Choosing the right type of form - ABBYY Documentation

In addition to the design and processing requirements for each type of form, other criteria also need to be taken into consideration when choosing a form type. These include printing costs and methods, the number of copies required, the resulting image size, scanning modes, the required degree of recognition accuracy, form processing speed, overall appearance of the forms, how neatly they will be completed, etc. The table below summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of each form type.

Criteria	Dropout Form		Black-and-White Raster Form		Black-and-White Linear Form
Criteria	Disadvantage	Advantage	Disadvantage	Advantage	Disadvantage	Advantage
Design Complexity		Easy to design using any graphics editor.	Text editors offer limited tools for designing this type of form. The size of raster dots is crucial.			Easy to design using any graphics editor
Printing	Difficult to print large quantities of good quality forms in-house.			Easy to print in-house.		Easy to print in-house.
Printing Costs	If professional printing services are used, printing costs are higher compared with black-and- white forms.			If professional printing services are used, printing costs are lower compared with dropout forms.		If professional printing services are used, printing costs are lower compared with dropout forms
Image Size		Image file sizes are smaller.	Image file sizes are larger.		Image file sizes are larger.
Scanning Mode	Only special scanning modes (color filtering) may be used.		Limited range of brightness and contrast settings.		Limited range of brightness and contrast settings.
Processing Speed		Higher average processing speed.	Average processing time is longer, because the images need to be despeckled.		Errors are more likely if characters are glued together or overlap field borders.
Recognition Quality		Very high recognition quality.		High recognition quality.	Recognition quality largely depends on how neatly the form has been filled out.	High recognition quality if the form has been filled out correctly.
Location of explanatory text		Explanatory text may be placed anywhere, including inside fields (as long it is printed using the same color as the form background).	Explanatory text and other form elements must be carefully arranged on the form.		Explanatory text and other form elements must be carefully arranged on the form.
Form Appearance and Legibility	Low contrast settings of background and explanatory text may adversely affect form legibility.	Aesthetically pleasing	Less eye-catching design. Lower legibility.		Less eye-catching design.	Good legibility.
Neatness of Completion		Less sensitive to text overlapping field borders.	Small characters must be written very carefully and be large enough not to be removed as garbage.	Less sensitive to text overlapping field borders.	Very sensitive to text overlapping field borders.