directCONVERT 4.0 supports now Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2000, 2003 and 2008. The printer driver supports Terminal Server and can be used even in Citrix driven environments.

With directCONVERT 4 we have concentrated us exact on the needs our customers proposed. If you need to convert a single document on your desktop or if you want to develop a Client/Server application, directCONVERT is prepared for all.

Convert to TIFF

Convert from every Windows application: Microsoft Office Word, Excel or PowerPoint. Sun Office Writer, AutoCAD, SolidEdge or Solid Works. It's simply does not count which application prints.

You may create single- or multipaged TIFF files, even PCX, DCX, JPEG, BMP and GIF is working. You may convert the created files afterwards manually.

Optionally further applications can be executed after printjobs are finished. This provides easy integration into an existing document managment solution and further handling and converting of the printed TIFF document.

Collect your documents: Your printed documents are collected in the so-called output bin of directCONVERT. You may print several pages or document without bothering where these documents has been saved. Later on, you may process all collected files in one single run.

Let's say, you have to create some kind of user manuals from time to time. Such documents may be composed out of several other documents, e.g. text documents, drawings and tables. In order to create a complete documentation, just print every single document one by one on directCONVERT. That's straight forward. As soon as you are ready, you can submit the document to your archiving system or send it directly via mail to your customers.

So it works: As soon as at least one document has been printed, a small symbol in your icon tray indicates that the directCONVERT output bin is filled. Just click on that icon in order to see the documents printed (Fig. 1).

Fig 1:Printed documents in the output bin

Edit your collection: You can delete and move your documents in the output bin. You may even add some previous printed documents just by Drag&Drop to the collection. Look hat fig. 1, we have kept it simple.

Document preview: The directCONVERT output bin provides a document preview, too. Just click on a document in your collection and you can browse all pages of your document very fast, see fig. 2. We've added fastest MMX technologie in order to provide seamless zooming of your documents.

Fig 2: The document preview

Send as Mail: That's the point, your documents shall arrive at the recipient as fast as possible. With some simple clicks directCONVERT compresses all files in a standard ZIP archive and opens your favourite mail application with a preconfigured mail. Your documents are already stored ats attachment, you will never write mails forgetting sending the attachment. Ok, you have to add the recipients address and some text content ...

Save to file: The document collection in the directCONVERT output bin can be saved at an arbitrary location on your harddisk. You can save the files standalone, in a separate folder or compressed in a standard ZIP archive. This will save disk space and you can store a larger amount of files on your disk. Very useful: The ZIP archive format has been integrated since Windows XP. It is a de-facto standard and you will not encounter in any difficulties during communication.

Printing: Printing out of a printer driver? Just because it is reliable and simple. Many users want to print and archive simultanious. With directCONVERT you can print your documents out of the output bin on any other Windows printer.

Client / Server applikations

directCONVERT can be installed on Windows Server 2000, 2003 or 2008. If you share directCONVERT on a server, all Windows clients may use the printer without any further installation.

As Administrator you can select if the created files should be stored on the client system or on the server. Terminal Server applications are supported 100 % transparently. You can even store properties of your Terminal Server session together with your document.

directCONVERT provides a uniform interface for your utilizers for your archiving or document management system (DMS). Please ask if you are looking for any integration into your project.

Dynamic names of directories and filenames: The created output files can be stored into a dynamical created directory structure. Directory- and filenames can be composed out of 40 macro function containing meta informations of the printout process, the user, original document filename, date, time and even Terminal Server Session ID's.

External applications: The printer driver can call other applications after a printout has been finished. Many additional tasks as watermarks, labels or trigger for any document management system can be accomplished here. Just ask if you need any further help at this point.

Metatext: Metatext enables directCONVERT to be used as an intelligent COLD frontend. Metatext includes exact informations about the textual content of a document. With supplemental software as directEXTRACT you may classify documents as invoices, delivery notes or notifications. Properties can be extracted depending on this classification as invoice number, customer number or addresses. Define multiple queues with different rules for documents. Archive and print documents simultaneous and 100% transparently for the utilizer. Last but not least you may setup directEXTRACT in a simple to use graphic user interface, without any need for programming. More...

Using the printer driver SDK directCONTROL you may adapt directCONVERT on your environment.

Setting up output properties

Most properties of directCONVERT are located in the dialog "Extended Properties", see fig. 3. With directCONVERT you can select multiple output destinations simultaneously. Documents can be saved on your desktop, in the directCONVERT output bin (see fig. 1) or forwarded to an external application. Directory structures can be created dynamically depending on meta informations out of the printjob, as well as about 40 macros provides dynamical filenames, too. The textual content of a printjob can be saved into ASCII or Metatext files, using sophisticated algorithms for formatting.

Fig. 3: Configuration of output properties

ASCII output

directCONVERT provides data export out of aged accounting software. The integrated ASCII formatting creates text files out of the textual content of the document printed, see fig. 4. directCONVERT uses the same technology as our really well-tried text printer driver directLABEL NT.

ASCII formatted text is per definition always monospaced text, as normal printed content uses usually proportional fonts. Monospaced text means that any character needs the same space, let's say 8 pixel. Proportional text (as the text you are currently reading) uses different character width. Getting proportional text into something readable in a monospaced raster is somewhat tricky. But we solved it.

Just to pick up one issue: In directCONVERT you can enable recognition of right bounded text as used in formatted tables. You can optimize the result concatenating number and text strings (e.g. "1234,- EUR"), see fig. 4.

Fig 4: Configuration of the text output

The ASCII output is been used in numerous projects in order to extract indexing informations for document management systems or to extract data out of accounting software.

Define paper form data

directCONVERT supports all paper formats installed on your computer. But you can add and edit own paper formats at any time, see fig. 5. For every paper format you can define options how to cut borders and how to rotate the image saved to disk.

Using the border cutting option you can simulate endless paper applications. You can reduce file sizes by reducing the image size cutting off empty areas at the paper margins. With the auto-rotate option you can guarantee a distinct content orientation if users prints documents sometimes in landscape or portrait mode.

Fig 5: Paper format editor

SDK for programmers

directCONTROL is the SDK (Software Development Kit) for all versions of directCONVERT printer drivers. Setup the output filename and further print parameters, start the printout in your application and synchronize with the printer spooler in order to fetch the document created in the right moment.

Purchasing the SDK you get 2 month of free support. It's just a small one time fee, you may use the SDK as often as you want. More...

All facts here

• Prints fast out of every Windows application.
• Creates singlepaged and multipaged TIFF as well as BMP, JPEG, PCX and DCX.
• Optimal support of the TIFF format for archiving, desktop, publishing and CAD.
• Usable as desktop and in client/server applications
• Free selectable resolution (DPI)
• Numerous paper formats, all major european and US formats included (e.g. . A6 to A0)
• Free custom paper forms
• Exports the original filename out of the printing application.
• Prints colored and monochrome with and without halftoning.
• Color reduction on 256 colors as postprocessing for publications in the internet.
• Creates heuristical formatted ASCII text.
• Creates Metatext for advanced text processing in directEXTRACT.
• The output bin collects, saves, mails and prints documents. ZIP compression supported, too.
• Print Preview
• Cuts off unprinted paper margins
• Auto-rotate to portrait or landscape orientation.
• Editor for paper forms.
• Manage multiple virtual printers on one system.
• Copy all printer properties into another printer instance.
• Selectable execution of rendering on the client or server system.
• Modular connection to DMS or archiving systems.
• Large product collections provides standard solutions for most demands.
• Future safe product, on marked since 1998.
• Product languages: English and German
• For Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2000, Server 2003 and Server 2008.
• Supports Terminal Server applications.
• Supports 32Bit systems only. Slightly different 64Bit driver on demand.