Poor image quality after PDF to TIFF conversion with IBM Datacap Taskmaster Capture

Resolving The Problem

Generally, such results are subjective and often specific to the source documents themselves. There is not necessarily one solution that will be universally ideal for all PDFs. Multiple solutions may need to be applied in a case-by-case basis. Thus it is best to find a configuration that works for a large percentage of work (e.g. 95% of batch files).

• Check the source PDF files. If they are not of reasonable quality then steps will need to be taken to improve the quality prior to any configuration changes within Datacap Taskmaster.
• Try converting color PDFs to grayscale images first before converting the output to black and white. Scanning PDFs in grayscale or black and white is one way to accomplish this.
• Test using scanner settings that perform image processing functions such as background color removal. Performing these functions at scan time can lead to better results over performing image enhancement within Datacap Taskmaster.
• For invoices or claims that do not work well with the overall application, consider using a separate job in which batches of problematic documents can be run using different rules/application/image enhancement logic. This is especially notable for files with dot matrix text.
• When using DCPDF actions, the action to use an alternate conversion method should be tested by calling it prior to PDF conversion. The action may improve conversion quality at the slight expense of performance.