Automating Document to TIFF Conversion – Benefits of a Pre-Existing Solution versus “Code-Your-Own”
When faced with the task of automating your document to TIFF conversion, it can be hard to know where to start. The tools you will end up using will depend on where you need document conversion to fit into your workflow and the type of documents you need to convert.
PEERNET offers a range of document conversion products in order to best meet the conversion needs of our clients.
It is common for our clients to be first introduced to PEERNET document conversion software with our TIFF Image Printer End User. For those looking for simple desktop conversion at the user-level to handle day-to-day conversion tasks, TIFF Image Printer End User is an ideal solution. TIFF Image Printer End User can convert any document to a TIFF image that can be opened & printed. This is great for companies that use web applications or proprietary software, but still require TIFF conversion. We recommend this solution for companies that need a user-initiated, hands-on approach to document conversion, and have a lower volume of conversion.
For higher volumes of document conversion and/or a hands-off, automated approach, we see our clients creating their own custom code to integrate TIFF conversion into their workflow. For this level of silent, non-interactive automation, the TIFF Image Printer Windows Service license level is required. This license level allows the TIFF Image Printer to be used for both interactive (desktop) and non-interactive (Windows service and scheduled tasks) sessions.
Some examples of common document conversion tasks that our clients will write their own code to achieve are:
- Monitoring specific folders for files to convert, often at specific time intervals.
- Silent, headless conversion by printing various file types to TIFF image printer, such as:
- Office documents, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office formats
- PDF files
- HTML files
- Various image formats to TIFF
- Writing the code against the different applications for each document type to open, print and close the documents, which includes but is not limited to handling and ensuring:
- error, upgrade and licensing prompts are blocked and/or dismissed
- third-party applications remain are stable and no rogue processes occur
- the conversion works correctly in the environments in which it needs to run, such as in a web service or a Windows service
While it is certainly possible to write your own code in order to integrate our TIFF Image Printer into your workflow as desired, often our clients do not have the time or desire to dedicate personnel to what is often a time-consuming and tedious project.
That’s where our Document Conversion Service comes in!
We’ve done all the automation work for you, and have created a stress-tested software that can accomplish any of the examples listed above with just some simple configuration or a few lines of code.
Document Conversion Service is an enterprise-level, scalable and fully automated batch conversion software that converts PDF to TIFF, PDF to JPEG, Word to TIFF, Word to JPEG, Excel to TIFF, Excel to JPEG, etc. DCS is highly customizable allowing for seamless workflow integration by means of its many included tools, such as a folder monitoring service with post-processing capability, command line tools for batch and scheduled processes and a .NET library for more in-depth code integration.
Top 5 Reasons to Choose Document Conversion Service Over Programming Conversion Yourselves
Fully-Automated Windows Service Off-the-Shelf
In our experience, 90% of the reason our clients choose Document Conversion Service is for the complete automation it offers. Document Conversion Service does all the heavy lifting of managing the third-party applications used to convert the documents, as well as opening, printing and closing files to convert to TIFF. Any message boxes, security and update prompts and other issues that are common roadblocks to automation have already been handled for you.
Document Conversion Service is a true Windows® service and runs headless in its own environment. It will not interfere with any of the third-party applications running on the desktop.
Simplification of Code
Document Conversion Service can be seamlessly integrated into your workflow in several ways, from complete .NET code integration to using simple command line tools. It does not take more than one or two lines of code to direct Document Conversion Service to convert specific files, folders or file lists.
Included Watch (Drop) Folder Service
As mentioned earlier, it is possible to write your own code to make TIFF Image Printer Windows Service monitor specific folders for files to convert at specific time intervals, but in doing so, you would also have to write code for opening, printing and closing each file. You would also have to handle the many pitfalls of dealing with message boxes, security and licensing prompts, controlling the default printer, and many other issues Document Conversion Service handles for you.
Our Watch (Drop) Folder Service comes included with the purchase of Document Conversion Service. Simply tell the service which folders to watch, how you would like files converted, where to save the output file, and you’re good to go.
Rigorously Stress-Tested and Continuously Updated
Eliminate the stress, worry and expense of writing, and then maintaining, your own code to make TIFF Image Printer work in your service environment.
We guarantee that Documents Conversion Service has been rigorously stress-tested and is ready for production level operation immediately following purchase. We have many clients, including banks, hospitals, insurance companies and law firms, that use Documents Conversion Service for purposes critical to the regular operation of their businesses, and they have found DCS to be a reliable and robust software.
We take on the responsibility of testing and updating Document Conversion Service as 3rd party software and operating systems undergo changes in order to avoid any disruption in client’s services. In addition, our support team is always available to help with configuration support and troubleshooting should you need it.
Navigating COM Interface is Challenging
Whether you are using the Office automation or the TIFF Image Printer COM automation library, or both, it takes care and attention to detail to program against them correctly, and efficiently. Common mistakes such as not error-trapping correctly or not freeing COM objects when required can cause your conversion process to hang indefinitely, or cause rogue processes to accumulate in your running processes table, taking up valuable system resources.
Choosing Document Conversion Service eliminates these worries with its robust handling of third-party automation, freeing your developers up for other tasks.
