Answers for the people running the lab

How do I install SamLab and start the free trial?

SamLab is a Windows desktop application. On first launch choose "Start free trial", enter your email and type the one-time code we send you — that unlocks every feature for 7 days, with no card.

1. 1.Run the installer and open SamLab.
2. 2.Choose "Start free trial", enter your email (phone optional) and type the one-time code from your inbox.
3. 3.All features are unlocked for 7 days.
4. 4.The trial is tied to that computer's hardware fingerprint — reinstalling Windows, switching user accounts or deleting data does not give you a second trial.
5. 5.When the 7 days end, SamLab locks and asks for a licence. Your data stays on the PC.

Start a free trial See plans & pricing

I have bought SamLab. How do I activate it?

Choose "Activate online" and paste the SAMLAB-… key we sent you, or import the .samlab-license file if the PC has no internet. Admin → License then shows your plan, validity and the exact modules the plan opens.

1. 1.Open SamLab and choose "Activate online".
2. 2.Paste your SAMLAB-… key, or use "import licence file" for the offline .samlab-license we email.
3. 3.Open Admin → License to confirm the plan, the validity date and the Included Modules list.
4. 4.Renewals happen on the same screen — the payment page opens inside the app and the key reactivates itself a few seconds after payment.

Talk to support

What does a normal day in SamLab look like?

Left to right: Patients → Billing → Samples → Result Entry → Test Reports. The Dashboard is the home screen — today's collections, samples still pending and reports ready to hand over.

1. 1.Register the patient (or add them inline while billing).
2. 2.Raise the bill; the receipt and the barcode labels print from there.
3. 3.Collect the sample against that invoice.
4. 4.Enter or receive results, and have a pathologist verify them.
5. 5.Print, share or export the report.

Is there a manual inside the software?

Yes. Press F1 anywhere in SamLab to open the built-in User Guide, in English or Hindi with a one-click toggle. It is searchable, and every row in Settings → Modules & Features opens the help topic for that exact feature.

1. 1.Press F1 (or open the Guide from the sidebar).
2. 2.Search by what you want to do — the guide also matches everyday words, so "invoice" finds Billing and "dues" finds Patient Dues.
3. 3.Switch the language toggle for Hindi; every topic carries both.

Can we run SamLab on more than one computer?

Yes, up to the desktop and seat allowance of your plan. Several PCs inside ONE building should use the LAN Data Node — instant, no internet needed. Cloud Sync is for joining separate locations and for off-site safety.

1. 1.Same premises: pick one PC as the data node and point the others at it over the LAN. Reception, lab and accounts then work on the same live data.
2. 2.Separate locations or branches: use Cloud Sync instead.
3. 3.Each PC is registered against your licence, so copying the SamLab folder onto an extra machine does not create an extra working copy.

Desktops & seats per plan

How do I put our lab's logo and letterhead on the reports?

Upload the logo once in Settings → Lab Profile and it appears on reports from then on. A full letterhead image is uploaded from Report Designer → Templates & Letterhead, which is an Admin-only screen.

1. 1.Settings → Lab Profile → upload the logo.
2. 2.Report Designer → Templates & Letterhead → pick a built-in report style, or upload your own letterhead.
3. 3.Signature images live with the same settings, and travel inside a .samlab backup, so a new PC prints identical reports after a restore.

How do I raise a bill?

Open Billing, pick the patient (or register them in the same screen), add the tests, apply any discount, and take the payment by whichever mode the patient used. The invoice prints or saves as a PDF straight away, and the bill is what drives the sample through the rest of the workflow.

1. 1.Billing → pick the patient, or add a new one inline.
2. 2.Set the visit type (walk-in / inpatient / B2B / home collection) and the referring doctor.
3. 3.Add tests or packages — discounts and agreed B2B rates apply on their own.
4. 4.Tab or Enter walks the fields in order: Patient → Corporate → Visit type → Ref Doctor → Ref Staff → Add Test → Add Package → Discount → Collection → Cash → Card → Bank → Credit.
5. 5.Alt+S (or Save) generates the invoice and the receipt.

The patient is paying half now. How do I take the rest later?

Save the bill with what was actually paid; the balance becomes a due against that patient. Collect it later — as many times as it takes — and each collection is appended to the bill's payment history rather than replacing it.

1. 1.Save the bill with the amount received.
2. 2.Open Patient Dues to see who still owes what.
3. 3.Add the payment when it arrives; the earlier receipts stay on the bill.
4. 4.An overpayment becomes a patient advance rather than being lost, and can be refunded or set against the next visit.

How do I charge a home-collection fee without paying commission on it?

Use the Collection Charges field, directly below Discount on the billing screen. The patient pays it — it is added to the net — but it is never included in the referring doctor's commission.

Can our bill numbers restart every day or every month?

Yes. The bill-number format and its reset cycle — daily, monthly or continuous — are set once in Settings, and every bill raised afterwards follows it.

Can one bill be split across cash, card, bank transfer and cheque?

Yes. One invoice can be settled across several payment modes at once, and the balance updates as each is recorded. Part payments append to the invoice rather than replacing what was already received, so the outstanding figure is always the arithmetic of what actually came in. A live payment gateway is available if you would rather collect online.

We never use half the patient fields on the billing screen. Can they go?

Yes. Field Setup lets you switch individual patient-detail fields on or off for the Billing screen, so the operator tabs through only the ones your lab actually fills.

Where do I type results?

Result Entry. Scan the bill's barcode and every billed test appears at once — manual tests on top, analyzer (LIS) tests below. Tab or Enter moves down the list, and each value is flagged H, L, HH or LL against its reference range as you type.

1. 1.Open Result Entry and scan the barcode on the bill or the tube.
2. 2.Type the manual results top-down.
3. 3.Analyzer rows show "awaiting analyzer" and fill themselves; if the feed fails you can still type them by hand.
4. 4.Saved rows turn green and stay editable until the report is verified and handed over.

Can I correct a result after the report has gone out?

Yes, but not silently. Before verification a saved row is simply editable. After the report is dispatched, changing it requires Amend Mode and a reason, and both are logged — every version of a result is kept, with who entered it and when.

1. 1.Before dispatch: open the bill in Result Entry and retype the value.
2. 2.After dispatch: switch to Amend Mode and enter a reason; the change and the reason are recorded.
3. 3.Right-click any row for its timeline — every version, with the person and the time. A row changed more than once carries a small count badge.

How do I tell whether a value was typed or came from the machine?

Every row says so. Values fed by an analyzer carry an ANALYZER tag and anything typed at the bench is marked MANUAL, with the method shown beside it.

A calculated parameter is staying blank. Why?

It is waiting for one of the values its formula needs. The row now names what is missing — for example "needs: pt" — instead of just looking empty; fill that parameter and the calculated one completes itself.

Does the differential count have to add up to 100%?

SamLab totals it on screen and warns you if it does not come to 100%. That check is for the person typing — it is never printed on the patient's report.

SamLab asked me to confirm a value. What was that?

A critically abnormal result asks for confirmation as you leave the field, so a decimal point in the wrong place is caught at the bench instead of on the patient's report. Critical ranges are set per parameter alongside the normal reference ranges.

How do I print a report?

Once the results are verified, print, share or export the report from the Test Reports screen. Every report carries a QR and a Code-128 barcode, and the PDF opens in a tab inside SamLab so you can check it before it goes to the printer.

Report features

Can I control which tests print and in what order?

Yes — all of it lives in Report Designer. You can set the department print order and page breaks, reorder parameters within a test, order the member tests inside a panel, and set the order packages print in.

1. 1.Report Designer → department order and page breaks.
2. 2.Per test: reorder its parameters, and switch individual parameters off the printed report.
3. 3.Per panel: move member tests up and down so the report reads the way your pathologist expects.

Our black & white printouts come out grey and eat toner.

Switch the mode in Report Designer → Appearance. Black & White no longer shades the page: zebra rows and coloured headers resolve to clean lines rather than grey blocks, and abnormal values stay readable because the flagged value prints bold and one point larger rather than relying on colour.

Can the report show the patient's previous values for a test?

Yes. Switch Historical Data on for that test and the report prints the patient's last few values with their dates underneath it. The same values pop up at the bench while the result is being typed.

Where do I add a note for one patient's report?

The Notes row at the bottom of Result Entry. It is the pathologist's note for that bill and prints above the signature — it is not the bill's remarks field, which stays on the invoice.

How do I connect an analyzer?

Open LIS, add the analyzer, and SamLab works out whether it speaks HL7 or ASTM. Map whatever test codes it could not recognise, once — after that results post into Result Entry on their own.

1. 1.LIS → add your analyzer; the protocol (HL7 or ASTM, over serial or network) is auto-detected.
2. 2.Open Code Mapping: the machine code on one side, the parameter it fills on the other, so you can see what is bound and what is still loose.
3. 3.Map only the codes SamLab could not match.
4. 4.Results then arrive in Result Entry tagged ANALYZER.

Check if your machine is supported How LIS integration works

The machine sends "HGB" but our test is called Haemoglobin. Must I map every code?

No — most map themselves. SamLab matches an incoming code by its analyte name as well as its code, so HGB, HB and HAEMOGLOBIN all land on your Haemoglobin. You only map what it could not recognise.

The analyzer ran the sample but the report is blank.

The value is not lost. Anything that could not be bound waits in the LIS inbox with the analyzer name and the time, so you can attach it instead of re-running the sample. Binding is tried on more than the barcode — the bill number, the daily Sr No and the sample id are all used.

1. 1.Open the LIS inbox and look for the value under that analyzer and time.
2. 2.Bind it to the right bill and parameter.
3. 3.If it is a test billed inside a panel, panel members are bound like any other test — that is no longer a reason for a blank row.

What does IGNORE do to a machine code?

Only one thing: it stops SamLab accepting that code from that machine. It leaves your catalogue parameter exactly where it is, so ignoring a code never empties a panel you built by hand or hides a parameter from the report.

How do I back up our data?

Admin → Backup. Local Backup writes a copy to a folder you choose; the Google Drive tab connects an account and schedules automatic backups. Turn Encryption on and set a passphrase to write AES-256 encrypted .samlab files.

1. 1.Open Backup from the Admin group.
2. 2.Local Backup → choose the folder for the copy.
3. 3.Google Drive tab → connect the account and set the schedule.
4. 4.Optional: switch Encryption on and set a passphrase. Restoring asks for it — a lost passphrase means the backup cannot be recovered, so keep it somewhere other than the lab PC.
5. 5.Keep at least one copy off the lab PC. A backup sitting on the same disk as the database dies with it.

What is actually inside a .samlab backup file?

The whole lab, not just the tables — every bill, result and ledger entry, plus your settings, your letterhead image and your signature images. Restoring on a new PC gives you reports that look exactly like the old ones.

We use Cloud Sync. Isn't that our backup?

No — they are different jobs and you want both. Cloud Sync keeps machines and branches in step with each other. A backup is the copy you restore FROM after a disk failure, a theft or a ransomware attack, and it is the only one of the two that can take you back to yesterday.

How do we move SamLab to a new computer?

Install SamLab on the new PC, activate it against your licence, and restore your latest .samlab backup. Copying the old folder across does not work on its own — the new machine has to be a registered device, exactly as it would be online.

1. 1.Take a fresh backup on the old PC.
2. 2.Install and activate SamLab on the new PC (activation needs internet once — a phone hotspot for a few minutes is enough).
3. 3.Restore the backup, including the passphrase if the backup is encrypted.
4. 4.If the old PC is being retired, ask support to free its device slot.

Ask support to move a device slot

How do I add a login for a staff member?

Masters → Organization & Users → People → Add Person. Give a name, a username, a temporary password and a role; the login works immediately on any PC, on the web and in the mobile app, and they change the password at first sign-in.

1. 1.Masters → "Organization & Users" → People tab.
2. 2."Add Person": name, username, temporary password, role.
3. 3.Fill their email — the same credentials are their web and mobile login, so there is no separate account to create.

How do I control which screens a person can see?

Tap the person in Organization & Users → People, then Permissions, and tick the exact menus they should see. That one list is the source of truth and applies identically on desktop, on the web dashboard and on mobile.

"Add Person" says our seats are full.

Seats are set by your plan and counted from the ACTIVE staff logins in Organization & Users — the message names how many are used and how many the plan allows. To make room, DEACTIVATE someone who has left rather than deleting them: their bills, collections and commission history stay attached to their name and the seat is freed.

1. 1.Organization & Users → People → open the person who has left → deactivate.
2. 2.Add the new person; people already on the list are never cut off by this limit.
3. 3.The rule applies offline too, because the count comes from this list on the PC.

Seats included per plan

Saving a person's permissions fails.

Open Organization & Users → Setup & Health first. A permission list that names a menu the server does not recognise used to make the whole save fail, and the health check reports exactly that — most of these are fixed from that screen in one click.

Still stuck — contact support

What does Cloud Sync actually send?

Patients, bills, payments, tests and results, masters and accounting. It is your lab's own space: one organization cannot see another's rows, and that is enforced on the server rather than only in the app. Everything is saved on the PC first and uploaded when the connection allows.

1. 1.Open Cloud Sync and sign in.
2. 2.Data syncs in the background whenever internet is available; the app keeps working without it.
3. 3.Only a result that actually changed is re-sent — reopening a bill or re-reading an analyzer feed does not count as a change.

Is cloud sync included in what I paid?

No — cloud sync, cloud backup and SamLab AI run on our servers, so they are optional and billed separately from the licence, on Pro plans and above. Everything that runs on your own machine — registration, billing, samples, result entry, reports, analyzers and accounting — is covered by the licence. If cloud is ever switched off, the desktop app and all local data keep working exactly as before.

Cloud & AI charges in full

Does a trial install upload our patient data?

No. A trial or demo install keeps everything on the PC and uploads nothing. Cloud storage begins only when the licence says so, so an evaluation never puts patient data online.

Two PCs in the same lab — should we use Cloud Sync?

Usually not. For several machines on one premises the LAN Data Node is the right answer: it is instant and needs no internet. Cloud Sync is for joining separate locations, and for keeping a copy off site.

SamLab is warning that the licence needs to reconnect.

An activated PC keeps working offline for 30 days from its last successful licence check, and starts warning around day 25 so there is runway. Connect it to the internet once — even a phone hotspot for a minute — and the warning clears itself.

1. 1.Connect the PC to the internet and leave SamLab open for a minute.
2. 2.If it does not clear, open Admin → License and renew the heartbeat from there.
3. 3.The countdown is measured from the PC's own last successful check, so changing the system clock does not extend it.

Contact support

Our lab has no internet at all. Can staff still sign in?

Yes. On a PC that has already been activated, the sign-in screen accepts your Org Code plus a staff username and password created in Organization & Users — no internet needed at sign-in. Only the one-time activation has to happen online.

1. 1.Do the activation while there is a connection — at installation, or on a hotspot for a few minutes.
2. 2.Everything the licence grants is captured then: plan, modules, seat count and branch limit. The software enforces exactly those offline.
3. 3.After one successful online sign-in, the same email and password also work offline on that PC.

We paid for a module and it still will not open.

Open Admin → License. The Included Modules list there is the truth about what your plan opens — IQC, HL7, Radiology, the AI features and so on. Run the licence heartbeat once from that screen and the module appears; you do not need to reinstall.

Contact support

I copied the SamLab folder to another PC and it is locked.

That is by design. Each computer is registered as a device against your licence, so a copied folder does not become a second working copy — the new machine is not a registered device and stays locked, exactly as it would online. Activate it properly, or ask support to move a device slot.

Ask support to move a device slot

One PC made a change and the other is not showing it.

SamLab refreshes those screens by itself — there is no F5 to press, and it does not throw away what you are typing. If a screen is genuinely stale, check that both PCs are pointed at the same data node (LAN) or that Cloud Sync is signed in and online.

None of this helped. How do I reach a human?

Email support@samlab.in or call +91 98284 00519. Support is open Mon–Sat, 9:30 AM – 7:00 PM IST, in Hindi and English. You can also raise a request from the support page and we will come back to you on the same thread.

Raise a support request Contact us