Sponsored Content: Microfilm in The Digital World

Bringing the best technology to the full life cycle of microfilm, e-ImageData’s ScanPro® line of microfilm scanners moves you into the digital world with speed and economy.

Today, in this digital age, users expect information to be easily and quickly accessible. Information on microfilm is no exception. So, it is no surprise that the focus today is to convert those trillions of stored microfilm records to a digital format to make it possible to quickly locate the information and immediately provide access to its content.

Microfilm conversion scanning is not new. In fact, conversion scanning equipment has been around for many years. However, recent advances in technology have eclipsed the older technologies which are excessively expensive to purchase, expensive to maintain, time-consuming to use, complicated to operate, and don’t provide the totally reliable and affordable conversion solution that the industry demands.

ScanPro Background

The e-ImageData ScanPro line of microfilm scanners has been and continues to be the micrographics equipment of choice in the world’s most prestigious libraries, universities, government agencies, medical facilities, financial institutions, and corporations. And, for good reason. Included are features like ABBYY® FineReader OCR, PowerScan Productivity Suite comprised of  WORD Search™, INFO-Link™, Copy-to-Clipboard, and searchable PDF multi-page. Additionally, the handy SPOT-Edit™ tool selectively adjusts brightness and contrast within a document and the AUTO-Adjust™ tool which, with a single click, automatically adjusts brightness and contrast as well as straightens and crops the document.

This reputation is well-earned and based on innovative engineering that has won multiple awards worldwide. The ScanPro equipment is built to last, employing a heavy gauge steel framework and steel ball bearings throughout, resulting in the highest reliability rating in the industry, and is backed by the industry’s leading three-year factory warranty. The ScanPro scanners are truly universal, supporting all film types, including 16mm, 35mm, and cartridge roll film, fiche, jacketed fiche, aperture cards, micro opaques, and ultrafiche. The ScanPro scanners are rugged, compact, intuitive, and easy to operate.

ScanPro All-In-One | Your Conversion Project Solution

Expanding on the unprecedented success of the standard ScanPro platform, e-ImageData recently introduced the ScanPro All-In-One™ scanner which provides all of the features of the standard ScanPro scanners but with the added capability of doing high-speed conversion scanning, making it the most versatile piece of microfilm equipment ever made.

Ribbon or Strip Scanning vs. Multi-Mode Smart Scanning

Both ribbon or strip scanning and multi-mode smart scanning ensure the capture of every image on the film. However, the decades-old conversion technologies of ribbon or strip scanning methods use a line sensor whereas the ScanPro All-In-One multi-mode smart scanning technology uses an area sensor. Ribbon or strip scanning methods use a fixed brightness and contrast setting throughout the entire roll of film. If the film images are all of the same density and contrast, ribbon or strip scanning works well.  Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Consequently, in the best case, manual post scanning editing is required, and in the worst case, the film will need to be retrieved again and re-scanned. Multi-mode smart scanning is able to adjust brightness and contrast for each individual image, ensuring that it is captured correctly the first time. 

Ribbon or strip scanning methods output a proprietary file type and the images are not straightened or cropped. To convert this proprietary file type to a PDF or TIFF and to straighten and crop the individual image requires considerable additional time and effort and the purchase of additional expensive software. The multi-mode smart scanning method of the ScanPro All-In-One outputs a standard file type such as PDF or TIFF and the images are already straightened and cropped. And, no additional software is required.

Ribbon or strip scanning hardware is very expensive to purchase and to maintain. This is reflected in the limited one-year warranty provided. The ScanPro All-In-One is a small fraction of the cost to purchase and to maintain. This is reflected in the standard three-year warranty.

Ribbon or strip scanning hardware is not useful as an on-demand scanner whereas the ScanPro All-In-On is both an on-demand scanner and a production conversion scanner. 

The ribbon or strip scanning hardware requires special expensive accessories to support film types other than roll film. The ScanPro All-In-One comes fully equipped to handle all film types.

Summary

The ScanPro All-In-One is your microfilm scanner for today, tomorrow, and well into the future. With a ScanPro All-In-One, conversion scanning in the digital age has never looked so good.

For more information, please visit www.e-imagedata.com.

Author

  • James Westoby is the President of e-ImageData Corporation. With an impressive background in engineering and over thirty years of experience in the micrographics industry, James is dedicated to providing the best and most innovative microfilm solutions for customers around the world.

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About the Author

James Westoby
James Westoby
James Westoby is the President of e-ImageData Corporation. With an impressive background in engineering and over thirty years of experience in the micrographics industry, James is dedicated to providing the best and most innovative microfilm solutions for customers around the world.

James Westoby

James Westoby is the President of e-ImageData Corporation. With an impressive background in engineering and over thirty years of experience in the micrographics industry, James is dedicated to providing the best and most innovative microfilm solutions for customers around the world.