Preparing Paper Documents

Please follow the instructions below for preparing paper documents for imaging.

NOTE: IDS requires electronic submission of all vouchers, unless a business exception is approved. Please contact IDS to discuss your business justification before submitting paper documents.

For approved paper submissions, follow the instructions below for preparing paper documents for imaging.

Cover Sheets

All documents must have a *DEFINE cover sheet. The cover sheet, also known as the Voucher Transmittal Form (VTF), contains information that determines how a document will be categorized, imaged, and retained.

1. Print your *DEFINE cover sheet with a TID printer
2. If you’re not using a TID printer or don’t have access to one, it is recommended that you print from *DEFINE to Green Output:
   • Refer to AskUs answer 8705
   • Print the PDF to a paper document
3. While the Green Output printing option is recommended for most users without access to a TID printer, there are other options available. Please contact IDS for alternate instructions and support.

Multiple Cover Sheets Per Document

There can be only one cover sheet (VTF) per document to be imaged. If the support documentation for a voucher is comprised of other vouchers containing coversheets you must draw a heavy line through the text and Doc ID at the top of the page. In addition, you may also write BACKUP on each supporting voucher transmittal form.

If a voucher intended as support is not properly redacted, the imaging software will automatically separate the support voucher into a separate document rendering your document incomplete.

Attaching Cover Sheets to Supporting Documentation

Attach your supporting documentation to the coversheet with ONE staple in the upper left-hand corner

1. You must use a staple. Do not use paperclips for this purpose.
   • Documents that are too large for a single staple may be rubber banded with the coversheet stapled to the first few pages of the document.
2. Do not use rubber bands to batch groups of documents that should be imaged separately.
   • Only use rubber bands for single documents with voluminous back-up.

Use standard 8.5" x 11" paper only

Imaging equipment is set to image standard 8.5” X 11” paper.

1. All supporting documentation that is smaller than a standard 8.5” X 11” sheet of paper, such as receipts and notes, must be taped down to a standard 8.5” X 11” sheet of paper.
   • When taping these items, ALWAYS tape all four sides of each item. Not doing this will cause damage to the documentation during the scanning process.
   • Note: DO NOT USE STAPLES TO ATTACH MULTIPLE RECEIPTS TO BLANK PAPER. USE TAPE ONLY.
2. The following items cannot be imaged and should not be sent as supporting documentation:
   • Oversized Backup
     • Oversized Backup is any backup that is larger than a standard 8.5” X 11” sheet of paper.
     • Oversized backup must be reduced to 8.5” X 11” before submitting Because the reduced copy is not an original invoice, to be in compliance with UT payment guidelines it must be certified as an original invoice that was copied for scanning purposes.
   • Onion Paper
     • Onion paper is an extremely thin paper that vendors sometimes use to print receiving slips, invoices, etc. on. It tears when going through the scanners, so it must be copied onto a standard 8.5” X 11” sheet of paper before submitting it to RIS.
     • Because the copy is not an original invoice, to be in compliance with UT payment guidelines it must be certified as an original invoice that was copied for scanning purposes
   • Envelopes
   • Business Cards
   • Newspaper clippings
   • Fabric Samples

Correct pages that are too dark or too light

You may need to correct one or more pages of supporting documents to produce legible images that Payment Service will use to approve and process payments.

1. Imaging software is likely to reject support documentation printed on dark/colored paper, images with black borders, photographs, and newspaper items
   • Images with dark borders should be cropped and placed on white paper before scanning
   • Close the copier cover when scanning images
   • Set the scanner to a lighter setting that still allows you to see and read the text on the page
   • The corrected copy can then be added to the other support documents
2. Do not use a lighter setting for all support pages!
   • Documents that are too light will not be detected by the imaging software
   • You may need to sharpen or darken scans of receipts printed on shiny heat sensitive paper
3. If the voucher has supporting documentation that includes other vouchers, mark out the text and DOC ID the supporting vouchers

NOTE: You are required to retain a departmental copy in case you need to resubmit documents that are too dark, too light, or otherwise illegible or incomplete.

Verify and Retain Your Documents

Departments are required to retain a departmental copy of the uploaded vouchers in case they need to be resubmitted for any reason. Departments must keep that copy until they have verified that the vouchers have been final approved or released to the Image Retrieval System (IRS).

Note that vouchers uploaded for Payment Processing have different verification requirements than those uploaded to the Final Approved folder. Please refer to the third step in Submitting Documents for Imaging for verifying and retaining your local copies.

Questions

If you have any questions about how to properly prepare documents, please email IDS.