How much does it cost to scan microfiche?
How much does it cost to scan microfiche? What is the price to convert microfiche to digital images? The cost of microfiche scanning depends on the microfiche type.
Step 1 is to identify the type of microfiche to be digitized.
Step 2 is to determine the estimated volume of the microfiche digital conversion.
- COM fiche has around 208 to 270 frames and is computer generated.
- Jacketed microfiche generally contain under 70 images per card (usually they have a few rows of 16mm film strips).
- Step-and-repeat microfiche can fall under either fiche category depending on the image layout on the fiche card. The same can be said for rewritable microfiche.
- 35mm microfiche jackets have a minimum fee per card since there are only 1 to 6 images on them.
Published Microfiche Scanning Prices
Taking a look at four microfiche scanning companies who advertise online, we get varied pricing structures:
Company A’s microfiche scanning price
Company B’s microfiche scanning price
Company C’s microfiche scanning price
Company D’s microfiche scanning price
Let’s pretend you have a collection of 1000 35mm microfiche, containing 6 images each (ergo, 6000 images), and want them to be scanned. Granted the price lists seem a bit confusing, but this is the best we could interpret them to be:
Company A: $2,000
Company B: $1,800
Company C: Doesn’t say 35mm fiche, but let’s hope it’s less than $6,000
Company D: $2,160
Our microfiche scanning company, Generation Imaging, would be way under all of those prices.
Why is there such a variance in microfiche scanning costs?
Not Knowing the Microfiche Market
It is possible that a document scanning company simply does not know what the current microfiche scanning prices are because they are not focused on the microfiche industry. Many large corporations sell software, document scanning, or equipment sales. They may not have done their microfiche fiche scanning market analysis.
Middlemen
Microfiche scanning is a niche market, and many companies which advertise microfiche digitization services may use a subcontractor to perform the work. There is nothing wrong with this, however since the corporation assumes the risk of the sale, they mark-up the microfiche scanning price. Salespeople work on commissions. An independent salesperson may set up a website which advertises microfiche scanning but may actually not have microfiche scanners. They get their commission, which increases your price.
Cost of Labor to Convert Microfiche
Worker salaries vary by jurisdiction and is based upon microfiche scanner operator experience and skill. Every project needs a client representative, microfiche preparer, microfiche scanning operator, quality control auditor, supervisor, manager, shipper, and accounts payable.
Microfiche Scanner Speed Times
If a microfiche scanning company has scanners made by respected manufacturers such as NextScan, Mekel, Sunrise, and a couple of others, they have the ability to convert more microfiche per hour than a lesser known scanner. The high production microfiche scanners cost tens of thousands of dollars and require expert technical skill to operate. The lower-end microfiche machines still could run you up to $15,000 but the time it takes to scan one microfiche is time consuming. A microfiche machine like reader printer is slower, especially if you are forced to save out one frame at a time manually. There are also “mid-level” microfiche scanners which cost tends of thousands of dollars but do not have superior scanning speed or quality enhancers. CONTACT US