Our microfilm shop is equiped with everything that is needed to provide optimal microfilm services. We combine state of the art equipment with specifically built software. Last but not least, we have highly skilled specialists providing good work and high quality feedback to customers.
The 4 reasons to choose our microfilm shop
A microfilm shop usually handles microfilm conversion jobs. It can go both ways, digital to microfilm and in reverse of course. We will mainly talk about microfilming today. That is going from paper or digital to microfilm.In the past, microfilming used to be done with specialised cameras. You might remember spy movies where the main character had a small camera. Well, that is actually a very small microfilming camera. They used to capture shots of important documents and return them to their country.
The more domestic approach to microfilming was for archival purposes. You had an overhead camera, a lightning system and the document below. Shot by shot, capture by capture, you could film all kind of documents. From archival documents, invoices, books or newspapers, you name it. Archivists loved film and most still do. Digital has moved in front, but microfilm still lives on.
Reason 1 – A microfilm shop has the appropriate experts for the job
Because archivists love film, you have to understand that this is a specialised industry. Being specialised, you need people doing this on a regular basis. There are special tasks involved in microfilming, which are learned with experience. Experience comes with time, so we come back where we started. Film is photosensitive. Therefore you have to make sure that each frame si correctly exposed. When talking about documents, you should also check the sharpness. All of this before the film you process the film. So you have to trust your senses and know what you are doing. You will need to do each step of the process correctly. While you can learn to do it, you need time. And this is what outsourcing to a microfilm shop will give you. It will free you up to focus on your tasks and the shop will focus on his.
Reason 2 – Equipment used in a microfilm shop are built for high volumes
Just like with anything, you can microfilm with different kind of equipments. A microfilm shop will generally choose an industrial equipment. Why ? Because it usually needs to be able to process various jobs. From peak jobs working in 24 hour shifts, to smaller more regular jobs. Especially those 24 hour shifts, require durable machinery that can perform consistently. Consistency of the output is critical. You have to be able to deliver quality output that can meet all requirements. When you get incosistent results, you risk damaging documents. That is why you should always choose reliable machinery. That, together with the 1st step will significantly improve the quality of the output.
Of course you can have high volume machinery. But you also need large volumes of work to make it financially feasible. And also engineers to maintain them.
Reason 3 – Experience in dealing with large microfilming projects
While machinery and specialists are one part of the story, preparing projects is another.For example, you need to build a very good workflow. You can have a lot of writing machines, but you need to supply them with images. The better you prepare the documents the quicker the writing process will be. Otherwise, you will have a lot of downtime in the actual writing projects. Logistics plays another part. The supply of consumables has to be correlated with the throughput of the writing machines. After that we get to the processing of the rolls. Mixture of chemicals, appropriate quantities and correct temperature all play a part. They play a part in the throughput, the quality of the output and the reduction of waste. Also, you have to recycle or ecologically dispose of waste. The art of managing these aspects makes all the difference between success or failure.
Reason 4 – Feasibility of outsourcing microfilming jobs to a microfilm jobs
A reputable microfilm shop will take all costs up front for their customers. If a customer does not outsource, all the setup costs will be on him. There are a lot of overheads involved, consumables and not to mention the initial investment. For low and medium quantities, financially it is not worth it to invest in equipment. A different cost is know how. Know-how can cost significantly more than everyone is imagining. Sometimes even more than the investment in equipment. The debate heats up for high quantities. In that case, it might seem that investing in equipment and personell is the right thing to do. From experience we have seen that privacy of information was the reason for investing in infrastructure. Furthermore, even privacy risks can be decreased. Film can be written and processed on site by a supplier. An even better reason to outsource.
Conclusions about outsourcing to our microfilm shop
- Financials are on the outsourcing side. For most jobs it is not worth it to invest in infrastructure.
- Your information will be kept private. Privacy standards have improved in the recent years.
- Suppliers deal with various projects. Their expertise has improved significantly over the years.
- You need experienced personnel for such projects. The more experience the better the quality of the output.
- Know-how is critical just like in others area of work. It comes with years of experience.
- Different projects need different equipment. A microfilm shop will usually have the more versatile machinery.
- In just a couple of hours you can calculate your total cost by asking for a price quote. That is efficiency!
Please see the following link for an in depth look at the microfilming process.
Also, if you need help with your project or even a quote, feel free to contact us.
