA "Super" Video Graphic Adapter – one which exceeds the minimum VGA standard of 640 by 480 by 16 colors. Can reach 1600 by 1280 and 256 colors.
TCP/IP Network communications protocol. This is the protocol used by the Internet.
Telephony Converting sounds into electronic signals for transmission.
Templates, Document Sets of index fields for documents.
Terabyte A measurement term for data storage capacity equal to approximately 1,000 gigabytes or one trillion bytes. It is commonly abbreviated TB.
TGA Targa format. This is a "scanned format" – widely used for color-scanned materials (24-bit) as well as by various "paint" and desktop publishing packages.
Thumbnails Small versions of an image used for quick overviews or to get a general idea of what an image looks like.
TIF/TIFF Tagged Image File Format. The "de facto" electronic/computer standard for scanned, bit-mapped images – 8 bit color and gray scale. Originated in 1986 as a joint project of Microsoft and Aldus. Includes several types and groups which are compressed & uncompressed.
TIFF Tagged Image File Format. A non-proprietary format raster graphics image that has many different compression formats. TIFF has been in use since 1981.
TIFF Group III (compression) A one-dimensional compression format for storing black and white images that is utilized by most fax machines.
TIFF Group IV (compression) A two-dimensional compression format for storing black and white images. Typically compresses at a 20-to-1 ratio for standard business documents.
Total Cost of Ownership Total cost of ownership (TCO) has been a steady beacon in the information technology landscape since 1987, when Bill Kirwin, vice president and research director at Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Group Inc., first applied the model to desktop systems. Gartner has since extended the model into LANs, client/server software, distributed computing, telecommunications, mainframe data centers and most recently, Windows CE and Palm OS handheld computers. Around the corner are models for storage technology and applications development.  
True Resolution The "true" optical resolution of a scanner is the number of pixels per inch (without any software enhancements).
TWAIN Tool Kit Without An Interesting Name – a universal toolkit with standard hardware/software drivers for multi-media peripheral devices.
Typeface

There are over 10,000 typefaces available for computers. The general categories are:

Oldstyle
Faces have slanted serifs, gradual thick to thin strokes and a slanted stress (the "O" appears slanted)

Modern     
Faces have thin, horizontal serifs, radical thick to thin strokes and a vertical street (the "O" does not appear to slant.) Slab Serif        Faces have thick, horizontal serifs, little or no thick-to-thin in the strokes and a vertical stress (the "O" appears vertical).

Sans Serif Faces have no serifs.

Script       
From elaborate handwriting styles to casual, freeform, unconnected letter forms.

Decorative Unusual fonts, designed to be very different and attention getting.
Ultrafiche Microfiche which can hold 1,000 documents/sheet as opposed to the normal 270.
Unitization – Physical and Logical The assembly of individually scanned pages into documents.  Physical Unitization utilizes actual objects such as staples, paper clips and folders to determine pages that belong together as documents for archival and retrieval purposes.  Logical unitization is the process of human review of each individual page in an image collection using logical cues to determine pages that belong together as documents.  Such cues can be consecutive page numbering, report titles, similar headers and footers and other logical cues.
UNIX A software operating system. Originally pioneered by Bell Labs – now widely used by workstations.
V.32bis The ITU standard for 14.4 kbs modem communications.
V.34 The proposed ITU standard for 28.8 kbs modem communications.
VAR/VAD/VASD Value-Added Reseller/Value-Added Dealer/Value-Added Specialty Distributor. Companies or people who sell computer hardware or software and "add-value" in the process. Most usually the value added is specific technical or marketing knowledge and/or experience.
VDT Video Display Terminal – generic name for all display terminals.
Vector Representation of graphic images by mathematical formulas. For instance, a circle is defined by a specific position and radius.
Verbatim Coding Extracting data from documents in a collection in a way that matches exactly as the information appears in the documents.  The opposite of the standardization type coding treatment
VESA Video Electronics Standards Association – concentrates on computer video standards.
VGA Video Graphics Adapter. A PC industry standard, first introduced by IBM in 1987, for color video displays. The minimum dot (pixel) display is 640 by 480 by 16 colors. Then "Super VGA" was introduced at 800 x 600 x 16, then 256 colors. VGA can extend to 1024 by 768 by 256 colors. Replaces EGA, an earlier standard and the even older CGA. Newer standard displays can range up to 1600 by 1280.
Video Scanner Interface A type of device used to connect scanners with computers. Scanners with this interface require a scanner control board designed by Kofax, Xionics or Dunord.
VPN Virtual Private Network
WAN Wide Area Network. Generally a network of PC's, remote to each other, connected by telecommunications lines.
WAV File extension name for Windows sound files. Compression is not required. .WAV files can reach 5 Mbytes for one minute of audio.
Workflow, Ad Hoc A simple manual process by which documents can be moved around a multi-user imaging system on an “as-needed” basis.
Workflow, Rule-Based A programmed series of automated steps that route documents to various users on a multi-user imaging system.
Workgroup A group of computer users connected to share individual talents and resources as well as computer hardware and software – often to accomplish a team goal.
WORM

Write-Once, Read-Many – Data storage devices (e.g. CD-ROM's) where the space on the disks can only be written once. The data is permanently stored. This is often today's primary media for archival information. Disk sizes run from 5.25" (1.3 gigabytes) to 12" (8 to 10 gigabytes) capacities. There is also a 14'" disc (13 to 15 gigabytes), only manufactured by Kodak's optical storage group. WORM's can also be configured into jukeboxes. There are various technologies:

Technology Description Benefit Drawback

Ablative:  Laser burns holes in disk

Unalterable data

Dust, moisture may affect media

Bubble-forming:  Laser forms bubbles in the media

Unalterable data

Few drives available

Dye Polymer:  Laser heats dyed layer to form bumps

Potential low media cost

Laser mechanism more expensive; disks wear out faster; few drives available

Magneto:  Laser focuses magnetic field

Many suppliers, long disk life

No true WORM in multi-function; data theoretically alterable

Phase change:  Laser heat changes disk's molecular structure

One-pass data (no erase step)

Same as Dye Polymer

From Imaging Magazine, September, 1994

The expected viable lifetime of a WORM is at least 50 years. Since it's impossible to change, the government treats it just like paper or microfilm and it is accepted in litigation and other record-keeping application.

On the negative side, there is no current standard for how WORM's are written. The only ISO standard is for the 14" version, manufactured only by one vendor. A 5.25" standard is emerging from the European Computer Manufacturing Association but is not yet accepted. Further, WORM discs are written on both sides, but there are currently no drives that read both sides at the same time. As for speed, WORM is faster than tape or CD-ROM, but slower than magnetic. Typical disk access times run between 40 and 150 milliseconds (compared with 11 ms for fast magnetic disks and 300 ms for CD-ROM. Data transfer rates run between 1 and 2 MB/sec (compared with 5 to 10 for magnetic discs and 600KB/sec for CD-ROM.
WORM Disks Write Once Read Many Disks. A popular archival storage media during the 1980s. Acknowledged as the first optical disks, they are primarily used to store archives of data that cannot be altered. WORM disks are created by standalone PCs and cannot be used on the network, unlike CD-Rs.
WYSIWYG "What You See Is What You Get" – Display & software technology which shows on the computer screen exactly what you'll get when you print that screen. Usually requires a large, high-density monitor.
X.25 A standard protocol for data communications.
Xerox Printing A beam of light hits an electrically charged drum and causes a discharge at that point. Toner is then applied which sticks to the non-charged areas. Paper is pressed against the drum to form the image and is then heated to dry the toner. Used in laser printers and copying machines.
ZIP A common file compression format that allows quick and easy storage for transport.
Zone OCR An add-on feature of the imaging software that populates document templates by reading certain regions or zones of a document, and then placing the text into a document index

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