FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 21, 2001

X-Forms is a revolutionary new tool that uses scanned images of paper documents and XML tagging to create a cost efficient means for organizations to collect information electronically on the Web. In our slowing economy, this affordable solution encourages corporations and government agencies to expand their Web presence. The California Supervisors Association of Counties (CSAC) recently used X-Forms software in an effort to collect information concerning this summer’s power shortage and it is currently being adopted by Contra Costa County, California to enable e-commerce transactions between citizens and the county. E-Filing.com, a leading electronic filing service provider, also employs X-Forms to facilitate the electronic filing of legal documents to courts nationwide.

An e-commerce solution in a sluggish economy
Ever since the thriving dot-coms went quickly dot-gone, the booming industry that was is now more like a vacant ghost town with little hope for growth. As a result, business on the Internet has plummeted, sending our economy crashing down with it. Designing and managing a Website can be a costly and time-consuming endeavor. Companies won’t invest the time and money needed to do business online until business on the Internet picks up—but business on the Internet won’t pick up until more companies do business online. It’s a classic Catch 22.
The recent Internet decline is also discouraging to government agencies that are seeking ways to interact with the public via the Internet. If there is less commerce available on the Internet, there will be less traffic on the Internet and less justification to spend tax payer dollars on Internet portals that would bring added efficiency to the government agencies.
But hope is not lost. Arising from the rubble of the recent dot-bomb comes X-Forms—a cost effective means for producing a portal that is proving to be the hero of the economic slowdown.
X-Forms goes after the problem organizations are faced when trying to collect information from the public: Forms. The piles of paper documents that need to be filled out by hand, mailed or faxed, and entered into a database. Voting, registering a vehicle with the DMV, and applying for credit are but a few of the everyday matters that require a form to be filled out.
Managing these forms can be cumbersome for both the public and the organization. For the public, problems arise when trying to determine the right form to fill out in the right situation, as well as figuring out where to mail, fax, or deliver the form once it has been filled out. For the organization, problems arise trying to distribute and collect the forms. The organization is also burdened with filing the forms so they can be easily retrieved once they have been collected. This process is further complicated when a member of the organization is required to enter the information on the forms into a database. The information is entered twice—once by the person filling out the form, and again by the member of the organization who is entering the information into a database.
Many organizations have attempted to streamline this process by placing forms on the Internet, where they can be filled out and submitted electronically rather than by hand. When a form is filled out online, the data is entered directly into the database, saving the organization paper and much needed time by eliminating data entry.
But this process is not cheap. Existing paper forms must be redesigned and formatted in HTML. That means organizations using hundreds of different forms, for hundreds of different purposes, must design hundreds of different Web pages—one for each of the forms being used.

X-Forms to the rescue!
X-Forms alleviates the need to redesign and reformat existing forms by creating a scanned image of the existing paper form that can be filled out electronically. The scanned image is then given an XML overlay that routs the data to the appropriate field in the organization’s database. Once the data has been collected, the forms can be recreated by querying the database. With X-Forms the forms are filled out, the information is entered into the database, and the form is filed all in one step.

X-Forms in action
The California Supervisors Association of Counties (CSAC) recently used X-Forms to collect information on how to conserve power during this summer’s shortage. By visiting the CSAC Website, county councilpersons can click into data fields of the form and type any suggestions or comments directly onto the form. Then, by clicking “submit,” the data is electronically sent to the CSAC database.
Contra Costa County has currently finding its place on the digital map through e-commerce transactions. Using X-Forms, County departments (such as Building Inspection, Public Works, and Animal Licensing) can place their forms online where they can be filled out electronically to streamline the process of collecting information.
E-Filing.com, a subsidiary of Image-X, also uses X-Forms to enable attorney’s to file documents with the courts electronically. The courts have several different types of forms that must be filled out when filing an action. Different courts use different forms and different forms are required for different types of actions. The process can be very confusing. E-Filing.com makes these forms available online, as X-Forms, enabling courts across the country to accept documents electronically, reducing the amount of paper-traffic that often slows litigation. Filing documents electronically means less paperwork to manage, less chance of documents getting lost, and less time wasted searching for the right forms to submit.
Image-X is based in Santa Barbara, California and has been providing document management and e-commerce solutions to corporations and government agencies for more than 10 years. For more information on X-Forms, or other products offered by Image-X, please call (805) 964-3535, or logon to www.imagexx.com.