quality image – Generation Imaging

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 23, 2011

Convert Microfiche

Although there are technically several ways to convert microfiche to PDF, TIFF, or JPEG, only one of them will deliver to you a high quality product, in a fast amount of time, at a low price. That method, of course, would be to send your microfiche to Generation Imaging in Florida via USPS, Fed-Ex, UPS, DHL, or via courier. But let us quickly go through the other methods to convert microfiche and see why they aren’t truly options:

Buy your own scanner. Sure you can get a ScanPro 2000 for a few thousand dollars. We have one of those- but we wouldn’t dare use them to convert microfiche for you. The reason why the ScanPro is inexpensive compared to the high production microfiche scanners is because the optics are poor for scanning microfiche; the high reduction ratio of microfiche (24x to 48x), lack of advanced quality filters, and rudimentary camera optics are all factors that are obstacles for creating a quality image. I didn’t even mention that you have to load one card at a time for the ScanPro. Although the ScanPro has its uses for other media, and it does come in handy for us for odd microform we may come across (it’s our business to receive all types of weird film) it’s not suitable for producing an acceptable quality to convert microfiche.
Buy high-end scanners. High production/high optics microfiche scanners (what Generation Imaging uses) can run you anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 each depending on make and model. In addition to maintenance costs, you must consider training, managing labor, workflow, and technical support.
Flat-bed scanner. PC scanners are unable to convert microfiche (the magnification is too low).
Reader printer. Reader printers cost around $3000 to $8000. The manual labor is very time consuming to convert microfiche to digital image (one frame at a time).
Used scanners, used reader printers, etc. Although used scanning equipment sounds good on paper because the prices are cut by thousands of dollars, they don’t come with any warranties. When you consider that reader printers are known to break down and parts are needed, and the same can be said of microfiche scanners.

Ultimately, it is more cost effective and safer to allow Generation Imaging to convert microfiche for your project. You can plug the numbers yourself and weight the risk factors. If you have a small volume project which requires you to convert microfiche, it’s a no-brainer to use Generation Imaging.