Those 4 x 6 cards with tiny images embedded inside, that you need a light viewer or microfiche machine to read them… Those are called microfiche cards. And the reason you need a clumsy viewer to see anything is that the images on the microfiche are too small to see them without lots of magnification. Many people run into a dead end with this issue and don’t know what to do about it. They need to view the information but don’t want to have to buy an outdated viewer to do this.

There is a much better solution for you. It is called microfiche scanning and for this you need access to a microfiche machine that scans the images. A microfiche machine scans the images and creates a separate file for each image. If you try to scan the entire card as one image with a microfiche machine, the images would be unreadable because of poor resolution. A Paper scanner for example, makes a 1 to 1 scan of the original, but a microfiche machine can make a 1 to 24 scan. The microfiche machine actually magnifies the image before saving it.

A microfiche machine is very expensive, up to $55,000 for a high end microfiche machine. We have a microfiche machine that we can use to transfer your files. For a handful of microfiche to thousands of microfiche  cards, you can make use of our microfiche machine to digitize your microfiche cards. You can create pdf files or jpeg files with the right microfiche machine and you will be able to view all your images on your PC.

Computer Output Microfilm is a system that converts stored data directly to microfilm or microfiche. I know around ten people who used to sell Bell & Howell Computer Output Microfilm systems as far back as the 1960s to the 1980s. It almost seems to be a prerequisite for sales people in the micrographics industry from that era.

Computer Output Microfilm systems are still used today, mostly by organizations who need to store payroll, accounting, insurance, inventory, or employee data. Yet because most of these organizations have outputted the Computer Output Microfilm to microfiche, they have to manually search for a record and use a reader printer to save out a particular file.

A more feasible option is to convert Computer Output Microfilm to digital image via Generation Imaging’s microfiche scanning services. Generation Imaging specializes in microfiche to PDF, TIFF, or JPEG conversions.

Using high quality/high production microfiche scanners, we convert the COM microfiche to digital. Generation Imaging provides this COM fiche scanning service to end users as well as other service bureau’s. Clients can choose from Adobe PDF format, Group 4 TIFF (tagged image file format), or greyscale JPEGs. PDFs and TIFFs can be wrapped in a multi-page file. Generation Imaging offers an optional OCR (optical character recognition) image processing and other indexing services (by folder or filename).

The end result of this entire process is a digital image which you could easily search the file containing records by name, account number, date, and/or social security number. Obviously this saves time and efficiency.

Converting analog media to digital image (i.e. microfiche scanning) has many benefits. Here are three obvious microfiche scanning benefits:

Immediate retrieval of your documents on your computer. I mean, seriously, you can have a little contest with your co-worker to see who can bring up a fiche document the fastest; you just use your mouse and she has to go digging through filing cabinets and use a microfiche viewer/reader. Microfiche scanning allows this quick retrieval.
No more losing fiche – No longer will you be worried about your documents getting lost due to a misplaced fiche or small frame falling off. As someone who has working with microfiche for three decades I can attest to how one must pay close attention to where one leaves a microfiche card. With microfiche scanning, all of the images will be saved and you can make unlimited backups and copies, so you will never lose a card again.
Quick response to resolving issues. Imagine if you work at an insurance company or school and someone is requesting their records. In some cases your organization has been forced to give a 5-day turnaround time because someone has to find the fiche and use an old, faulty reader printer to print out on paper or create an image. With microfiche scanning all you would have to do is…use your mouse and keyboard to type the fiche ID or use your eyes to find a folder. Which method is more efficient?

OLD School is not FAST

When should one convert microfiche to digital images, such as PDFs, TIFFs, or JPGs? How about right now! Just recently the Mt. Vernon Clerk and Recorder office has suffered extensive water damage, and their microfiche machine no longer works. Generation Imaging (G.I. Partners) has received numerous inquires from many government entities, school systems, and insurance companies that were using reader printers or Canon scanners which broke down.

If they don’t convert microfiche before an accident or mechanical failure, they would be unable to service the public or digitize the data. The huge advantage of using a microfiche scanning service bureau is that a company like Generation Imaging can convert microfiche to digital images much more quick than a slow reader printer or Canon scanner.

G.I. uses NextScan high speed microfiche scanners to convert microfiche to PDF, TIFF, or JPG, at various DPI, bi-tonal (black and white) or grayscale. Images can be converted through OCR (proprietary software) or indexed by directory or at the filename level. In other words, G.I. can create an image retrieval format for you to match your existing organization or create an entire new way to organize your images.

The key to avoiding disasters and getting involved in the tricky business of disaster recovery is to be proactive. The first step is to convert microfiche to digital. You may be surprised just how affordable the cost of microfiche scanning is with Generation Imaging.

The benefits of digitizing fiche are numerous: increased productivity, easy file transfers via e-mail, internet, FTP, networks, and printing; and the ability to copy images quickly.

Governments, private organizations, and individuals (researchers, veterans, genealogists, hobbyists) that have fiche should convert microfiche to digital images as soon as possible.

Before you buy a microfiche scanner, it is important to know how a microfiche scanner works. Some concepts between a digital picture camera and a microfiche scanner are similar. Microfiche scanners also use a digital camera to produce an image from the microfiche card. A microfiche scanner also has a lens system to project an image to the camera. Light from a light source passes through the microfiche cards. The image that reaches the lens is transfered to the camera .

From this point of view, a microfiche scanner is straightforward. Frames from a microfiche card are digitized with a microfiche scanner. Once the digital camera collects the image, it generates a digital image that can be viewed and stored in a computer. The microfiche scanner is a high speed camera that results in digital images from microfiche cards.

Most microfiche scanners are designed to move through the grid guide of a microfiche to catch each frame as a independent image. The systems are designed with tools that allow operators to locate each frame from the microfiche. Frame location is a term used to describe this method. Scanners need to have various methods available to deal with different microfiche formats. To learn all the distinctive methods of a microfiche scanner, it sometimes takes years of practice.

One of the primary steps in setting up a microfiche scanner is to regulate the frame detection . Digital images of each frame are formed by the microfiche scanner as it locates the frames on the microfiche. The light that passes through the microfiche and reaches the microfiche scanner camera, is transformed to produce a digital image. Scanning systems should allow operators to make alterations to maximize the quality of digital image produce. The best possible quality can be achieve by an experienced operator that has the skills needed to operate a good microfiche scanner.

The position of the microfiche scanner camera is very important for various reasons. Advanced microfiche scanners have options available so that an operator can adjust this position. The correct modifications to the system are imperative to focus the image properly and to project the image at the accurate magnification.

If you are researching to buy a microfiche scanner (from NextScan, Sunrise, Mekel, Ristech, Wicks & Wilson, etc.), you can confirm with us for more significant information. If you are comparing the options between buying a microfiche scanner and outsourcing the project, we can assist you with critical information. Take advantage of our experience converting millions of images and ask us about it. Buying a microfiche scanner is a giant investment and you may want to get informed as much as possible before you make the final decision. The understanding that we have gained, having used some of the most advanced systems in the market to convert many microfiche projects, is information we can share with you to help you make the best decision.