ASB labels and separator sheets: how a paper original gets its number
A barcode label on the first page, a separator sheet between documents and a scanned stack that splits itself — so a scan always leads back to the binder.
In short
- The ASB is the physical identifier of a paper original, unique within the organization; it is not a registry number or a series number.
- A sheet of up to 500 labels starts from the first free ASB and is printed as a PDF or sent to a network label printer.
- At intake a separator sheet splits a scanned stack into documents, and an ASB label sets the number and, on a later page, starts a new document.
- A label is only paper: the number belongs to a document once its scan is taken in, after a uniqueness check.
- Alongside the ASB, the physical archive in NG DMS records the location, box and loan of the paper original.
Short answer: in NG DMS the ASB (archive serial number) is the physical identifier of a paper original. A barcode label goes on the first page, a separator sheet goes between documents, and at intake the scanned stack splits itself into documents, each with its own ASB. The number on the paper leads to the electronic copy, and the other way round.
The ASB is not a registry number
Business numbers — the registry number, the archive book entry, a document-type counter — come from series with rules. The ASB is something else: a number printed on the paper that says which original it is. It is unique within the organization, including documents in the trash, and it is set by a user, a barcode or the API. The “+1” button suggests the highest number in use plus one and reserves nothing; if the number belongs to a document in the trash, the message says so.
Preparing the paper before scanning
The ASB labels and separators screen produces a sheet of labels:
- the first number defaults to the organization's first free ASB;
- up to 500 labels at once, on an A4 sheet in a 3 × 8, 3 × 7 or 2 × 7 layout;
- every label carries a Code 128 barcode, for example
ASB000123, with the number below it.
The sheet is downloaded as a PDF and printed at 100% scale, without fit-to-page. When a network label printer address is set in the settings, the same labels go straight to the printer in ZPL. The same screen offers the separator sheet with the organization's separator string.
One rule prevents confusion: a label is only paper. The number belongs to a document once its scan is taken in, with the same uniqueness check as any other ASB.
What happens at intake
| On the scanned page | What processing does |
|---|---|
separator sheet (PATCHT or the organization's string) | ends a document; the sheet is dropped unless the organization chooses to keep it |
| ASB label on the first page | the document gets that number (the digits after the ASB or ASN prefix) |
| ASB label on a later page | starts a new document |
TAG:… barcode | adds a tag; the tag is created if it does not exist |
Code 128, Code 39, EAN, QR and DataMatrix are read, at 300 DPI by default. Each part of a split PDF becomes a new PDF and a new intake task with the same given values, and the original is not changed. The task for the whole file says how many documents it was split into. A multi-page TIFF is not split but still yields the ASB and tags, and a password-protected PDF is skipped. Barcodes are switched on in the organization's settings.
Scanner, folder and two-sided scanning
On an on-premises installation a scanner can drop files into a watched folder. A file is picked up only once it stops changing. For scanners that scan one side only there is two-sided scanning: odd pages first, then the flipped stack with the even pages, and the system merges them into one document. The whole path is on the Capture and processing page; the text on the scan then comes from OCR, as described in OCR for Cyrillic and Latin script and PDF/A.
From scan to binder, and back
Search understands the asb: field, for a single number (asb:310) and for a range (asb:[100 TO 200]). Whoever holds the original in a binder finds the electronic copy from the number on the paper in a moment, and whoever looks at the electronic copy knows which paper to pull. For paper-heavy registry offices that is the basis of order — see the Public sector page.
From the number to the shelf
The ASB says which paper it is, and the physical archive in NG DMS says where it is: the location, box and binder, with a loan record when an original is borrowed. To see paper preparation and stack splitting on your own scanner, book a demo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ASB in NG DMS?
The archive serial number, the physical identifier of a paper original. It is unique within the organization, including documents in the trash, and it is not the same as a registry number or a series number.
How many labels can I print at once?
Up to 500, on an A4 sheet in a 3 × 8, 3 × 7 or 2 × 7 layout, starting from the organization's first free ASB. The sheet is printed as a PDF at 100% scale or sent to a network label printer.
How does one scanned stack become several documents?
A separator sheet with the PATCHT barcode, or a string the organization sets, ends a document. An ASB label on a page other than the first also starts a new document.
Does a printed label already reserve a number?
No. A label is only paper; the number belongs to a document when its scan is taken in, with the same uniqueness check as any other ASB.
Does NG DMS track shelves and boxes of originals?
Yes. The physical archive records the location, box and binder of an original next to its ASB, and lending an original is tracked with a loan record and a return date.
Want to see how this looks in NG DMS?
We will show you in a demo, on examples from your own registry office — from the scan to NG Copilot’s answer. No obligation.