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Monday, 22-Jan-2007 15:03:03 EST.
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Microfilm FAQ
What do I need to do before Microfilming documents?
You can Microfilm or Scan all types of documents. Before any conversion of media occurs you need to "prepare" the documents.
Preparation is the straightening of documents, fixing of dog-ears and removing staples or any patching up of documents before filming can commence.
Preparation is not always required and preparation times will vary with each run. Preparation also includes the separation of large documents
or removing of documents that
will not be processed or will be filmed in different ways, for example plans may be 35mm filmed and correspondence will be 16mm filmed. Documents
are normally counted during
preparation. This allows for final image counts to be double checked.
Documents then may need to be sorted into batches. Batches could just be a folder or a bundle on invoices for a day or week.
Isn't Microfilm old technology, why should I consider it?
Microfilm technology is stable and therefore considered "old hat". Microfilm has some distinct advantages over digital for that same reason.
The reasons include the following amongst others:
Microfilming:
- Infinite flexibility from a common base
- Longevity
- Security
- Legality (1958 Evidence Act Sec.53)
- Cheapest form of storage media
- Space savings
With the introduction of digital reader/printers, information can be transferred from microfilm to a PC, fax or laser printer without incurring large costs.
When is Microfilm a better alternative than Scanning?
Depending on the number of users that need to view an Image and the acceptable time in which that Image may be located will help decide whether Microfilm
or Digital is a better
choice. Other factors such as distance between sites or users will also influence any decision.
In general Microfilm performs better in archival, single use and low retrieval situations.
However, Microfilm is a very quick way to process large quantities of
documents and if prepared properly can out perform a digital solution in a short time scale.
An example is cheque processing. As microfilmers are generally faster than scanners,
you could create a backup of your documents, process and check the film quicker than you
could scan and check the same documents. The proviso is that only one person at a time
could view this information, but as it is only for backup this may not be the main concern.
What volumes do I need before I should consider in-house or Bureau Services?
You can scan anything from a single document through to millions of pages.
In general, if you are accumulating documents at the rate of 1,000 plus per month, you should consider outsourcing the work to a Bureau.
Scanning FAQ:
What are the
advantages of Scanning?
The Scanning or Digitizing of documents gives the following benefits:
- Multiple user access
- Search results are displayed quicker
- Very fast retrieval
- Reduced storage space.
- Quicker to answer customer queries.
What
is Scanning more expensive than microfilm?
Scanning is a little more expensive than microfilm for
the following reasons.
- High Speed production scanners are much more expensive than microfilm cameras.
- Scanners are slower than microfilm cameras meaning you cannot get the same throughputs or more simply you can process more documents per
hour via microfilm.
- Preparation of documents can be slower for scanning if you have to use document separators.
- Microfilm is quicker to check than a digital image as you can view many images at once. Digital images have to be checked one by one.
- Digital Images need indexing otherwise you won't be able to find anything. Microfilm tends to be sorted before filming so things just run in
chronological order.
- Reworking digital images is slower than microfilm due to the checking component.
- Final data has to be held on RAID/Tape/DVD backup and requires ongoing IT maintenance and computer hardware during the period where we hold a
backup copy of the customer data. This is typically a year or sometimes more.
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