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Isn't It Time You Scanned Your Microfiche?

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Storing Computer Output reports on microfiche is no longer the ultimate space saver. Everyone's going digital and now it's your turn!

Are you looking to save office space and don't know where to start? Perhaps you think you've done everything you can to free up space. Well, here's something you might not have considered yet.

Computer Output Microfiche Scanning

microfiche conversion

Computer Output Microfiche (COM) have been used since the 70s and are still sometimes used today but with the digital age in full swing, more and more companies are taking the decision to digitise them to free up space and increase efficiency. Each microfiche can contain up to 270 pages of information but with microfiche scanning, these can be digitised and placed into files in an electronic document management system with very little effort.

COM Microfiche

Computer Output Microfiche have been used to store;

  • payroll
  • accounting
  • insurance
  • inventory
  • employee data

COM microfiche are also quite restrictive with their accessibility and the only way you can view the files they contain is with a microfiche reader. These readers can be very expensive and especially space consuming. This is where digital files hold the upper hand over their microfiche counterparts.

Benefits of COM Scanning

Scanning your microfiche can bring a range of benefits both to yourself and to your company and everyday workflow.

Space Saving

As I have already mentioned, replacing microfiche and microfiche readers with digital files on any electronic device will save you a potentially huge amount of office or storage space.

Cost Saving

Lots of methods of storing digital documents will not cost you any money unlike the storage costs and equipment costs involved in managing microfiche.

Security

Digital files can be encrypted and password protected as well as backed up for extra security whereas microfiche stored in hard copy can be subject to loss, theft and damage.

Access

I've already mentioned how restricting microfiche can be when it comes to accessibility but this is where digital documents offer all of the benefits. With digital files you can store them on online platforms and access from any electronic device with the right permissions.

Flexibility

With the ability to access documents from any device, this also means your work will be more flexible. Documents can be accessed from anywhere, at any time giving you ultimate flexibility as to where you complete your work.

Efficiency

When microfiche are scanned, the digital files can be indexed and OCR processed before being placed into a document management system. These indexed documents can then be found quickly and efficiently through simple text searches meaning there'll be no need to waste time looking for the relevant information as it will be at your fingertips whenever you need it.

Pearl Scan Microfiche Scanning Servicemicrofiche scanner viewer

Here at Pearl Scan we provide a fully bespoke microfiche scanning service for companies wishing to reap the benefits mentioned above and improve their overall business. As well as scanning COM microfiche, we can also scan 16mm, 35mm & COMBI microfiche using our state of the art, brand new microfiche scanner. We have experienced staff at our scanning bureau who will ensure the best possible results for our clients. For more information about our popular microfiche scanning services, take a look at our blogs, browse our website or get in touch today and speak to a member of our friendly and experienced team. If you would like to receive a free, no obligation quote for your scanning project, complete our online form by following the relevant links below.

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Document Scanning by Pearl Scan


The Scan-do Peopletm

For more information feel free to give us a call: 
Nationwide: 0845 22 55 923         London: 0207 183 1885
Manchester: 0161 832 7991         Birmingham: 0121 285 1900

Let’s Get Technical With Aperture Card Scanning

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Do you still store your technical drawings on aperture cards? You need to go digital and open up a world of possibilities.

Aperture cards were once a great solution to storing numerous technical drawings in one place. With the introduction of newer and more efficient technology however, they are now pretty much obsolete. There's a much newer solution in town and it's taking the world of drawing storage by storm!
aperture card 175x300

What is Aperture Card Scanning?

Aperture card scanning is the process of digitising your aperture cards and converting the contents (whether that's technical drawings or maps) to the required format so they can be stored digitally rather than in hard copy format.


Why Should I Scan My Aperture Cards?

Storing technical drawings on aperture cards is no longer the most efficient solution for a number of reasons;

  • They cannot be edited easily. In fact, for edits to be made, a whole new drawing would need to be created.
  • The only way to share them is to send the card itself to the recipient and they can only be viewed one at a time.
  • It can be difficult the find the drawing you want particularly if you store a number of aperture cards.
  • Drawings can be damaged as aperture cards are made of flimsy and delicate material.
  • You will also leave your drawings open to potential theft.

The digital world holds a certain sense of superiority over previous analogue forms. Remember when TVs only had analogue channels or when books could only be read on paper pages. The digital age has changed the way life works bringing more exciting technology and efficiency and the world of document storage is no different.

By digitising your aperture cards, you can save space, money and time as well as increase the flexibility of your drawings with the ability to view, edit and share your work quickly and easily. With digital drawings you also safeguard your drawing against loss, theft and damage.

Pearl Scan's Aperture Card Scanning Servicescan aperture card

Here at Pearl Scan, we offer a fully bespoke yet affordable aperture card scanning service to digitise the technical drawings held on aperture cards. Our service is fully accredited and undergoes strict quality checks throughout the process to ensure your drawings are of the highest quality. You can benefit from all of the advantages mentioned above and more with OCR processing or your files, file encryption, document management software provided and hosting through our online cloud platform, Pearl Cloud. For more information on the aperture card scanning service we offer, browse our website and blogs or get in touch today for a free, no obligation quote for the digitisation of your technical drawings.

Request a Quote  |   Contact Us   |    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Document Scanning by Pearl Scan


The Scan-do Peopletm

For more information feel free to give us a call: 
Nationwide: 0845 22 55 923         London: 0207 183 1885
Manchester: 0161 832 7991         Birmingham: 0121 285 1900

How to Scan Negatives

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Bringing your negatives into the digital age can reap lots of benefits and there are a few ways you can do it. Let's take a look.

Remember the days when you used to send your film off to be developed and it would return in that envelope with a little pouch of negatives in. Before the digital era, negatives were the only way to get reprints or replacements of your images. Nowadays, they are sometimes the only remnants of history we have left. For this reason they need to be preserved for future generations to see. In their hard copy, negatives are susceptible to loss, theft and damage so more and more people are turning to digitisation to open up a whole new world for their negatives.

While this new solution gathers speed, let's take a look at three different ways you can go digital with negatives...

Photographing themphotographing negatives

If you just have one (two or three at a push) negatives you would like to convert to digital, photographing them is your cheapest option. It's not the easiest way but if you budget is tight, you're better off giving it a go. Take a look at this in-depth video we found showing one of the ways you can photograph your negatives using a decent digital camera, a flash, a cardboard box and a piece of paper (Yes, we couldn't believe it either!). This process would work solely for the digitisation of a very small number of negatives as it would take a long amount of time to have the digital images just as you want them.

Quick Summary-

Advantages- It's cheap and you have complete control over how your images come out.

Disadvantages- The process is slow and cannot realistically be applied to a larger scale project.

Using a Scanner

A quicker way to have negatives scanned and digitised on a larger scale would be to purchase a negative scanner. The price of these scanners can range anywhere from £40 right up to £200 with the higher price providing the better quality scans and they can usually be purchased online. If you decide to put a fair investment in the scanner, you can get pretty high quality images and their are a range of brands that produce specialist negative scanning. Here is one particular example providing a step by step guide to digitising your negatives with a scanner.

Quick Summary-

Advantages- You will get better quality scans than photographing and the process is quicker.

Disadvantages- Negative scanners can be expensive if you want high quality scans.

Negatives Scanning Servicesnegative scanning services

For the most effective solution to scanning negatives in bulk, you should consider outsourcing to negative scanning services. These services use state of the art equipment to scan your negatives in the best quality possible. They can even usually retouch colours and brightness to give you better images than the original prints would have been. With this method, you can leave your negatives with professionals and relieve the pressure of doing the job yourself.

Quick Summary-

Advantages- You can get high quality scans from professionals, usually with a quick turnaround.

Disadvantages- You will have to trust the company to produce the scans you want.

How Can Pearl Scan Help

Here at Pearl Scan we offer a fast and affordable negative scanning service for clients wishing to future-proof and safeguard their images. We have dealt with a range of projects including historical archives of negatives to negatives of old family photos. We believe you shouldn't have to compromise on speed and cost of digitisation so we offer the best of both worlds. For more information on the negative scanning services we offer take a look at the information on our website and blogs or get in touch today for a free, no obligation quote for your scanning project.

Request a Quote  |   Contact Us   |    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Document Scanning by Pearl Scan


The Scan-do Peopletm

For more information feel free to give us a call: 
Nationwide: 0845 22 55 923         London: 0207 183 1885
Manchester: 0161 832 7991         Birmingham: 0121 285 1900

Accreditations and Certifications

Accreditations and certifications

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Why choose us

  • Experience >

    We have over a decade of experience providing scanning services for some of the most reputable companies in the UK including blue chip companies and organisations as well as small businesses and private individuals. Some of our past clients have included NHS, local government, Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Manchester, Aviva, BBC, Sky, Metropolitan Police, Environment Agency and many more.
  • Scalability >

    We have the infrastructure to support small-to-large, quick-to-long term scanning projects and with a capacity to scan 10 million images per month. This scalability provides a great deal of flexibility with the services we offer meaning we can tailor all of our services to suit the needs of each client and we will always try our best to accommodate any request.
  • Audited >

    We are backed up by external quality and security audits. Our operations have been audited and approved by many NHS, Local Authorities, Private blue chip companies and we pride ourselves on the high levels of quality and security we provide to each and every one of our clients.
  • Accreditations >

    We hold a number of ISO accreditations including ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 27001 (Information Management System) and EMS 14001 (Environment Management System) and Data Protection 1998. We are also a member of the Information and Records Management Society as well as being supporters of Investors in People and a member of The Skills Pledge.
  • Innovation >

    Our scanning bureau is fully equipped with state-of-the-art dedicated scanning hardware catering for a wide range of document types and sizes making us a one-stop service for your scanning and digital conversion cycle. We upgrade our scanners to keep in line with the latest scanning technology and ensure we are providing the best possible scanning service at all times.
  • Security >

    We operate from a custom built scanning bureau focussed on security, safety, confidentiality and scalability. The main building is monitored by Red Care security systems and has 24 hours internal and external CCTV. We are more than happy for you to come and visit our premises so we can show you how safe your documents are with us.
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