To offset the risk of obsolescence, microfilming services remain a viable and low-cost media for storing information for the long haul. Although most companies rely on digital records and information, major drawbacks surface with long-term storage. Experts acknowledge electronic media has a five to seven year life before it will need to be migrated to another platform. For more information about Microfilming Services, visit http://www.mesltd.ca.
2. To offset the risk of technology obsolescence, microfilming services
remains a viable and low-cost media for storing information for the
long haul.
Although most companies rely on digital records and information,
major drawbacks surface with long-term storage.
Experts acknowledge electronic media has a five to seven year life
before it will need to be migrated to another platform.
3. Why this short life?
Technology evolves rapidly.
Software and hardware used today most likely won’t be around in
five to seven years.
Any important information will most likely need to be migrated and
stored on new platforms.
When you’re concerned with technological obsolescence or
storage availability and cost, microfilming services is the way to
go.
4. The Process for Microfilming Services
The process for converting paper or digital documents to microfilm requires a series of steps.
Not all steps will be used in every project, so the cost of microfilming services can vary.
Document Preparation.
⁻ This step simply refers to getting the documents ready for microfilming
services.
⁻ Depending on the type of service, you may have to remove staples and paper
clips. You may also need to mend torn documents or affix small documents to
a larger sheet of paper.
Number of Images.
⁻ This measurement consists of the number of rolls of original camera film that
was used, the number of hours needed to film documents, the number of
duplicate rolls to be made, the processing charges and the final number of
items used to produce the microfilm.
5. The Process for Microfilming Services
The process for converting paper or digital documents to microfilm requires a series of steps.
Not all steps will be used in every project, so the cost of microfilming services can vary.
Number of Rolls of Original Camera Microfilm.
⁻ Most company records will be 8.5” x 11” and done on 16mm microfilm.
⁻ For newspapers, engineering drawings, maps and historical records, 35mm
film is typically used.
⁻ A general rule of thumb for estimating how many rolls will be used in
microfilming services is to divide the total number of images by 2,400. This
number represents how many images can fit on a 100-foot roll of 16mm film.
6. The Process for Microfilming Services
The process for converting paper or digital documents to microfilm requires a series of steps.
Not all steps will be used in every project, so the cost of microfilming services can vary.
Number of Microfilming Services Hours.
⁻ This process involves creating the images on the roll of film.
⁻ The quality of a document will affect the filming speed. Worn documents take
longer than new, high quality documents.
⁻ Your microfilming services vendor can estimate how long it will be per roll.
You can then get an idea of the total project time based on the number of rolls
you’ll require.
7. The Process for Microfilming Services
The process for converting paper or digital documents to microfilm requires a series of steps.
Not all steps will be used in every project, so the cost of microfilming services can vary.
Number of Jackets or Aperture Cards.
⁻ Jackets come in several different sizes.
⁻ They can be used on both 16mm and 35mm microfilm.
Inserting Film into Jackets/Aperture Cards.
⁻ This process refers to cutting the microfilm into sections.
⁻ The cut sections are then inserted into jackets or aperture cards.
⁻ Microfilming vendors use special equipment to perform this operation.
Typing Identifying Information on Jackets and Aperture Cards.
⁻ The jackets and aperture cards may require identifying information.
⁻ This task adds to the time and cost of microfilming.
8. Each project requiring microfilming services will have different requirements.
Many vendors will provide accurate estimates of entire projects.
To save valuable time, they can also perform all the legwork involved in your
project.
MES Hybrid Document Systems is Canada's leading document scanning
services company. For nearly 40 years MES Hybrid Document Systems
have been in the business of Document Management and document
scanning services.
We can help you understand how microfilm can be incorporated into your
information management and disaster recovery strategy.
At MES Hybrid Document Systems we're dedicated to help educate and
inform our clients about new microfilming technologies and services.
9. Kevin D'Arcy is VP of Sales and Marketing for MES
Hybrid Document Systems, Ontario's leading
document scanning and document management
supplier.
For more information about Microfilming Services,
visit http://www.mesltd.ca.
