Discounted Microfilm Scanning, Microfiche Scanning, Aperture Card Scanning, and Imaging Services

Category: Microfilm Scanning

US Libraries go Microfiche to Digital

A recent movement to convert microfiche to digital images will help local libraries across the nation in their efforts to get more information online. Records stored in a microfilm format is not a preferred method to use since finding information from microfilm is very time consuming. Historians and other genealogical researchers across the nation tell us that once they convert their microfiche to digital, the research time and accuracy have improved dramatically. Additionally, microfiche to digital is now fast and economical, making this process available to everyone.

You don’t have to know much about the process and procedure to convert your microfiche to digital format. Expert help is available at your fingertips. A microfiche to digital conversion is a highly skillful procedure that requires lots of experience to do it right. However, you can take advantage of years of experience from experts that have converted millions of records from microfiche to digital.

Another important aspect of a successful microfiche to digital conversion is the equipment used. There are a number of systems capable of converting your microfiche to digital but not all of these systems will yield the same results. To achieve a high degree of quality on a consistent basis, I recommend that only top quality microfiche to digital equipment be used. This equipment is very expensive so make sure you check with experts that will do this for you for a very cost effective price.

Continue Reading

Convert Microfiche vs Convert Microfilm

A mistake that occurs from clients or organizations who are not familiar with micrographics is mixing up microfiche and microfilm. Every industry or niche has its own lexicon, and in the micrographics industry there are major differences between microfiche and microfilm. The purpose of this article is to describe the differences between microfilm and microfiche.

Microfilm- It’s rolled.

In the most simplest terms, microfilm is rolled and microfiche is flat. Microfilm is also called roll film, and microfilm reels, microfilm rolls. Sometimes the width of the film is used to describe the types, such as 16mm roll film or 35mm microfilm.

Microfilm is usually stored in plastic or metal spools.  Some old microfilm is stored in metal pans. Yes, microfilm generally looks like small versions of movie reel film, except without the classic sprockets.

Microfilm cartridges look different that the standard reel spools- but only on the outside. The film is enclosed in a hard metal square casing to protect it. Kodak and 3M were innovators in producing microfilm cartridges.

There is no such thing as a 35mm roll film cartridge; there are only 16mm microfilm cartridges.

The actual microfilm frame placement and types vary, such as duplex film, positive, negative, duo, fixed, blipped, variable, etc, however that is a different topic and is unrelated to identifying microfilm vs microfiche.

Microfiche- It’s flat.

scan microfiche

A jacketed microfiche

Microfiche are flat “cards”, usually 4.13 x 5.83 inches, containing a few frames on them. Whereas a microfilm may hold 500 (35mm) to 20,000 frames (duplex), a microfiche card may hold as many one one frame to a couple of hundred (COM fiche).

Jacketed microfiche are simply roll film cut up into strips and inserted into plastic sleeves. Some people get confused if they don’t see the jacket sleeves, but it could be that the microfiche was duplicated. If it was duplicated, the copy may still have faint lines highlighting the border of the jackets. Since jackets are created from microfilm strips, they can come in the 16mm microfiche or 35mm microfiche varieties. A 16mm jacket has more rows and columns, and thus can hold more frames that a 35mm jacket (1-6 frames).

COM microfiche is computer generated and contain very small frames (usually with a 42x or 48x reduction ratio).

Step-and-repeat microfiche were created with a step-and-repeat camera. Many times they contain manuals or books and can hold hundreds of frames.

Continue Reading

Microfilm Scanning 2011

Microfilm Scanning

As 2010 heads to a close, Generation Imaging just wants to wish you Happy Holidays: Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah. 2010 was a tough year for the economy and we hope all of our partners are hanging on and continue to be prosperous by making adjustments to adapt to this new economy. G.I. Partners, LLC stands ready to assist you with your microfilm scanning conversion as always, no matter if you are a hobbyist, reseller, or government agency. Generation Imaging has been very busy this year, meeting new clients and providing a top-notch microfilm scanning service to our loyal partners.

You can rest assured that your microfilm scanning conversion will be handled with the attention it deserves.
Some new clients may have uneasiness about sending out 16mm or 35mm rolls for the first time for microfilm scanning. However, we want to assure you that we have handled microfilm for decades and never damaged or lost any reels. Damian Hospital and Daniel Gandul have managed thousands of microfilm scanning projects over the years with no issues.

All of your rolls are logged into our microfilm scanning database. After we receive the 16mm or 35mm roll film, we compare the media to the provided log, if there is one. If there were any discrepancies between the provided log and our initial inventory, you would be notified immediately. Every department utilizes this database to update microfilm scanning information. Reports are generated to indicate the status and image count of each reel at any time during the production workflow. Scanner operators wear rubber gloves when handling film. Access is only given to authorized employees. Office requires our G.I. passcode to enter, and has security cameras.

Please feel free to call or e-mail Dan or Damian any day or time for a microfilm scanning quote or information about the microfilm scanning process.

Have a great holiday to close out 2010, and let’s hope 2011 continues to be good for all of us.
microfilm scanning services

Continue Reading

How to Scan Genealogical Records

Converting genealogical microfiche to PDF– it is easier now that in the past to find information about your ancestors. You can locate organizations that collect and provide genealogical information for you to research. However historical records are not always easy to get to. Many historical records and vital records like birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificate, and divorce records, are stored in a non digital format. Contact us for all your needs in converting your genealogical records from their original format to an up-to-date digital format, such as PDF, TIFF, or JPEG.

Most of us like to have more information about our ancestry and to know more about our own history. Building a family tree used to be limited to the information passes down from older relatives. Many people have spend countless number of hours gathering information to build their own family tree. But many times these information was very limited in-spite of their efforts. Companies that offer genealogical records to individuals that are looking for family history are looking for ways to provide more information for you. At Generation Imaging, we are experts at converting all types of microfiche records to digital format. In addition, we can perform OCR and create searchable PDF files. The advantage of a searchable PDF is that you can type a name into the computer, and the system will locate the name on the image for you. At Generation Imaging, we can help automate your genealogical microfiche records system by providing records scanning from your existing hard copy format. Genealogical research institution are becoming increasingly automated.

Contacting us for your microfilm or document conversion needs is easy. Generation Imaging is equipped to quickly and efficiently convert your genealogical records for you. Vital records often require special handling and care to preserve the integrity of old documents. We use the best equipment for the job. Our experience converting different types of microfiche such as 16mm microfiche, 35mm microfiche, step-and-repeat microfiche, microfiche jackets, COM fiche, old microfiche, and rewritable fiche is unmatched.

If you have millions of vital records that need to be digitized, or if you just a few microfiche cards, we can help you decide the best way to digitize the images, and we can provide you with the best options for you historical records.

Continue Reading

Looking for a Microfilm Scanning Bureau?

Generation Imaging can handle all types of microfilm conversion, no matter how large or how small. There are many microfilm bureaus out there, so find out the capabilities of a microfilm scanning bureau and how much time they need to accomplish your microfilm scanning project, as well as an upfront cost analysis. Find out significant information that will help you in the process. Be as prepared as you can and ask about all you need to know. Generation Imaging is a scanning bureau that you can partner with to get your projects completed.

There are different types of microfilm but not all microfilm scanning bureaus are capable of dealing with all types of microfilm conversion. A microfilm scanning bureau that has completed comparable jobs to yours may be better prepared to take care of your needs as well.  Generation Imaging’s staff has processed thousands of projects. If you know what equipment is needed to perform your microfilm conversion, you can ask if they have those types of resources. Some equipment is better than others and there may be quality differences in the results as well.

Some microfilm scanning bureaus invest in better equipment and upgrade the systems to use the latest scanning technology. Other microfilm scanning bureaus may be using older system less capable of producing top quality microfilm scanning.

Roll film contains identifiers that can help reduce cost during post scanning.  This microfilm company can let you know how this information can save you money.  Blips are marks besides documents on the microfilm that often represent significant page breaks or document sets. The microfilm scanning bureau should be able to use these marks on the microfilm or microfiche and group the digital records for you. It is vital for the microfilm scanning bureau to have experienced personnel to make full use of these equipment capabilities.

Other types of automated image identification may include Optical Character Recognition or OCR. A microfilm scanning bureau that has all of these tools may be of great help for your microfilm conversion needs. If your microfilm scanning bureau does not have all of the tools required, you will need to find a partner who can. You may be able to achieve better quality and a better price from a scanning company that has all of the advanced tools.

This microfilm scanning bureau will supply you with image processing options that will help your microfilm scanning project become a winner. Ask your microfilm scanning bureau about files types, file formats, and how they may affect the quality of images . A microfilm scanning bureau should present samples for you to confirm the resulting quality and formats, and Generation Imaging does that.

Continue Reading