The Designer
Build a template visually — load a sample, draw OCR zones, and preview what Scanix captures.
The Designer is where you build a template by hand: load a real sample document, draw boxes over the fields you want to capture, and watch Scanix read each one back to you. By the end of this page you'll have a template with named OCR zones that pull the right text from every document that matches the layout.
This is the full-control path. If you'd rather have Scanix propose the zones for you from a sample, start with a Smart Template instead — you can always refine its zones here afterwards.
Open the Designer
In the left sidebar open Templates. Across the top you'll see three ways to start a template:
- Custom Builder — Full control over every setting. This opens the Designer with a blank template. Use it when you want to place every zone yourself.
- Smart Template — AI builds it from a sample.
- Guided Wizard — Step-by-step manual setup.
Click Custom Builder to open the Designer. To edit an existing template instead, click it in the template grid below.
Give the template a name in the Template Name field at the top — the Save button stays disabled until it has one — then open the OCR Zones section from the section list down the left side of the Designer.
Screenshot
The Templates page showing the Smart Template, Custom Builder, and Guided Wizard cards across the top, with the existing template grid below. — shot templates-designer-01
Load a sample
Everything in the OCR Zones section happens over a real page, so the first step is to load one. The sample never becomes part of your output — it's only the backdrop you draw on, and Scanix uses it to show you exactly what each zone will capture.
Load a sample document
In the OCR Zones canvas, click Load Sample (the empty canvas reads No sample loaded with a Load Sample button in the middle). Pick a document that's representative of what this template will process. Scanix renders the page onto the canvas — a large file may take a moment, with a Loading sample document… spinner while it does.
Let it fit the page
When the page lands, the Designer fits it to the canvas automatically. Use Zoom in and Zoom out to change the magnification — the current level shows as a percentage between them — and Fit to page to return to a full-page view at any time.
Draw over what OCR will actually see
If your template applies image clean-up (deskew, crop, binarize, and so on), the canvas shows the enhanced version of the page — the same image OCR reads — so the zones you draw line up with the text at runtime. Toggling a clean-up option re-renders the canvas to match.
Draw and manage zones
A zone is a box that tells Scanix where one field lives on the page. The toolbar hint sums up the three core gestures: Draw to create · Click to select · Drag to move.
Draw a zone
Drag a box on the canvas over the text you want to capture. Scanix immediately reads that region and tries to name and type the zone for you from what it finds — for example, drawing over Date of Birth: 1994-10-08 names the zone Date of Birth and sets its type to a date. If it can't tell, the zone gets a default name like Field 1, which you can rename. A passport or ID MRZ band is recognised on sight and typed as MRZ.
Select and adjust
Click a zone to select it; its box highlights and its editor opens in the panel on the right. Drag the box to move it, or drag its edges to resize. Each move or resize re-reads the region so the preview stays accurate. A running N zones badge in the toolbar tells you how many you've drawn.
Rename, retype, or delete
In the right panel's Zones list, each zone shows its number, name, and a type dropdown for a quick change. Hover a row to reveal Delete zone. Selecting a zone opens its full editor, where you can rename it, change its type, and reach its settings.
Screenshot
The OCR Zones canvas with a sample loaded and several boxes drawn over fields; the toolbar shows the zoom controls, the "Draw to create · Click to select · Drag to move" hint, and a zone count; the Zones list sits in the right panel. — shot templates-designer-02
Overlapping zones compete for the same text
If two zones overlap heavily, the Designer flags the pair with a warning banner above the canvas — Overlapping zones compete for the same OCR text and only one will win. Click either zone name in the banner to jump to it, then move or shrink one so each field has its own area.
Let Scanix detect zones for you
If you'd rather not place every box by hand, use Auto-detect zones in the right panel. Scanix reads the whole sample page and proposes zones — and matching index fields — for the fields it finds.
Run auto-detect
Click Auto-detect zones. (It stays disabled with the tooltip Load a sample document first until a sample is loaded.) The button reads Detecting… while it works.
Replace or merge
If the template already has zones, Scanix asks before changing them with Replace existing zones and fields?
- Replace all — discards your current zones and index fields and starts from the proposals.
- Merge (keep mine) — keeps everything you have and only adds new proposals.
- Cancel — leaves your zones untouched.
Review and refine
Treat the proposals as a starting point. Rename anything generic, fix a mis-typed field with the type dropdown, and nudge any box that didn't land squarely on its text. Auto-detect gets you most of the way; a quick pass makes it exact.
Screenshot
The Auto-detect zones button in the right panel and the "Replace existing zones and fields?" confirmation with its Cancel, Merge (keep mine), and Replace all choices. — shot templates-designer-03
Preview what each zone captures
Selecting a zone opens its editor in the right panel with an OCR Preview at the top — the exact text Scanix reads from that box on the sample. This is your proof the zone is placed right before you ever run a batch.
- If the preview looks wrong, nudge or resize the box and the preview re-reads automatically.
- Use Re-analyze to force a fresh read of the current zone — handy after changing the zone's type or character settings.
- An empty box shows No text detected — try Re-analyze or adjust the zone. If you see Load a sample document to enable OCR., the sample isn't fully loaded yet.
The zone editor also carries two tabs — General for the zone's own settings and Anchoring for keeping a zone locked to its field on documents that shift. Those are covered in their own pages below.
Screenshot
A selected zone's editor in the right panel: the OCR Preview showing the captured text, the Re-analyze button, and the General / Anchoring tab strip. — shot templates-designer-04
Save your work
When the zones read correctly, click Save in the top bar. Until you do, the bar shows Unsaved changes; after a successful save it shows Saved ✓. The button is disabled until the template has a name (Template name is required).
Zone edits are saved as you switch zones
Moving from one zone to another auto-saves your changes — you'll see a brief Saving… then Saved indicator over the editor. The top-bar Save still commits template-level edits such as the name, source, and language, so use it before you leave. If you try to navigate away with unsaved changes, the Designer asks first.
The top bar also has Undo and Redo for zone edits, and — on a template you've already saved — a Run Batch button to put the template to work against a folder of documents.
Troubleshooting
Next steps
Zone settings
Set each zone's field type, character set, and validation in the General tab.
Index fields
Turn captured zones into the named fields that drive filing and export.
Anchoring
Keep a zone locked to its label so it follows the field on shifted scans.
Build a template (tutorial)
A guided, start-to-finish walkthrough of building your first template.
Related
- Zone settings — field type, character set, and validation for a single zone.
- Index fields — the named fields your zones feed.
- Anchoring — make zones follow their labels on drifting documents.
- Build a template (tutorial) — the full walkthrough.