Tag: microfilm

August 25, 2011

Microfiche To Digital Plus OCR

Recent trends in the Microfiche to Digital imaging has included an additional process called OCR. This process adds significant value to a microfiche to digital conversion because of the increased functionality of the final product. OCR refers to the Optical Character Recognition and involves the process of reading information from an image after the microfiche to digital conversion has taken place. The software that is designed to perform the OCR then creates a text layer of the information it gathers from the image.

After the microfilm to digital and the OCR process has completed, you should be able to work with the file just as if the image had been created using a text editor. This means that the microfiche to digital process creates a picture of the image and the OCR creates a text version of the same image. The benefits from this conversion are immense. For example, if you where interested in finding information about a person listed in the document, you could do an automated search and a text editor would locate the name for you. This would not be possible without an efficient microfiche to digital conversion.

Consider the following, Last year, a historian approached us for a microfiche to digital conversion. He had been working with a local library gathering information from old newspaper that had been microfilmed years earlier. Without a microfilm to digital conversion, he was limited to viewing a frame at a time on a viewer and looking for information by reading off the screen. Needless to say, he was wasting lots of time. After performing a microfiche to digital and OCR process, he was able to work from his own computer and perform searches instantly.

July 29, 2011

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.

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.

May 18, 2010

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.

April 26, 2010

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.

March 9, 2010

Trusting a Microfilm Scanning Company

Although in today’s economy price has become the main dictator for many when choosing a microfilm scanning company to perform such scanning services as microfilm conversion, microfiche digitizing, aperture card scanning, microfilming, archive writing, paper scanning, and other processes, trust should go a long way as well.

What is trust? For a business-to-business relationship that means Generation Imaging understands that you have deadlines and need a certain standard of quality. Many times in this industry there is confidentially with subcontracting microfilm scanning, and Generation Imaging respects that.

Damian Hospital, who has been the customer service point-man for the last two decades in this industry has never violated confidentiality or gone after end clients for subcontracted microfilm jobs. Damian has never manipulated clients in bid situations and always gives the same price if two or more companies are competing for the same project. Damian is an extension of your production crew, sales team, and technical support.

Dan Gandul’s reputation for honesty and integrity is well known throughout the Florida microfilm scanning production circles- some even say he’s too honest. Dan and Damian both do the right thing when it comes to pricing, service, business ethics, and communication. GI has the personal references to show this.

Damian and Dan are not afraid or shy to put their faces on the front page because Generation Imaging’s whole appeal is that these two men will be 100% responsible for your microfilm project. When it comes to skill, Damian and Dan are known as the cream of the crop when it comes to setting up scanners up and running production here in Sunny Florida- bar none- just ask around. When it comes to digital imaging technical skill, you can be rest assured that Generation Imaging will bring out the best potential of your images and microfilm.

Dan and Damian have put their reputations on the line with Generation Imaging and they will not let you down. GI is willing to scan one roll or one microfiche for a small minimum fee, and GI stands ready to scan large volume microfilm and microfiche projects. GI is open-minded and strives for mutually beneficial partnerships.

About the Co-Founders of Generation Imaging

Daniel Gandul and Damian Hospital worked together at Lorien Technologies for over ten years. Damian Hospital held senior position in marketing and customer service. He played a major role in developing customer relations, assisting with technical expertise, training key production personnel, and servicing customer accounts. In addition, Damian is a technical writer and scanner operator.

Daniel Gandul was a co-founder of Lorien Technologies and was the VP of production operations. As part of the senior management team, he was also responsible for developing company plans and company budgets. Prior to Lorien Technologies, Daniel worked for First American Real Estate solutions for over 22 years. He was part of the management team and had the responsibilities for the operation of multiple production departments, including the development and operations of the microfilm scanning department.