Microfilming Services: Factors Affecting Project Cost

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Microfilming Services

• What Factors Can Affect the Cost?

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Microfilming Services

• 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.

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Microfilming Services
Why this short life?

• Technology evolves rapidly.

• Software and hardware used today most likely
  wont be around in five to seven years.

• Any important information will most likely need
  to be migrated and stored on new platforms.

• When youre concerned with technological
  obsolescence or storage availability and cost,
  microfilming services is the way to go.

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Microfilming Services
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.

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Microfilming Services
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.

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Microfilming Services
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 youll require.

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Microfilming Services
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.

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Microfilming Services

• 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.
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About the Author

• 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.