Integration with Electronic Document Management Systems

When a scan is completed using a Scan to Email or Scan to Folder destination, PaperCut MF can generate an accompanying metadata file in either XML or JSON format. This file includes basic information about the scan—such as the filename, date, time, and user details—and is saved alongside the scanned document.

By default, the metadata file includes key information about the scan job, such as:

Filename of the scanned document
Date and time of the scan
Username and email of the person who scanned the file
Destination email or folder path

These metadata files are saved in the same location as the scanned document and are useful for integrating with Electronic Document Management (EDM) systems. For example, you might configure your EDM system to monitor a network folder. When a scanned PDF and its metadata file arrive, the system can import both, using the metadata to organize or index the document automatically.

If your organization has licensed devices for Advanced Scanning , you can take this further. Using an Advanced Scan Action, you can prompt users to enter custom metadata—such as a project ID, document type, or reference number—directly on the MFD screen. This user-entered data is added to the metadata file, enabling deeper integration with business systems like CRMs, DMSs, or ERPs.

For details on third-party integrations, see Print management integrations , or go to Options > Tools in the admin interface.

Enable Scan Metadata

To generate a scan metadata file:

Select Devices > Scan Actions.
Select a scan action.
In the Advanced area, select one of the Include scanned metadata (as XML file or JSON file) check boxes. For more information about the available metadata elements, see Integrated Scanning metadata elements
Click OK.
Perform a test scan from a device. An XML or JSON file with the same name as the scanned image or PDF should be delivered to the scan job destination.

For more information about setting up scan actions, see Setting up Integrated Scanning .

Integrated Scanning metadata elements

The following elements can be included in a scan metadata file under the scan root element:

Element	Description
`accountName`	The name of the PaperCut MF shared or personal account from which the scan was sent. This is the account the user selected on the Multifunction Device.
`date`	The local date and time at which the file was created.
`deviceName`	The name of the device used to create the document.
`fields`	The list of scan action fields.
`fields.field`	The details of the scan action field.
`fields.field.label`	The display label for the scan action field.
`fields.field.value`	The value for the scan action field.
`files`	The list of files produced by the scan job. Each scan job can have multiple files.
`files.file`	The filename for the file.
`jobId`	A unique identifier for the scan job.
`name`	The scan action label.
`settings`	The list of settings for the scan job.
`settings.fileType`	The type of file being sent (PDF, JPEG, TIFF, DOCX).
`settings.ocrEnabled`	Indicates whether OCR is enabled for the file type (true) or disabled for the file type (false).
`type`	The type of scan action (email or folder)
`user`	The user’s information.
`user.department`	The user’s department. This element can be empty.
`user.email`	The user’s email address. This element can be empty.
`user.groups`	The list of groups to which the user belongs. This element can be empty. PaperCut MF’s auto-generated groups All Users and Internal Users are excluded from this list.
`user.groups.group`	The name of the group.
`user.name`	The user’s username.
`user.office`	The user’s office name. This element can be empty.

Example Metadata file

Below is an example of generated XML metadata:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<scan version="1.0">
    <accountName>Finance</accountName>
    <date>2018-09-15 09:12:16</date>
    <deviceName>device\\Sharp\_room01</deviceName>
    <fields>
        <field>
            <label>To</label>
            <value>finance@example.org</value>
        </field>
        <field>
            <label>Subject</label>
            <value>Your scan (Scan to my email)</value>
        </field>
        <field>
            <label>Filename</label>
            <value>scan\_t\_2018-09-15</value>
        </field>
    </fields>
    <files>
        <file>scan\_t\_2018-09-15\_1.pdf</file>
        <file>scan\_t\_2018-09-15\_2.pdf</file>
    </files>
    <jobId>d5763b8a-3639-409b-99ca-c6e7f701b77e</jobId>
    <name>Scan to my email</name>
    <settings>
        <fileType>DOCX</fileType>
        <ocrEnabled>true</ocrEnabled>
    </settings>
        <type>email</type>
    <user>
        <department>Development</department>
        <office>Arizona</office>
        <email>joe@example.org</email>
        <groups>
            <group>Finance users</group>
        </groups>
        <name>joe\_downey</name>
    </user>
</scan>

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Integration with Electronic Document Management Systems

This page applies to:

Enable Scan Metadata

Integrated Scanning metadata elements

Example Metadata file

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