Photos are shrunk down to a small scale through the process of microfilming, also known as microphotography. This makes it necessary to use specialized equipment to read the images. This photographic compression method conserves nearly all of the available storage space, making it ideal for storing a wide range of paper-based data. Microfilming has become the key tool for generating paperless print media archives, essential records, etc., for major newspaper conglomerates and multinational businesses.
Understanding the Importance of Microfilmed Documents
Microfilms are necessary because books, newspapers, government records, and other historical documents degrade over time and need a significant amount of labor to preserve. 16mm microfilm images can easily last 500 years, far longer than any paper stock, by combining modern film processing technologies and climate-controlled storage vaults.
The most frequent microfilm formats are –
- 16mm microfilm roll – It is widely used in government and corporate offices, especially for essential documents, to photograph and archive letter-sized paper documents on the 16mm film roll.
- 35mm film roll – It is the typical microfilm size used for both engineering drawings and newspaper microfilm. 100-foot film rolls are used to store the finished product after it is processed. A 35mm x 100-foot microfilm typically includes between 600 and 700 photographs.
The Requirement for Microfilm Scanning
Although microfilm technology has advanced, it still has inherent flaws, such as –
- To print and examine microfilms, you’ll need expensive specialized equipment.
- It is extremely difficult and time-consuming to locate a specific document on a 16mm microfilm roll.
- Only one individual can utilize a single microfilm roll at a time.
- Microfilms necessitate a large amount of storage space and must be constantly cataloged to avoid confusion.
- Microfilm sharing is time-consuming and less technologically advanced than CDs, DVDs, hard drives, etc.
Because of this, in recent years, scanning and turning microfilm into digital images has become a simple method for managing, viewing, and even printing microfilmed images. The necessity of scanning microfilm is further determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to:
- Cost of Scanning.
- Importance and durability in the media
- Technology that is out of date.
- Accessibility for viewers and sharing options.
- Consideration of the available physical space.
In Addition To Digitization, Microfilm Conversion Services Provide Other Benefits As Well
We recognize that the archived microform you’ve been entrusted with keeping contains priceless information. Therefore, Picking the correct microfilm digitization equipment and the vendor is critical.
Since the late 1980s, businesses have been using microfilm, microfiche, and aperture cards to store and retrieve data. Many companies have filmed millions of pages, so they know how crucial it is to have hard copies of important papers. However, at Convert My Microfilm, we’ve seen firsthand the immense value that can be derived from digitally storing this data.
Archival document digitalization has traditionally been prohibitively expensive and yielded little return on investment. In the past, you may have contemplated a large-scale microform conversion.
We’ve all heard horror stories about projects that took years to complete and had subpar results. If quality is obtained, efficient storage and retrieval of digital microfilm add an additional layer of cost and complication. Microfilm conversion must offer more than simply digital copies if it has to be useful in the real world. Here are three reasons to go digital:
- The film is at risk because of external influences.
- Digitization raises the overall standard of a document.
- Access to data is becoming increasingly important as a result of new regulations and workflows.
The Lifespan of a Film Is at Risk Due to the Presence of Hidden Threats
The film looks to be a long-term storage solution. However, the risk of environmental damage is restricted only by rigorous adherence to tight storage policies:
- Master copies should be stored offsite.
- When working with film, only use appropriate storage containers and metal furnishings.
- You should monitor temperature, humidity, illumination, and air quality.
- The same container should not be used to store different kinds of films.
When a film isn’t correctly kept, the following things can happen:
- Storage room temperatures above 70°F or relative humidity above 50% can cause silver corrosion on film, resulting in flaws.
- Abrasions and mold on microfilm, microfiche, and aperture cards can be traced back to dust.
- Pollutant airborne chemicals can cause reddish circular microspot damage.
All microforms can be treated to make them less vulnerable, but digitalization may end up being more cost-effective in the long term.
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Improved Image Quality Is Achieved by Converting Microfilm
Document photographs are often tainted by artifacts introduced during the filming process. Microfilm and microfiche are difficult to see because of dust particles, distorted images, scratches, and hand redactions.
Because of this, optical character recognition (OCR) is difficult to execute on these photos. Microform photographs may now be scanned using cutting-edge microfilm scanning equipment like computer vision and image processing, making them look better than ever before.
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Access to Microfilm Data over the Internet
Possibly the most important reason to digitize 16mm microfilm is to make the data accessible to other software programs. This is critical for making preserved records searchable by text and linking them with database and data management systems.
Advances in microfilm digitization equipment have revolutionized microfilm and microfiche digitization. The quality of digital photographs and the accuracy of OCR is now several times better than they were in the past.
Enhanced data extraction is made possible by the improved image quality and OCR. Archived data can now be accessed electronically, opening up new sources of data for analysis, speeding up information discovery, and providing secure data to the general public.
Conclusion
There has never been a better opportunity to digitize microfilms than now. Microfilm digitization equipment and technology have advanced to the point that creating hundreds of thousands or millions of digital document pictures at a high cost is no longer necessary.
