Despite technological advances such as cloud storage, microfiche is still used store fragile materials like archival documents, journals, books, newspapers and magazines and so on. It saves a lot of physical space in libraries and other archives. However, the face of this storage system has changed with the development of technology. Today, the information stored in microfiche records can be converted to digital format. Businesses can reach out to an experienced provider of microfiche scanning services to implement such digitization projects.
If you are uncertain about what microfiche scanning involves, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
Microfiche Scanning: FAQs
1) What are the drawbacks in storing information in microfiche?
Though microfiche has a lifespan of almost 500 years, there are many drawbacks to storing information in this form:
- Challenging to store
- Takes a long time to retrieve information
- Problems with image quality
Digitizing the information in microfilm is the best option to store data for a long period without any damage.
2) What are the signs of decayed microfiche?
Though the average shelf life of microfiche is estimated to be up to 500 years, it will deteriorate if it is not stored in perfect condition. The signs that microfiche is decaying are as follows:
- Bumpiness, bubbles and imperfections
- Emits the odor of vinegar
- Becomes fragile
- Stickiness
- Signs of fungus
Scanning damaged microfiche requires extra care for quality results.
3) What are the processes involved in microfiche scanning?
There are several steps involved in converting microfiche to digital format. Here’s how a document scanning company manages the process:
- After the microfiche is received from the client, it carefully inspected to ensure quality and density and suitability for scanning.
- Once cleared, the boxes containing microfiche film are tagged with unique barcodes that contain the details of the client, date received, and so on. They are stored in a safe place until the scanning project begins.
- A scanning specialist will crosscheck the project and create a project management workflow.
- Next, the microfiche scanning machine is calibrated.
- After calibration, the microfiche is scanned to digital format in batches.
- After digitizing the microfiche, the quality of each scanned image is reviewed. Corrections are made if necessary
- After this, each image is tagged with key identifiers to make it easy to locate the files.
- Finally, the image is encrypted onto a USB drive or uploaded safely in a FTP repository.
4) Into what digital formats can microfiche be converted?
You can digitize microfiche into different formats:
- Microfiche to TIFF- Flexible to manipulate
- Microfiche to JPEG- Suitable for grayscale scanning
- Microfiche to PDF- Easily accessible across all platform
5) What are the factors to consider before microfiche scanning?
Before scanning microfiche, take the following factors into account:
- Crosscheck the condition of the microfiche
- Determine the size and quality of the microfiche
- Cost of the microfiche scanning project
- The time taken to complete the scanning
A reliable document scanning service can ensure top quality solutions at budget-friendly rates.
6) What are the advantages of microfiche scanning?
The advantages of microfiche scanning are as follows:
- As digitized microfiche records can be store in alphabetic order, it improves the accessibility to digitized data
- Minimizes the chance for misfiling
- Can share data among several users simultaneously
- Can store large amount of data in a cost-effective manner
- Can maintain safety of the scanned documents
7) What are the possible options for microfiche scanning?
Here are some options you can consider for scanning microfiche:
- Purchase a contemporary microfiche scanner or reader
- Review the microfiche records you need to scan and send them to a document scanning company. This option allows you to discard the files you don’t need.
- Partner with an experienced document scanning company to manage your entire project. This will save the expenses involved in setting up in-house infrastructure and ensure seamless access to your digitized files.
8) How much does microfiche scanning cost?
The exact cost for scanning microfiche would vary based on factors such as:
- Number of scanned sheets
- Type of microfiche and its resolution
- Indexing specifications
- OCR requirements
- Time required for scanning
If you want to know about microfiche scanning, call (800) 670 2809.
At Managed Outsourced Solutions, we provide custom microfiche scanning services to ensure the quality, safety and accessibility of valuable legacy documents.
