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Scanning Session Settings

Pro & Enterprise Only

Scanning session settings are available exclusively in ScrewDrivers Pro and Enterprise editions.

Scanning Session Settings control how ScrewDrivers Scanning behaves during remote sessions, managing scanner availability, TWAIN configuration, compression settings, and scan profiles. You'll configure these settings in ScrewDrivers Administration and assign them to owners, where they'll affect all scanning operations for those users. This reference provides complete specifications for scanning session settings, from enabling scanning and managing alerts through compression optimization and scan profile management.

Overview​

When you assign Scanning Session Settings to an owner (user, group, or organizational unit), those settings control the scanning experience for all scanners that owner can access during remote sessions. Unlike printer session settings where you might have separate configurations for different printer types, Scanning Session Settings apply uniformly to all scanning devices a user accesses.

The settings organize into four functional areas: general scanning enablement and client management (General tab), scanner naming conventions (Naming Scheme tab), data compression and transfer optimization (Compression tab), and reusable scan configurations (Profiles tab). Each area gives you control over different aspects of the scanning experience, from basic functionality through performance optimization.

Creating and Assigning Session Settings​

You'll work with Scanning Session Settings objects in the ScrewDrivers Administration console, using the same assignment workflow you'd use for other session settings types.

Viewing Existing Settings​

To view or work with existing Scanning Session Settings:

  1. Confirm the Objects pane is set to Session Printer Settings objects. You might need to click the Session Printer Settings icon on the ScrewDrivers Administration Icon bar
  2. Expand the Scanning Session Settings folder to see all configured settings objects
  3. Select a settings object to view its configuration in the Information pane

You can search for specific Scanning Session Settings objects if you have many configured. See Managing Objects for search procedures.

Creating New Session Settings​

To create a new Scanning Session Settings object:

  1. Right-click the Scanning Session Settings folder in the Objects pane
  2. Select "New Scanning Session Settings" from the context menu (or click "Add Session Settings" and select the Scanning Session Settings icon)
  3. Enter a descriptive name for the new settings object
  4. Click Add

The new session settings appear in the Scanning Session Settings folder with all values set to defaults. Select the object to view the configuration form in the Information pane, where you'll see tabs for General, Naming Scheme, Compression, Profiles, plus the standard Assignments and Audit tabs.

Modifying Existing Settings​

To edit existing Scanning Session Settings:

  1. Select the settings object in the Objects pane
  2. The Information pane displays the Scanning Session Settings form with current values
  3. Make your changes across any of the tabs
  4. Click Save to persist your modifications
  5. Drag the modified settings to appropriate owners in the Assignments pane

General Tab Settings​

The General tab controls fundamental scanning behavior, including whether scanning is enabled, how users are alerted to configuration issues, and how client software versions are managed.

Scanning Enablement​

Scanning Enabled: Turned on by default. When enabled, users can scan on the remote machine using their client scanners. If you turn off scanning, all users are prevented from scanning on the remote machine regardless of other settings. You'd typically disable scanning only in specialized scenarios where scanning functionality should be completely unavailable, such as highly secure environments or troubleshooting situations.

Alert Settings​

Alert settings control what notifications users see when scanning configuration issues occur:

Alert user if no scanner is configured: When enabled, a notification displays if no scanner is configured for the user's client. This helps users understand why scanning isn't working and prompts them to configure a scanner on their endpoint. Without this alert, users might assume scanning is broken rather than simply unconfigured.

Alert user if no client plugin is detected: When enabled, a notification displays if the ScrewDrivers Scanning client software isn't installed on the user's client. This alert helps you identify deployment gaps—if users are trying to scan but don't have the client software installed, this notification points them toward the solution.

Automatic Client Updates​

Automatic client updates: Turned on by default. When enabled, the Session Agent ensures that software versions running on the ScrewDrivers Scanning remote machine and ScrewDrivers Scanning clients stay in sync. If the Session Agent detects that a connecting client runs a different software version than what's running on the remote machine, it automatically performs an upgrade or downgrade to synchronize the versions.

Upgrades are typically more common than downgrades. This automatic synchronization prevents version mismatch issues that can cause scanning failures or unexpected behavior. The plugins that the Session Agent has downloaded are displayed on a per-client basis on the About tab of the ScrewDrivers Scanning Client App.

User Interface Options​

These settings control how the ScrewDrivers Scanning interface appears to users:

Always display primary user interface: Some TWAIN applications might prevent the ScrewDrivers Scanning data source from displaying a user interface. Enable this option to ensure that the ScrewDrivers Scanning user interface always displays, regardless of the calling application's preferences. The preview features in the ScrewDrivers Scanning user interface make this a useful option—users can preview scans before completing them, adjust settings on the fly, and verify scanner behavior.

Suppress secondary user interface: Enable this option to ensure that the ScrewDrivers Scanning secondary user interface doesn't display. The secondary user interface is a progress bar that shows the progress of image transfer from scanner to remote session. While some users find this progress indicator helpful, it can clutter the screen in high-volume scanning scenarios. Suppressing it provides a cleaner experience at the cost of less feedback about transfer progress.

Naming Scheme Tab​

The Naming Scheme tab controls how scanner names appear to users in their remote sessions. Clear, consistent scanner naming helps users identify which physical device they're using, especially in environments with multiple scanners or shared workstations.

Naming Scheme Options​

You'll select one of five naming schemes—these options are mutually exclusive:

Scanner Name (Machine:Session): The default value. Shows the scanner's name followed by the machine name and session ID in parentheses. For example, "HP ScanJet Pro (WKS001:2)". This scheme puts the scanner name first, which helps users quickly identify which scanner they're using while still providing machine and session identification.

Scanner Name (User:Session): Shows the scanner name followed by username and session ID in parentheses. For example, "HP ScanJet Pro (jsmith:2)". Use this scheme when you're more concerned with tracking which user is scanning rather than which machine they're using.

Machine:Session (Scanner Name): Reverses the emphasis, leading with machine and session information. For example, "WKS001:2 (HP ScanJet Pro)". This scheme works well when machine identification is more important than scanner identification.

User:Session (Scanner Name): Leads with username and session ID. For example, "jsmith:2 (HP ScanJet Pro)". Like the machine-first scheme, this emphasizes user identification over scanner identification.

Scanner Name: Displays only the scanner name without any machine or user identification. For example, "HP ScanJet Pro". This simplest scheme works well in environments where users typically connect from the same workstation and session tracking isn't needed.

Additional Naming Options​

Append driver type to name: When enabled, this option adds the scanner driver type (TWAIN, WIA, CAM, or RPOS) to the scanner name regardless of which naming scheme you've selected. This helps administrators and users understand which protocol is being used for scanning, which can be valuable for troubleshooting. For example, "HP ScanJet Pro (WKS001:2) - TWAIN" makes it clear that this scanner is using the TWAIN protocol.

Compression Tab​

The Compression tab controls how scan data is compressed before being transferred from the client to the remote session. Proper compression configuration balances transfer speed, image quality, and network bandwidth usage.

General Compression Options​

General compression: Turned on by default. When enabled, all non-image data is compressed before transfer. This includes metadata, scanner configuration data, and other protocol overhead. Since this data compresses very efficiently and the overhead is minimal, there's rarely a reason to disable general compression.

Image data compression: Turned on by default. When enabled, scanned image data is compressed before being transferred from the client to the remote session. Image data typically represents the bulk of transfer volume in scanning operations, so this compression can significantly reduce network bandwidth usage and speed up scan completion times.

This compression has no effect on image attributes or quality in the final scanned document—it simply ensures that image data is compressed during transfer, then decompressed on the remote machine for processing or storage.

Compression Priority​

These two options control which compression algorithm is used. You must select exactly one:

Speed (quicker compression): Turned on by default. This option runs a compression algorithm that increases the rate of image data compression, which means scans complete faster. However, the size of the compressed data is larger than if you select Size. Use this setting when network bandwidth isn't severely constrained and you want the fastest possible scan-to-session transfer.

Size (smallest compression): Select this option to enable a compression algorithm that's slower than the Speed algorithm but decreases the size of the compressed image data. This results in smaller data transfers at the cost of slightly longer compression time. Use this setting when network bandwidth is constrained or when transferring very large scan batches where the cumulative bandwidth savings outweigh the compression overhead.

Image Packet Size​

Image Packet Size: Before compressed image data is sent to the remote machine, it's broken into packets. This setting controls the size of these packets. The default value of 512K is appropriate for most servers and network configurations.

For ultimate network utilization, you can select a packet size that matches your network requirements. Smaller packets (128K, 256K) work better on networks with smaller MTU sizes or higher packet loss rates. Larger packets (1M, 2M) can provide better throughput on high-bandwidth, low-latency networks but may cause issues if packets need to be fragmented.

Available packet sizes typically include: 128K, 256K, 512K, 1M, and 2M.

Profiles Tab​

The Profiles tab lets you create and manage scan profiles for the scanning session settings. Scan profiles are reusable configurations that define specific scan parameters—resolution, color mode, paper size, duplex settings, and other TWAIN options. Users can select profiles by name rather than manually configuring scan parameters for each operation.

Profile Management​

To manage scan profiles:

  1. Select your Scanning Session Settings object in the Objects pane
  2. Click the Profiles tab in the Information pane
  3. Use the profile management controls to add, edit, or delete profiles

Creating new profiles: Click Add (or similar button), enter a descriptive profile name, and configure the scan parameters (resolution, color mode, duplex, paper size, etc.). Each profile captures a complete set of scanner configuration options.

Editing existing profiles: Select the profile from the list and modify its parameters. Changes to profiles affect all users who have these session settings assigned.

Deleting profiles: Select the profile and click Remove (or similar button). Deleted profiles are no longer available to users for selection.

Profile Use Cases​

Scan profiles prove valuable in several scenarios:

Standardized document types: Create profiles for common scanning tasks like "Color Documents - 300 DPI", "Black & White Forms - 200 DPI", or "Photo Scanning - 600 DPI". Users select the appropriate profile instead of remembering resolution and color settings.

Regulatory compliance: Define profiles that enforce required scan parameters for compliance purposes. For example, a "Legal Document - Archive Quality" profile ensures all legal documents are scanned at consistent, compliant quality settings.

User convenience: Reduce training burden by giving users named profiles rather than requiring them to understand TWAIN settings, resolution choices, and color mode implications.

Assignments and Audit Tabs​

The Assignments and Audit tabs function the same way they do for other ScrewDrivers objects:

Assignments tab: Shows which owners currently have these scanning session settings assigned. Use this tab to review assignment scope, filter and search for specific owners, and remove assignments when needed.

Audit tab: Provides detailed logging of all changes made to the session settings object, including who made changes, when they made them, and what was modified. See Data Review Overview for complete details about the audit functionality.

Assigning Settings to Owners​

After configuring your Scanning Session Settings:

  1. Click Save to persist your changes
  2. In the Objects pane, select the configured scanning session settings
  3. Drag them to the appropriate owner in the Assignments pane

If the required owner doesn't exist in your Active Directory, you can create Network owners in ScrewDrivers Administration to represent groups, workstations, or location-based owner definitions. See Managing Owners for procedures.

When you assign Scanning Session Settings to an owner, those settings take effect for all scanning operations that owner performs. You can't selectively apply session settings to some scanners but not others for the same owner—settings apply uniformly to all scanning devices the owner accesses.