Did Microsoft Just Make your Archives Obsolete?

Most Microsoft Office users probably didn’t notice, but when Microsoft released Service Pack 3 for Office 2003, they “discontinued support” for files created using older versions of Word, Excel, 1-2-3, Quattro, or Corel Draw. Once SP3 is installed, these files won’t open with Microsoft Office applications. Businesses that have been around awhile are finding that they suddenly cannot open some of their archived files. There are workarounds, but they aren’t easy. What makes it more problematic is that you can’t tell by looking at the file in the directory whether or not it will open — you won’t know until you need the file, and then it may be too late to start figuring out a solution.

This is an ongoing issue with proprietary formats, even formats as ubiquitous as Word documents: There is no guarantee a vendor will support a file format indefinitely. Even if you jump through the hoops to convert the older Word document to today’s Word format, you may find that it too is obsolete when Office 2012 comes out.

Stick with Industry Standards

Non-proprietary, industry standard formats are the best choice for archival document storage. TIFF, PCL, and PDF are industry-standard formats supported by many different vendors, making them the best options for archival document storage. It is a near certainty that these formats will be accessible for as long as you need access to your archive files. The best format for your documents depends on the type of information you are archiving and how it might be used in the future. See Tech Corner article for a discussion of when to use the different formats.

How to Get From Here to There

eLynx’s newest release of SwiftPublish makes it easy to batch convert document files to PCL, TIFF, or PDF. The source file can be in any format you can print to a Windows printer. If in Windows you can drag and drop the document file to a printer, SwiftPublish can batch convert it to a PCL, TIFF, or PDF/A file automatically.

Make sure you aren’t locking away valuable information in document files that may become obsolete. See the SwiftPublish article to see how SwiftPublish can help you quickly and accurately convert your documents from native formats to TIFF or PCL, or PDF.

Batch-print and Capture PDF and Native Files with New SwiftPublish

eLynx is pleased to announce the release of SwiftPublish, version 2.8. This release adds new capabilities to SwiftPublish that greatly enhance its value and usability as a document capture tool. SwiftPublish is a server-based application that creates print-ready PCL or archive-ready TIFF or PDF files from native files produced by any Windows® application, including Microsoft Office®, Adobe PDF, or Windows-based line-of-business applications. SwiftPublish can be configured to automatically process files according to defined criteria, making it ideal as a front-end for imaging or archiving systems or as a “hands-free” application to standardize document formats for distribution or other business processes. For more information on SwiftPublish or to download an evaluation copy, visit http://www.swiftview.com/spublish1.htm.

Key Features

• Capture print-formatted image from any native document produced by a Windows® application
• Output PCL, TIFF, or PDF files, including full color support for PCL5 and PCL6 and zipped PCL
• Capture searchable text in PCL output files
• Easy integration into existing server based applications or workflows
• PDF converter is included, eliminating need for external Acrobat or other PDF print utility
• Directory Monitor monitors target folders, enabling automated file processing
• Package multiple documents: Any number of various types of files can be combined into a single document or print job using the batch utility

The new version of SwiftPublish also includes a new Directory Monitor configuration interface which dramatically simplifies setting up SwiftPublish in your environment. For more on the Directory Monitor configuration interface, visit http://www.swiftview.com/tech/swiftpubuser.htm.

SwiftPublish in Action

ProTechnology Automation (www.protechinc.com), a leading provider of document generation, delivery and archiving technology and a National Adobe Solutions Partner, has integrated SwiftPublish, along with SwiftConvert and the SwiftView viewer, into their suite of products. The addition of SwiftPublish enables them to offer their customers the ability to automatically batch print PDF files from within the ProTechnology solution. According to Dan Roth, ProTechnology president and chief technology officer, “We were able to integrate SwiftPublish into our solution in a single day and the customer benefits are enormous — one customer estimates it saves them a minute or more for each PDF document they need to print, and they print hundreds. The final solution was simple, fast and elegant to implement. It was very cost effective compared to other options our customer had looked at previously.”

eLynx to Exhibit SwiftView Tools at the AIIM International/On Demand Exposition and Conference

See SwiftView Tool's suite of document output management and distribution solutions in Booth 2362.

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