CardScan :: the best-selling business card reader on the market

Yes, there are two flavors of the CardScan SDK. There’s a full version that includes everything you need to build a stand-alone application, and an abridged version that relies on the end-user to install CardScan separately. You can download the abridged version of the SDK from the CardScan web site, use it to develop your application and then purchase the full SDK if/when you are ready to package it into a stand-alone installation kit.

Furthermore, the SDK is backed by a 60-day, money-back guarantee, and you may return the product for any reason within 60 days of purchase.

2. What’s new in the Version 8 SDK?

Version 8 incorporates the following changes:

Supports the CardScan 800 scanner. The 800c is factory-calibrated and is slightly faster than the 700.
Provides dialogs, error messages and other user-visible strings translated into Italian, Dutch, and Portuguese (Brazilian).
Allows multiple applications to share a scanner and automatically directs scanned cards to the application in the foreground.
Allows applications to store their own data in CardScan files.
Corrects a problem where each user sharing a computer was forced to calibrate the scanner.

3. What platforms does the SDK support?

The CardScan SDK is compatible with the same operating systems as the regular CardScan product. It can be used to develop 32-bit applications that run on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista.

4. What’s the difference between the full and the abridged SDK?

You can design an application that scans business cards two ways:

If scanning business cards is not a critical feature, you can design your application to scan cards only if the end-user installs CardScan separately. In this case, you do not need to include any CardScan components with your application because CardScan automatically installs all the required files.
If it is unacceptable to require your end-users to install CardScan separately, you can repackage the scanner drivers and other CardScan components, and install them with your application.

The full version of the SDK includes the components that are required to package a stand-alone application, and the abridged SDK does not. Because the full SDK allows you to repackage and redistribute CardScan's technology, you must sign a Distribution Agreement to purchase it.

Both flavors of the SDK contain the same documentation, sample programs, libraries, etc. You can use either one to develop an application, but to build the installation kit for a stand-alone application, you need the full SDK.

5. Can I use the scanner in a Terminal Services / Citrix environment?

There is a known issue that terminal services don’t redirect USB scanner I/O. To work around this problem, you must either connect the scanner directly to the network (Google: “network-enabled USB hub”), or use a program that turns the client-attached scanner into a network device (Google: “remote scan”).

6. Is the SDK compatible with earlier Windows releases (e.g. Windows 98 or Windows Me)?

No, the SDK is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me. The SDK is also not compatible with Windows NT 4.0.

7. What do I get when I purchase the SDK?

When you purchase the CardScan SDK, you receive:

One CardScan Executive, with a CardScan 800-series scanner and a copy of the CardScan Version 8 (or later) software on CD-ROM.
One CardScan Personal with the CardScan 60-series scanner, and another copy of the CardScan software.
A third CD-ROM containing documentation, sample programs, header files and Windows library files that you use to develop your.
One hardcopy version of the CardScan SDK Developers Guide. The guide contains all the information a Windows developer needs to add the capability to scan business cards to an application.

8. What do I need to develop an application with the SDK?

Developing an application with the SDK requires a development environment compatible with libraries and DLLs generated by Microsoft Visual C++ version 5.0 or later (for example, Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0 or later, or Visual Basic 5.0 or later).

9. Can I use the SDK with Visual Basic?

Yes, the SDK is compatible with Visual Basic 5.0 or later and includes the source code for two sample applications written in Visual Basic.

10. Can I use the SDK with VB.NET?

Yes, the SDK is compatible with VB.NET and includes the source code for two sample programs written in VB.NET.

11. Can I use the SDK with Java?

Yes, the SDK is compatible with the Java and includes the source code for two sample programs written in Java.

12. Does the SDK include sample programs?

Yes, the CardScan SDK includes several examples, including two sample programs that demonstrate how to use the SDK from Visual Basic and VB.NET.

13. Can I obtain and manipulate the raw image?

Yes, the SDK allows you to receive raw gray-scale or color images from the scanner.

14. In what format is the raw image?

The SDK returns the raw image as a Windows device-independent bitmap (.BMP format). The SDK does NOT provide the functionality to convert the image to JPEG or any other image formats.

15. Do I have to use the CardScan user interface?

No, the CardScan SDK is completely independent from the CardScan user interface. Your application has complete control over the scanner and the recognition engine and can integrate these functions seamlessly.

16. Do you provide technical support for the SDK?

CardScan provides free technical support on the CardScan SDK via email. Send your questions to development@cardscan.com. We usually respond within 1-2 business days.

17. What are the specifications for the CardScan scanner?

The CardScan 800c-series scans at a resolution of 300 DPI and returns either an 8-bit gray-scale or a 24-bit color image. The scanner accommodates documents up to 4 inches (10.16 cm) wide. You can control whether to scan documents in color or gray-scale.

The CardScan 60-series also scans at a resolution of 300 DPI. It returns an 8-bit gray-scale image. The scanner accommodates documents up to 2.24 inches (5.7 cm) wide.

Please note that you can scan documents sideways and the SDK will reorient and read the image automatically.

18. What is the maximum thickness of a card that will fit inside the scanner?

The maximum thickness accommodated by the CardScan 800-series is 1.25mm (.05 inches) – about the thickness of a plastic credit card.

19. What is the MTBF? How many cards can I scan?

We do not have a MTBF calculation, but fewer than 5% of the units should fail within 5 years of continuous power-on operation or 25,000 scans.

20. Can I control the DPI resolution of the scanner?

No, the scanner’s resolution is fixed and cannot be changed programmatically.

21. Is there a TWAIN-compatible driver for the scanner?

No, there is no TWAIN-compatible driver for the scanner.

22. Does the CardScan scanner handle credit card style media (e.g. plastic employee ID cards thicker than a business card)?

The CardScan 800 can accommodate credit card style media and other thick plastic cards. Thin laminated cards usually scan with few problems. Thicker credit-card style cards may stick/slip against the rollers inside the scanner. If you keep a finger on the card as it moves through the device, it scans normally.

23. Do I have to use your scanner?

If you rely on the end-user to install the CardScan software separately, you can use any scanner supported by CardScan; including TWAIN-compatible scanners.

If you create a stand-alone solution that redistributes the SDK files, you can use a non-CardScan scanner, but you must purchase a license for the CardScan software for each end-user.

24. Do I have to ship CardScan with my application?

No, you do not have to ship the CardScan software with your application. You can rely on the end-user to install CardScan separately or, you can create a "complete solution" by redistributing the SDK files. Please note that in order to do this, you must either include a CardScan scanner with each copy of your application, or purchase a CardScan software license for each copy of your application.

25. Do I have to pay any per-copy royalty to distribute the SDK files with my application?

If the end-user has a CardScan scanner, there are no additional license requirements. Each CardScan scanner purchased by you or your end-user entitles you to install one copy of the SDK files. Otherwise, you mush purchase a CardScan software license for each end-user.

26. Can the SDK read documents with different types of information than is currently found on a business card?

No, the SDK is designed to read business cards and you cannot modify this logic. To identify information on other kinds of documents, you have to develop your own algorithms to sort through the results.

27. Can I use the SDK to control the CardScan program?

No, the CardScan SDK is designed for applications that require complete control over the scanning and recognition process and, therefore, does not provide any means to control or interact with the CardScan program.

However, CardScan does support Windows Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) and is compatible with macro and programming languages such as those found in word processors, database applications and Microsoft Visual Basic. Using the DDE interface you can direct CardScan to scan and process cards and to open, read and update CardScan database files.

28. How can I find out more about CardScan’s DDE interface?

Documents that describe CardScan's DDE interface are included with the other on-line documents on the SDK. However, these documents are also available free of charge. Write to development@cardscan.com to request a copy.

29. Does CardScan have an OLE, COM or ActiveX interface?

The CardScan SDK does not provide an OLE, COM or ActiveX interface. However the SDK is implemented as a set of standard Windows API calls exported from a DLL and any programming environment that is capable of calling functions in a DLL will be able to use the SDK.

The SDK includes an unsupported sample program that wraps a COM/ActiveX interface around the SDK’s DLL calls. The sample is written in Visual Basic.

30. Can I use the SDK to read cards from outside the United States and Canada?

Yes, the SDK has the same capabilities as CardScan in this regard. It reads business cards from North America, Europe, Australia and South America. Visit www.cardscan.com to get an up-to-date list of the countries supported by CardScan.

CardScan's accuracy on international cards is comparable to the US version.

31. Does your SDK support languages like Hebrew/Russian/etc? If not, can I somehow add the support myself?

The SDK only supports the countries and languages supported by CardScan and, you cannot add support for additional languages or countries on your own.

32. Can I use the SDK from Delphi/Borland C++/Java/etc?

Yes. The SDK is implemented as a set of standard Windows API calls exported from a DLL. If your development environment can call Windows DLLs you will have no problem using the SDK.

The SDK includes several unsupported sample programs that demonstrate how to use the SDK from Delphi, Java and VBScript.

33. Can I create an application that scans directly to a database?

Yes, but you have to write an intermediary program between the SDK and the database. This program uses the SDK to read the cards and then writes the information to the database. Your program should allow the user to verify the information in case there are any mistakes.

34. Can I scan both sides of a card at once?

No, the CardScan scanner does not scan both sides of a card at once. To capture both sides of a card you must scan them separately.

35. Can I detect when a card is inserted in to the scanner?

Yes, the sample programs included with the SDK demonstrate how to do this.

36. Can I get the raw OCR results?

Yes, you can retrieve the raw text read from an image, including the top, left, bottom and right coordinates of each line. The sample programs included with the SDK demonstrate how to do this.

37. How difficult is it to read other information than a typical business card?

We cannot predict how much effort is required to read other information. You'll get the best results if the information you want to read is:

Clearly printed in a legible font
Printed in black ink on a white background
Printed with no obscuring marks
Easy to identify because it is always in the same location or follows a simple pattern

All these factors affect the results. The best way to gauge the work involved is to try scanning your documents into the CardScan software. If it reads the documents accurately, and consistently sorts the results into the same fields, the documents will probably be easily read.

38. Can the SDK be adjusted to read only a particular font or location?

No, the SDK cannot be adjusted to evaluate only a particular font or location. However, you can manipulate the scanned image and erase or crop out the information you want the SDK to ignore.

39. Can you recommend a developer who is experienced with your SDK?

CardScan does not maintain a list of developers for SDK projects. The SDK is designed so that any experienced C/C++, Visual Basic or VB.NET developer will be able to build a simple application in only a few days.

We recommend you contact Microsoft to get a list of certified Visual Basic or VB.NET developers in your area.