The Complexities & Economics of Scanning Microfilmed Documents

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OverviewMillions of records were microfilmed over the years and those records can now be digitized for improved workflow, easier access, archiving, litigation, compliance and online hosting.

Some of that film which was not properly processed or stored is now slowly disintegrating and has to be scanned for back up.

Professional equipment and experienced personnel are required to properly scan these records.

Formats of MicrofilmThere are many formats of film based records, such as:

ReelsFicheSlidesAperture cards X-raysWithin these categories there are also many variables depending on cameras originally used as well as resolution, polarity, reduction and film type

Microfilm Standards

Industry standards were originally established for the creation of filmed records which indicated requirements for :

ConsistencyChemical ResidueImage Marks (blips)Density of ImagesBackground Density

Resolution Chart ResolutionReduction

Readings for these standards can be measured by an experienced microfilm laboratory

Microfilm LabAn experienced microfilm lab will take readings to determine if the film meets industry standards as well as verify if the film media is original or duplicate film. Image quality and resolution will also be defined.

Scanning ApproachThe film inspection and readings will aid an experienced lab to identify scanner settings which will ensure optimal image quality

During this stage certain requirements are identified, such as :

DPI (Dots Per Inch)Bitonal vs Grayscale Format - TIFF, PDF, JPG etc Single vs Multi-page Images

The Conversion Process The process of digitizing the film based documents can be quite complex, requiring experienced personnel and management as well as specialized professional equipment.

Conversion ComplexitiesNot all conversion houses have the needed expertise or the high end professional equipment needed to analyze and digitize microfilm.Technology is rapidly evolving requiring new investments in high end equipment and training.

Indexing?Another consideration is indexing, to allow for the digital files to be searched and retrieved.

Options Include:

• Manual indexing of each record• Indexing against an existing

corporate Database or microfilm (CAR) database

• OCR to make the documents word searchable

Delivery & Upload• The images and data can be formatted

for uploaded into an imaging system• The image can be named as per index

field to facilitate search and retrieval via Windows File Manager and stored on PCs, or drives

• Images and data can be hosted online or on a network for access from various locations – www.dochq.com

ContactOutsourcing@pennieimaging.com

(631)563-6366 x301

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