Author Archives: Damian Hospital

COM Microfiche Scanning

What is COM Microfiche Scanning?

One of the most popular types of microfiche is COM (computer output microfiche). In fact many veterans in the microfiche conversion industry have the picture of a COM microfiche in their mind when they use the word “microfiche”.

Back in the day, the micrographic industry was all about creating microfiche and microfilm. Salespeople would sell COM machines, which would out the computer data to the microfiche cards. Accessories included COM duplicator machines. COM microfiche scanning is the process of converting those cards to digital images.

Scanning COM fiche is necessary if you are working with account records contained on the fiche and you grow weary of using a microfiche reader printer or EyeCOM fiche viewer. With the images digitized and indexed, you could search for specific accounts easier.

How Many Images are on a COM microfiche?

Generally there are 208 images (16 columns x 13 rows) or 270 images (18 columns x 15 rows) on COM fiche, with some variance in-between. For example some columns may not be filled with images and some people do not count the index frames. There is a special type of COM fiche called ultrafiche, which could have hundreds more of images!

microfiche scanning

The Microfiche Scanner

Most microfiche scanners must be set up to create a grid to line-up over the microfiche card. Other scanners can create image ribbons which can be broken down into individual images. Still other scanners could take a snapshot of the entire microfiche card, however you need special software to view that type.

For most microfiche scanners, the digital format received would be single page images or multi-page images. These types are usually PDF, PDF/A, JPEG. JPEG 2000, bi-tonal Group IV TIF, uncompressed greyscale TIF, and LZW TIFF.

There are many microfiche scanners sold online. These can be bought second hand from a microfiche equipment dealer, directly from a manufacturer, or from a reseller who makes a commission from the manufacturer. In addition to buying the microfiche scanner, you may have to get a license or maintenance plan. You must know how to operate the microfiche machine, and be able to train others.

Or, you could outsource your microfiche to a microfiche scanning company who will give you a price per image (or price per card). If you are on the fence about if you should purchase a microfiche scanner or have a company scan the microfiche for you, feel free to contact us for a free estimate and guidance to help you come to a decision.

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Converting Microfiche to Digital Images

Microfiche Conversion Benefits

A microfiche scanning conversion has advantages. The resulting images can be indexed and searched easily so you can find the document you want, irregardless if you know what other files it is goes with. The images can be accessed by many people at the same time, whereas whoever has the microfiche card only has the file.

Using microfiche scanners, it is possible to transfer digital images to microfiche so in the future, someone could look all vital statistics up online. If you have microfiche, that ought to be your source for digital images, not going back to original paper documents, which can be hard to handle or may not exist.

Should You Convert All Your Microfiche?

It is easier if you image every document, and more complex if you specify which documents to image. You may do usage studies, and solicit opinions about which documents should or should not be retained. However, the safest answer is to “scan everything”.

If you decide to exclude microfiche from getting digitized, someone will think it was significant. With the cost of digital storage media and microfiche scanning at an all-time low (if you use Generation Imaging), it will cost you more to get a legal opinion to explain why. The same goes for the “How far back do I go?” question. If you have microfiche sitting around, get them scanned and out of your your way as soon as possible.

What are the Types of Microfiche Images?

We digitize microfiche to PDF, JPEG, TIFF, and their varied subtypes. They can be multipage or single page files, in folders or the root. They can be imported into any electronic document system.

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Scanning Microfiche Options

Scanning Microfiche

How to scan microfiche? Microfiche scanning is only possible with specialized equipment, such as NextScan microfiche scanners, Mekel scanners, Sunrise scanners, and others. Scanning microfiche on a flatbed scanner just won’t cut it. You can use a reader printer, but just keep in mind the time and labor it takes a while.

microfiche scanner

You can buy microfiche scanners online from resellers, salespeople, or try to go directly to manufacutrers, who will probably refer you to a reseller or salesperson. You can try to get a used microfiche scanner from auction websites or micrographics supply websites, but they do not come with warranties or training.

I guess you could try to run to a local library and see if they have some microfiche machine which could print out the images on your microfiche, but I would put that chance of happening at most 1%.

Converting microfiche to digital image is a great way to save space in your office. It speeds up record retrieval as well. In other words, it saves time and money. Thousands of companies, organizations, and individuals have had microfiche conversions.

If you need COM fiche, 16mm or 35mm jacket microfiche, step and repeat microfiche, rewritable microfiche converted to digital images, you could send your microfiche to a scanning company. In many ways, this is the most efficient option. You would not have to buy your own microfiche scanner, buy the software license, get trained, hire workers, create a production flow, set up an internal network, or maintain the microfiche machine. CONTACT US

BidSync Review, Is RFPMart Real?

BidSync Review

Periscope has bought over BidSync which had bought over RFP Depot and probably other government bidding opportunity websites since the early 2000s. So with Periscope buying up the big government RFP websites, how is is doing in 2017 and is it worth the price?

As much as Periscope wants to take over the name BidSync, most people who search for RFP use the term BidSync. So here is my BidSync review. I typed in “microfilm” and used all their default non-filtering search settings. Here are my results:

periscope rfp review

As you could see, I received four hits. BidSync has different software packages and 6-month to yearly commitments, starting at $499 for 6 months and topping off at $2,799 a year.

RFP Mart Review

Using RFP Mart, which only charges $9 with no commitment for individual RFP downloads, I received five active hits (their default setting which includes inactive listings 450 microfilm RFP opportunities). These leads were of better quality than BidSync’s. RFPMart offers monthly to annual packages based on category if you want unlimited downloads, similar to BidSync, ranging from around $25 a month to $950 a year (I did not view all their categories).

rfp mart microfilm

 

RFPMart.com vs BidSync.com

BidSync has better member services, videos, tutorials on how to write perfect bids, and has partnered exclusively with many government agencies. They give the impression that they are a large company with customer service representatives ready to assist you in any way.

RFP Mart gives the impression that it is an aggregate website which crawls government websites for their RFP info with no added on services. With two addresses- one in the US and one in India- it could be that they data mine these RFPs from public sources and sell this finding service to you cheaply.

Could You Find RFPs Without a Third Party?

If you have search engine kung fu, you could certainly attempt to backtrack these public bids by finding the government websites which offer them. But not only is it time consuming (with no guarantee of finding it due to poorly designed government websites) but  without a third party, you will not be automatically alerted to new opportunities.

Keep in mind, some government entities will only allow you to respond to them via BidSync. BidSync has also caused some controversy.

Teaming Up For Microfiche Conversion

If you subscribe to RFP services like BidSync, RFP Mart, Onvia, FedBizOpps.gov and others, or you work with counties, cities, state governments, you may come across microfiche scanning portions of a bid.

If you do not have the capability to digitize microfiche (COM fiche, 16mm jackets fiche, 35mm microfiche, and other types), you should contact a microfiche scanning company that does. This scanning company can help any organizations who can’t handle the details of scanning microfiche for government entities.

Here is an example of what a basic microfiche solicitation looks like on RFP websites:

Product (RFP/RFQ/RFI/Solicitation/Tender/Bid Etc.) ID: DE-2292

Government Authority located in Missouri; USA based organization looking for expert vendor for microfilm rolls to digital image scanning and indexing services.

[A] Budget: Looking for proposal

[B] Scope of Service:

(1) Vendor needs to provide microfiche to digital image scanning and indexing services using minimum scanning resolution at 300 dpi into pdf format.
(2) Approximately work volume containing an estimate of 1.5 million Images.
(3) All questions must be submitted no later than a deadine.
(4) A contract term should be for one year.

[C] Eligibility:

Onshore (USA Only)

[D] Work Performance:

Performance of the work will be Offsite. Vendor needs to carry work in their office premises.

Expiry Date : [Deadline]

Category : Data Entry, Scanning, Records and Document Related Services

Country : USA

State : [insert state] CONTACT US

A Brief History of Microfiche

The Origin of Microfiche

history of microfilm

The “Father of Microphotography” John Benjamin Dancer created microproduced novelty texts in 1839 England. Dancer’s father had owned an optical goods firm, and combined his family’s chosen trade with the brand new process of photography, John tinkered. In 1853 he sold slide microphotographs which could be viewed with a microscope. Dancer sold around 500of these microphotograph slides, many of which were art gallery paintings. Popular slides were of members of the Victorian Royal Family, Emperor Napoleon, and of a banknote. Their labels contained the initials of their maker, J.B.D. for John Benjamin Dancer.

Using these techniques French optician Rene Dagron was granted the first patent for microfilm in 1859. He started the first commercial microfilming enterprise, selling microphotographic trinkets. During the Franco-Prussian War in the 1870s, Dagron demonstrated a practical use when carrier pigeons were transported microfilmed messages across German lines to Paris. Dragon created tiny microfilmed photographs of documents, then put them inside tiny tubes attached to the carrier pigeon’s wing. The images were visible only with the use of an early form of film projector.

Also in 1870, when John Benjamin Dancer was 58 years old, he started to suffer from glaucoma. Eventually, he had three eye operations and by 1878 he gave up his business. He passed away at age 75, blind, and in obscurity.

However, during the early 1900’s microphotographs became regarded as a scammy novelty. Serious minded men saw the whole thing as a waste of time. In 1928 “the fashion for microphotographs had largely died out”.

Yet during World War II (1939-1945), fine grain film had been improved to allow photographs of documents to be reduced even further (micro-dots).

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