Aperture cards are a type of card that is cut out to fit a chip or microfilm within it. Surrounding the image is machine-readable data that pertains to the specific image. Aperture cards allow you to archive important information and make inexpensive copies for distribution. They have been used in different industries for many years. They are a very reliable and useful way to archive information and have a lifespan of 100 years. Aperture card scanners are used to read the cards, scan them, email them and electronically store them.

If you're looking for aperture card scanners, you should know that there are plenty of options. From small scanners that perform basic duties to larger scanners that will provide you with a lot more opportunity to do things with the scanned information, there are several choices for your business. How big your business is, how often it makes use of aperture cards, and how much your business wants to do with the information on those cards will all make a big difference in the aperture card scanner that you choose for your company.

If you have never heard of aperture card scanning, that may be because they are a blend of two technologies. Microfilm images are placed in a cut-out region of an old-style IBM punch card. These films usually contain images of a document, blueprint, or engineering drawing while the card portion contains information about the image. Together you get both the image and the information to contextualize the data.

This is part two in a series on aperture card scanner in Ontario. Click here to read from part one.

Aperture card scanners in Ontario can streamline the digital transformation process. Digital formats eliminate physical storage requirements and enhance access to information. In addition, digitizing eliminates the wear and tear on an aperture card. The information contained in the aperture card’s microfilm is better protected for many years to come.

When first introduced, aperture cards were a welcome innovation. All types of organizations routinely stored their technical and engineering drawings on microfilm aperture cards. But, digital methods soon highlighted how cumbersome aperture cards could be. As a result, aperture card scanners in Ontario offered a more efficient and productive digital solution.

What is an aperture card?

Let’s pretend and step into the shoes of one of our clients. You work in a large division of the Ontario Government and you need to make prints from microfilm. The only piece of equipment you have is a very old, very worn out, microfilm reader printer. Why not just have the machine fixed you ask? That would be a good idea, have our skilled technicians out to service the microfilm reader printer bring it back up to working condition. We could, but unfortunately toner for this machine is no longer available. The only option you are authorized to pursue, is taking the film to a different location to make the prints and not without a charge. $0.25/print and on average a file size of 400+ pages this adds up quickly. Not to mention the security threat of leaving the roll of film or prints left behind.

This is where MES Hybrid Document Systems stepped in. Working together we were able to determine the MES ViewScan would be the best replacement microfilm scanner for the client. With its new technology the ViewScan is a compact, fully intergraded roll film and microfiche viewer/scanner that digitally captures images and instantly projects them on a PC Monitor. Now up and running the client is able to produce prints or even email the images to all the required parties, without ever having the worry of the film leaving the office.