Microfiche was once considered an effective way to store important files and documents. However, technological advancement opened up the doors to digital storage. Many businesses still have a lot of confidential information on microfiche, and it’s very likely that they would have considered investing in a microfiche reader.
A microfiche reader can make around 1 to 24 scans of the original document, and is more efficient than a paper scanner which does a 1 to 1 scan of the original. There are several kinds of microfiche readers in market such as portable microfiche readers, single lens microfiche readers, dual lens microfiche readers, and more.
However, in addition to being very expensive and space-consuming, a microfiche reader has several limitations. The machine can be used by only by one person at one time. If your firm has lots of microfiche with crucial information stored in them, just equipping it with one machine wouldn’t serve your purpose. Moreover, microfiche readers may require frequent maintenance.
That’s why microfiche scanning services have become a preferred solution when it comes to retrieving files from microfiche. Outsourcing companies offering these services make use of scanning software to read the files in old microfiche and convert them into digital format of your choice such as TIFF, Word or Excel. The main advantages of opting to use scanning services are:
- Easy Text Search: If you search for content stored in digital format, you can find exactly what you are looking in seconds compared to manual search on a microfiche reader (which may take several hours).
- Better Accessibility and Security: You can access the microfiche files stored securely on computers and accessed by authorized personnel from anywhere and at anytime. Files can be retrieved and printed easily too from a desktop.
- Save Time and Space: As files stored in digital format are easy to retrieve at any time using a ‘Search’ option, businesses can retrieve their crucial files from microfiche within minimal time. Data back-up is also possible. Digital files also save the need for physical storage space.
- Save money: As a microfiche reader involves high maintenance costs, opting for a scanning service can help offices save money on equipment maintenance and supplies.
Choose a reliable document scanning company for accurate and timely microfiche scanning solutions. A professional service provider would offer solutions that include Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanning and high quality digital formats.
