Quadrant Software Announces Formtastic 5.4.1 With New Interface and Audit Options

Tampa, FL (December 2007) - Quadrant Software, the leading software developer for Paperless Process Management solutions, has released version 5.4.1 of its award-winning electronic forms, barcode labels, and MICR check printing solution Formtastic.

Formtastic is equipped with advanced design tools and features which allow users to easily design polished documents, laser MICR checks, and barcode or thermal labels and populate them with data from their System i business application, without ever having to leave their desktop.

Among the many innovative upgrades of Formtastic, this latest version, 5.4.1, brings a new audit reporting feature and a variety of enhancements to the user interface.

New user interface makes working with jobs a snap.

• The new user interface for the “Work with Jobs” option in Formtastic allows the tracking and reporting on all merges processed by Formtastic. The new screen shows the type of document (form, check or label), the type of merge (manual or automatic), the date and time of the merge, the user that initiated the job and the status (complete or error).

• As merge jobs are processed by Formtastic, the system reports on job details such as the input data processed (spooled file or database file), output distributions, the documents within the job, and any embedded API command. 

• The new interface also reports on the printing of blank checks, a must-have feature to reduce a company’s risk of check fraud.

New Audit Reporting capability helps troubleshooting and compliance

• To enhance the integration between Formtastic and the company’s complementary products – FastFax for enterprise faxing and IntelliChief for document management and workflow – a new auditing program was created that tracks the requests made from one program to another. For example, a user creates a purchase order in Formtastic that is faxed or emailed via FastFax to the vendor while IntelliChief saves a copy in the archival database for later retrieval. These requests (fax/email the PO and archive the PO) are now tracked and can be reported on for faster troubleshooting.

• Compliance with industry regulations is also facilitated due to the detailed audit history created, enabling private and public organizations to have a true trail of document processing, from its moment of creation until its delivery and ultimate archival.

Increased ability for processing multiple PDF files

• Customers having to process multiple merges can setup the auto-merge program in Formtastic to convert all those outputs into PDF and have them completed much quicker. Additional efficiencies from this new load-balancing feature are realized when processing multiple directories concurrently. (spooled files being merged are saved as PDF files in multiple directories)

• A scan time can be determined for auto-scan of multiple input directories for processing the job.

• When converting documents to TIFF format, a standard resolution of either 300 dpi or 600 dpi can be setup to minimize user intervention on auto-merges of a high volume of documents.

Signature / Image Capture Module now supports Signature Pads

• In previous Formtastic releases signature clipboards such as the Topaz ClipGem were already supported. Now Formtastic also supports Topaz Signature Pads, such as the ones commonly found in retail operations. Once the signature is captured electronically by the device, it can be merged into a Formtastic form and printed out or archived in IntelliChief. The capture of electronic signatures helps with proof-of-delivery, invoicing, and customer service.

Miscellaneous Enhancements include Purge commands and API support for checks

• New purge enhancement allows the purge of job, audit and file history information. The Purge utility now lets users choose the option they want when configuring the purge setting. Options are “all”, “audit”, “file” and “jobs”. A periodic purge of files and system tables not only saves disk space but also helps with processing time.

• Formtastic Checks now has the ability to use API commands for automatically archiving check images in IntelliChief. The new process lets users have immediate access to check images once the check spooled data is merged. Users can then retrieve a check image IntelliChief will display the related invoice, purchase order and any relevant documentation pertaining to that transaction.

• Accessing Formtastic menu items from the System i command line is now easier. Users simply type the menu item they want to access after calling the Ftastic command to be brought to the correct screen, saving time when navigating through the system. To go directly to the checks menu, for example, users only need to type FTASTIC OPTION (*CHECKS).

Formtastic integrates with all major application vendors including Oracle (JD Edwards), Infor (XA, Application Plus, BPCS, PRMS, Infinium and others), Lawson, and many more. No application programming or source code changes are required because Formtastic extracts and remaps data already available in spooled files.

Over the years, Formtastic has helped companies significantly reduce expenses and increase productivity. Companies are able to eliminate costly pre-printed forms, and either print to inexpensive laser printers, or automatically deliver documents by email or fax. Pricing for Formtastic V5.4.1 starts at $8,400 (USD).

Formtastic 5.4.1 is available immediately. Formtastic customers on previous releases will gain significant advantages when upgrading to the latest 5.4.1 release. The upgrade is free for customers enrolled in the maintenance program. For more information, please contact us at (508)594-2700, or visit www.quadrantsoftware.com.

About Quadrant Software
Quadrant Software, an IBM Business Partner, has over a decade of experience providing Paperless Process Management (PPM) solutions. Started as a pioneer in fax server technology, today Quadrant Software provides enterprise-class PPM applications to Global 2000 companies world-wide and in a variety of industries. This includes document management, electronic forms, fax servers, MICR checks, barcode labels, imaging and workflow products. Over the years, they have helped companies reduce expenses, increase productivity, and improve communication. Quadrant Software has offices in Massachusetts, Florida, and the U.K.