Sunday, 26 January 2014

Disadvantages And Advantages Of Using A Microfiche Scanner

By Grace Rivas


A microfiche scanner is a perfect solution for viewing thin transparent microfilms that contain documents. You might already know the machine uses a magnifier and a projector to display documents and images. You might see one of the machines at your local library, courthouse, school, or museum. Typically, these institutions listed have a vested interest in preserving documents and images.

Storing documents via microform is basically embedding documents on flat sheets of film made from polyester base. A film can store multiple small pages and the standard is one-hundred five millimeters by one-hundred forty-eight millimeters. That is about four by six inches.

Microfilms are not normally viewable by the naked eye. The films must be magnified in order to view the films well enough. The machines that are built for this purpose use a magnifier and simple projectors.

The machines are costly. They are also unique and are employed in institutions that find documentation critical to their operations. Various optical scanners can be used to convert the films data into digital format that can be interchanged between computers. When storing a large amount of microfilm, a small storage cabinet is sufficient. A small storage cabinet of microfiches can hold up to 10,000 pages of context.

While the machines are expensive, they are not complicated to use and does not require specialized software or skill to use them. Digital storage media can only be read on things like computers. Some institutions do use microfiches and digital storage media interchangeably. The polyester material which the images are printed on is quite stable, and in temperature controlled environments, the films can last as long as 500 years.

In comparison, CDs have a relatively short life span, and they are not ideal solutions for long-term storage. CDs typically do not last beyond 100 years, unless concentrated care is exercised. Computers and digital storage mediums have a short-term life span in contrast to microfilms and scanners. Microfiches last a lot longer and are easy to replace when films are damaged or lost.

Microfilms have little disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that you need viewer machines to view the documents on the film. The machines are bulky, and they are not suitable for on-the-move circumstances. Finding a good machine can be difficult and these machines are unique and rare.

Microforms are best viewed in black and white contrast. For example, a professional photographer would not be complete in his profession using microforms and the machines for professional photography quality images. Microfilms with deep concentration in color would have fading damage over time with exposure to bright lights.

While the films are near impossible to view accurately without a microfiche scanner handy, the machines can be integrated with digital devices such as computers and data formats. Without a microfiche scanner, one has to travel to a location that has one for easy viewing, access, and control. With the right scanner, digital interchange is straightforward to use.




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