How to Convert Computer Output Microfilm to Digital Image

Computer Output Microfilm (COM) is the most tricky type of 16mm roll film to convert to digital image. Computer Output Microfiche is not problematic, but its roll film version creates numerous issues for roll film scanners not manned by an experienced scanner operator.

The true professional and experienced scanner operator relishes in the challenge of scanning Computer Output Microfilm to digital images because it truly pushes his or her level of technical expertise.

Why is Computer Output Microfilm is different than tradition roll film? Regular roll film has frames containing documents with a clear separation/space in-between each frame. The edges are nice and contrasted from the background of the film. Scanners can be set up to detect on these edges and separate each frame to create individual images.

However, Computer Output Microfilm usually has very thin edges between frames and almost no space in-between them. This is due to how they were created: they were electronic data stored on a PC and were transferred to 16mm roll film.

Depending on the layout of the Computer Output Microfilm, the experienced scanner operator can attempt to detect frames by carefully choosing multiple sense areas, and modifying edge detection filters, but the operator is at the mercy of the nature of COM, and this usually results in missed detection.

Another aspect that is film dependent is if the COM has blips or not. If the COM has small markers on the outside of the frame, it may be possible to detect each image. However even this may not be an exact science due to the nature of COM.

The final method would be to scan strips of several images with a backup over-scan to guarantee that all frames are captured in these ribbons. Then these giant images must be manually split and cropped to create individual frames from the strips.

If you have Computer Output Microfilm to convert, please contact Generation Imaging today,

Scanning Microfilm Helps Genealogists

Scanning microfilm to digital image has helped numerous genealogists, families, researchers, and hobbyists bring the past to life. From personal diaries to church records to birth records to military records to small town newspapers, roll film conversion is the process used to breathe new life into archaic media like roll film.

Generation Imaging has provided this scanning microfilm service to many independent researchers and they have benefited from having the ability to:

- Print images from CD/DVD

- Copy discs to their home computer, other PCs, a network, and even make duplicate copies

- Upload images to the internet

- E-mail images

- Edit and enhance images

Preserving your family’s heritage as never been easier- but only if you can get a hold of the 16mm or 35mm reels so G.I. can commence scanning microfilm to digital image. Almost every library has a heritage room or microfilm/microfiche archive. It’s important to establish a good relationship with your local library and hopefully you could check out media for G.I. to digitize it. Otherwise you would have to implore The Friends of the Library to rely on donations to get your local library to necessary funding to begin scanning microfilm with Generation Imaging.

The cost of scanning microfilm is not expensive with G.I., since we understand the social importance of such a service. G.I. keeps its overhead low in this new economy so you can benefit from the savings.

Let us be realistic: it we are now in the second decade of the 2000s; there is no practical reason to still be using roll film for genealogy if you can digitize the images to PDF, TIFF, or JPEG by scanning microfilm.

CD Images to 16mm roll film

In addition to microfilm scanning, This scanning company also offers digital image to microfilm conversion, or quite simply CD to 16mm roll film. This service is usually for government bids or organization that require long-term retention and archiving of vital records.

Kodak archive writers create microfilm images on 16mm roll film, and the microfilm processing lab develops the film in accordance to ANSI standards.

Microfilm scanning 

The best time for a 16mm roll film or 35mm roll digital microfilm conversion is right now.

There are quite a few reasons:

• Microfilm will degrade and become ruined if you wait too long to convert microfilm to digital image.
• Your costs will actually decrease- it is much faster to work with and retrieve  digital images than hard copies or old microfilm viewers. I’ve seen countless government employees grab a 35mm reel, manually search for a frame, and use a reader printer to create a hard copy. That is very 1981!
• Online. Billions of records have already been uploaded and hosted online for the public on the internet or even on intranets for your office. Get with the times.
• The economy. The cost of microfilm scanning has dropped considerably. Getting a relatively cheap microfilm conversion is now possible.

Contact us today.