Category: Microfilm Scanning

September 8, 2011

Digitize Negatives Could Help The National Archives

The National Archives hold information military service, family information, a personal history questionnaire, affidavits of comrades-in-arms, relatives, neighbors and medical, just to name some. Many of these files are in some form of negative microfilm. To digitize negatives and create digital files from this information will require a microfilm scanning conversion. Why would you want to digitize negatives? Well, by doing so, you can create an digital system that could hols all the information on computers. Organizations like these would like to digitize negatives but have not done so, in many cases, for monetary reasons.

Historians also like to digitize negatives because they spend a great deal of time researching records in libraries and going through books. When we digitize negatives, we create a file that is much more accessible than a hardcopy book. We Like helping historians and other people that like to look for old records, like people looking for ancestor’s information. After we digitize negatives from microfiche cards of microfilm rolls, their work becomes much easier and they appreciate it so much that they let you know about it.

After we digitize negatives, the digital files that are created can be viewed on one computer or multiple computers at the same time, depending on the network setup. Another benefit to digitize negatives is that digital images can be e-mail and shared through the internet just like any other digital picture. This really helps people that are interested in working on the same project but are not in the same location. If you an interest to digitize negatives for your own work, microfilm scanning can really help you.

September 2, 2011

Florida Microfilm Scanning

There are quite a few Florida microfilm scanning companies. It goes without saying that the state is big and has many different regions and cultures. The bigger the city, the more digital conversion bureaus. Generation Imaging is a Florida microfilm scanning company situated in Dade County.

What factors go into making a decision about which Florida microfilm scanning company to use?

1- Location. For many Floridians, to be within driving distance is an important factor. In fact the first thing organizations who need roll film digitized check is for conversion companies in their area. The mentality is usually based on the fear of lost shipments, shipment costs, or having the film nearby.

Although these seem like valid concerns, much of the fear in not justified. First, USPS has tremendous competitive rates compared to Fed-Ex and UPS. More and more clients use and request USPS than ever before.

The risk of losing film in the mail may be pretty much the same of having an airplane crash. The chances of getting into a car accident on the way to the local company may be greater.

As far as having the film nearby, well there are many services people use that aren’t nearby and require sending things in the mail. Converting roll film is not like bringing your automobile into the mechanic.

2- Arguably, price is the most important element of choosing a Florida microfilm scanning service bureau. Generation Imaging has the lowest price structure for various reasons, including knowing the market, keeping overhead low (you know, like not spending an $8,000 monthly rent), and not engaging in corporate waste (such as paying employees to “keep them busy” or buying lunch for upper management every day. Generation Imaging is a wholesale Florida microfilm scanning company: no middle-men, no subcontracting, and no mark-up costs.

3- For clients that have been through the ringer of using multiple conversion companies, reputation of quality of service may actually supplant pricing. If you are tired of missed deadlines, poor quality images, bait and switch quotes, lack of communication, and up front money demands, give Generation Imaging a try for Florida microfilm scanning. Dan Gandul and Damian Hospital’s faces, phone numbers, and e-mails are all over the internet. They have nothing to hide. Their company is G.I. Partners, LLC, which handles Florida microfilm scanning. Dan and Damian will either supervise, manage, quality control, or in some cases actually digitize your roll film project. G.I. is 100% accountable and takes full responsibility for your project.

What exactly do you have to lose by switching Florida microfilm scanning companies by at least giving Dan and Damian a chance? Loyalty or habit? If you are truly satisfied with your current Florida microfilm scanning company- that’s fine. But if you’d like to at least see if you can save money on a Florida microfilm scanning quote, please feel free to contact us.

August 31, 2011

Genealogical Research Aided By Microfilm Scanning

While the vast majority of information now days is digital, an overwhelming amount of historical information still resides on older formats. Microfilm scanning is the process of converting microfilm rolls or microfiche cards to digital formats. Microfilm scanning can be easily achieved by a vendor, but you should make sure the vendor is qualified. To perform an efficient and safe microfilm scanning conversion project, you need to have the right equipment and expertise.

Many people are not aware of the advances in microfilm scanning. I read about people all the time, that needed to look up some information from a library, and they found the information searching through roll of microfilm. If microfilm scanning had been used, the search would have change the entire processes for the better. Since many of these organizations do not make any money and depend on government funding, it is difficult for them to invest in a microfilm scanning project.

Recently, some help from the government has enable many libraries to begin microfilm scanning their rolls of microfilm. The fact that funding is becoming available will make life easier for many of us. Researchers, students, and others will benefit from the end results. Microfilm scanning makes sense and is not expensive. When you weigh the benefits, microfilm scanning is by far a reasonable solution for libraries and other organizations.

August 30, 2011

Scanning Microfilm Helps Researchers and Writers

A recent news story from Summerside (Prince Edward Island, Canada) revealed how a 74-year old former Air Force navigator searched through old newspapers and microfilm in a small back room at MacNaught History Centre and Archives.

Larry Gray is writing his fifth history book:

“I am very much a believer that history is very important. It’s very important to know where we’ve been and how did we get where we are now.”

Generation Imaging agrees, and that’s why we consider scanning microfilm is an important service to society. Scanning microfilm to create digital images has many benefits for historians, researchers, and writers. Images can be named by newspaper date and retrieved quickly. Better yet, images can be OCR’ed, so the user can type a word and have all the pages come up in the collection that have that word.

Microfilm scanning saves time. Scanning microfilm saves space. Roll film conversion is efficient. 35mm reel conversions allow easier ways to copy.

Although libraries are working on skeleton budgets, perhaps local governments and concerned citizens could raise money to see the benefit of scanning microfilm to create digital images.

Believe it or not scanning microfilm is not as expensive as one would think- it’s only a couple of cents per image. When you consider the relative low cost involved, ask yourself what should the price tag be to preserve history? Think of the positive impact roll film conversions have on society. Why do you think Google has taken upon itself to convert newspaper and magazine roll film to digital images online?

August 29, 2011

Scanning Microfilm Is Our Specialty

Scanning microfilm is a niche industry. Generation Imaging’s founders have been scanning microfilm for decades and can attest to all of the different types of roll film, how a project can start off easy enough but “changes” due to various types of issues, such as film density, film degradation, different reduction ratios, and of course G.I. has the ability to recognize and fix roll film scanners if something goes wrong.

Many companies who have an opportunity or need to convert a sizable roll film project first consider buying microfilm scanners. After they are hit with the price tag for a new machine: $65,000+ assorted fees, they may consider used equipment (cross your fingers on those holding up with no warranty) or less expensive scanners (which naturally output inferior quality). Then they may search for microfilm scanning services. There are many microfilm scanning companies out there, or at least there seems to be.

Here’s a little secret: many so-called microfilm scanning companies online are actually storefronts and middle-men. Others harvest your personal data and sell it. Others may engage in questionable labor practices. If you’d like to go direct for wholesale prices, please contact Generation Imaging for a microfilm scanning cost estimate.

Scanning microfilm at Generation Imaging isn’t just “work”, it’s been a major part of our lives and it’s our career and hobby. We are not fly-by nights, not part of a get rich scheme, do not run some scam, and will not subcontract services.

We assure you that if your organization is seriously considering investing in expensive scanners for a large project, that you should not underestimate everything that could go wrong for such a project. Scanning microfilm for the first time can be a nightmare. Founders Damian Hospital and Dan Gandul know all the ins-and-outs of scanning microfilm and will not waste your time or money on rescanning entire projects or apologizing for not having a quality control system. Generation Imaging will perform the process of scanning microfilm right the first time.

Generation Imaging: microfilm scanning experts

Training, labor, maintenance, network, software, and experience are all factors that go into scanning microfilm. Don’t get too cocky thinking you can pull this off from scratch. You can calculate the numbers yourself to determine the profit margins for scanning microfilm. Just be sure to include all of the x-factors that the machine vendors don’t tell you: rescans, machine breakdowns, software bugs, server problems, accidental deletions, labor issues, quality control standards, and bumps in the scanning microfilm workflow process.

As far as other companies go, instead of believing the hype from them or us, why not give us a chance like other new clients did (see testimonials): ask us for a microfilm scanning quote and send us a sample.