Ineed to transfer microfilm to tiff or pdf, any ideas?

pilot06 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:09 pm

This question may have been asked before. I have some rolls of microfilm drawings that I want digitized. Where should I have it done and what is a reasonable price?

Thank you in advance.

Patrick

Eric Friedebach · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:33 pm

As it stands now, about .45 cents per image (not fiche).

A firm in the Twin Cities will be getting some new equipment later this year which will cut that cost in half. It’s my understanding that they will be the first in the country to have this capability.

LINK

EDIT: OOPS! I read microfiche instead of microfilm, but the stuff I have is 35 mm microfilm that’s been transferred to fiche.

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:52 pm

I've been printing them out at the library, then scanning each page onto my hard drive. Talk about a tedious process!

I'd also love to have all of the info on my reels instantly available as image files. I'm sure there are jillions of folks around the world in the same predicament. Some good money to be made there I figure, if someone created the technology to do so.

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

Rob,

Dunno about your neck of the woods, but in the Houston area, the microfilm readers have been removed from many -if not all- the public libraries.

I had to make an express trip to the downtown Central Library to be able to read and print some microfilm files. Parking fees alone, made this a very expensive deal.

I would like to know if the National Archives and other data repositories are switching to let's say, digital format (CD, DVD)? I gave up on that line of research last year, until I can find a suitable alternative.

Saludos,

Tulio

pilot06 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:05 pm

During my visit last week to the NASM Archives I asked this very question. The problem seems to be the format digital archiving. If you archive everything in say pdf, 10-15 years from will you be able to access that database?

I am planning on saving my archive in tiff.

Patrick

DryMartini · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:22 pm

Tulio,

Funny you should ask.
I asked the same question when one of the
curators called me about a request I had.

Asking him about putting the microfilm on DVDs,
he told me that they prefer the film, because it gives
a clear indication as to when the media is breaking down,
and then they can recopy the master.

He said that digital media does not give clear indications
that it will not work the next time you put it in a drive
(short of slamming it in a car door).

Eric Friedebach · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:50 pm

DryMartini wrote:

Asking him about putting the microfilm on DVDs,
he told me that they prefer the film, because it gives
a clear indication as to when the media is breaking down,
and then they can recopy the master.

They call it CD Rot. I hear that recordable CDs and DVDs will start to break down after 3 to 5 years. That’s why most agencies call for eye readable media.

Hey Bill, did that lead on the prop hubs last year work out for you?

RMAllnutt · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2007 6:07 pm

One of the difficulties with a lot of the drawings made on 35mm film is that the actual area used on the film exceeds that typically used for 35mm cameras. Most, if not all, 35mm film scanners are geared towards camera film, and do not allow for the overage.

The only current solution is to conform the 35mm roll film to a larger format scanner, and this usually involves cutting each frame of film from the roll, and placing it in a custom made scanning adaptor. This is a very tedious process! I don't know of any companies out there that scan these over-size drawings in a practical, cost-effective manner.

Also, you need to scan at about 4000dpi in order to get all of the small details in the film, and this makes for enormous TIFF's. Low compression jpgs are more practical, and will likely be in use, or readable for our lifetimes at least.

Storage media for the images is a very different proposition of course. There are hardened CD's and DVD's available, but these are pretty expensive too.

Best of luck,
Richard

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

Given what you guys have said, and give what I have experienced, it would seem to be a strange way to proceed by the libraries in Harris and Ft. Bend counties, to remove the microfilm readers.

I know that they don't care, but it becomes a full day trip, plus expenses, just to go downtown Houston, and use their machines. And of course, you have to deal with the freeways and traffic.

Probably an option would be to purchase a used microfilm reader and printer? Wonder how much those would cost....

Saludos,

Tulio

Tim Savage · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 8:26 pm **Posts:** 630

I recently had 18 rolls of microfilm of the T-6G and T-6D converted to PDF files. It worked out pretty well. Some are hard to read while others are great. The cost was around $1100.

helinut · **Joined:** Tue May 25, 2004 11:57 am **Posts:** 168

I have projected the image on to the white screen then take a digital picture of it then down load itto the computer , then use it to make draws of parts needed, not the best , but it worked for me, only a few parts where needed, cheap too.

retroaviation · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:16 am

My Maintenance Officer, Don Obreiter, found some outfit in Oklahoma City that can to them for $50 a roll. If you need more info, he's given me the okay to have you e-mail him at Donald.Obreiter@altus.af.mil .

Gary

drgondog · **Joined:** Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:50 am **Posts:** 237

$50/roll is good -

I have seen a few averaging .07-08/page and you can buy a PC equipped with film reader that can convert to .jpg/.tiff grayscale in the $22-2400 range.

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