Before you make a purchase, it’s important to carefully evaluate microfiche scanners. Although pricing can be affordable and options many, you still need to think about your usage and the reasons for your purchase. However, before delving into purchasing criteria, you should understand the basics of microfiche and microfiche scanners.
The conversion process begins when paper documents are converted to microfiche. In years past, millions of conversions took place and microfiche was a standard document form in libraries and more.
Today, the conversion process continues with microfiche documents being converted to digital formats. By using microfiche scanners and making digital files of the content, you can have readily available electronic documents in PDF or TIFF formats, for example.
These electronic documents are not only easier to manage and maintain, but they also integrate within an organization’s document management system. When all microfiche documents are digitized and incorporated into enterprise systems, they become available to all authorized users.
What is Microfiche?
Microfiche is a sheet of microfilm measuring approximately 4” x 6” and contains multiple images in a grid-like pattern. One microfiche sheet can contain a few or many images, depending on the size of each image. Some images on the microfiche can be reduced many times from their actual size.
Microfiche provides benefits such as fast retrieval of information. Some information, such as the labeling of what’s contained in the microfiche, can be read with the naked eye. Plus, microfiche can be easily and inexpensively duplicated.
What are Microfiche Scanners and how do they Work?
The technology used in microfiche scanners is similar to a digital camera. The scanner uses this digital camera to take a picture of the microfiche sheet. The scanner has lenses that project the images to the microfiche scanner camera. The cameras in microfiche scanners then take the projected image, create a digital copy and store it on a computer.
So, basically microfiche scanners are high speed cameras that take digital images of microfiche sheets. However, you don’t want to simplify the overall products. You’ll need to understand in greater detail how they work and what you need from a solution. You can then better compare capabilities and features.
What Benefits do Microfiche Scanners Offer?
As you can expect, the number of microfiche to digital conversions is growing as a result of the many advantages provided to organizations. First, as noted previously, microfiche documents converted to digital files makes the information more readily available and easier to access for a wide audience of users.
In addition, converting physical material to digital formats provides better protection, especially to delicate documents. Organizations no longer risk losing or damaging the microfiche material.
Given the physical nature of microfiche cards, storage needs can be significant. The microfiche is typically stored flat in drawers, so the physical space can be used for more productive purposes. Storage also comes with associated costs.
The advantages of using microfiche scanners to convert microfiche documents to digital files are many. Primarily, you can make information available to everyone who needs it. And, they can access this information instantly from any location that your document management system allows.
And, all associated costs of physical storage and maintenance are eliminated. Finally, you preserve the quality of your documents and remove the risk of loss or damage of the physical microfiche material. These major benefits represent the reasons organizations are increasingly converting microfiche to digital formats.
For more information on microfiche scanners, contact MES Hybrid today or continue reading out blog.