Aperture card scanning services in Chicago, IL

Looking for aperture card scanning services in Chicago, IL? Smooth Solutions, part of the DMI family of imaging companies in business since 1977, converts aperture card drawing archives into searchable digital files for utilities, engineering firms, manufacturers and public agencies across the country. Every card is scanned at DMI’s New Castle, Delaware facility, home to a full in-house film lab.

Engineering drawings you can find again

Aperture cards hold decades of engineering drawings, often the only copy of a plant, pipeline, facility or product design. We scan each card and index it to the drawing number, sheet and other fields your engineers use, so the right drawing comes up in a search instead of a drawer.

Film problems fixed before scanning

Cards that sat in cabinets for years often carry scratched, dirty or poorly processed film. Our film lab repairs common film problems before scanning, so you get readable drawings instead of rejects. Most scanning vendors cannot do this because they do not run a film lab.

High volume, strict quality

DMI scans more than 100 million images a year from microfilm for the National Archives, under that agency’s demanding quality requirements. The same production line handles drawing archives of every size, from a few thousand cards to a few million.

Ship your cards from anywhere

Aperture cards are compact and ship inexpensively by UPS or FedEx. We log every box on arrival, track it under a documented chain of custody, and return, store or securely destroy the cards with a certificate only after your written approval. Learn more about our aperture card scanning services.

Delivery

You receive TIFF or searchable PDF files, indexed and named the way your drawing system expects, or loaded into your document management system. Don’t have one? Our WebDocs cloud document management system is simple, secure and affordable, and always includes unlimited concurrent users.

Security and compliance

Smooth Solutions is SOC 2 compliant and HIPAA-compliant. Access to your drawings is limited to authorized staff, and every transfer is documented. If you also hold roll film or microfiche, see our microfilm and microfiche scanning services.

Chicago Aperture Card Scanning for Transit, Rail, and Industrial Drawings

Chicago is a rail hub, with commuter and transit systems, freight railroads, steel and heavy manufacturing, a large water system, and bridges and tunnels managed by city and state agencies. Naval Station Great Lakes north of the city adds military engineering. Drawings for all of these were filmed onto aperture cards over the decades.

Rail and bridge drawings are still referenced for maintenance and rehabilitation. We index scanned cards to drawing and sheet numbers, cards ship simply by UPS or FedEx to our New Castle, Delaware facility, and we deliver TIFF or searchable PDF so the right drawing is quick to find.

Frequently asked questions

Can you scan aperture cards from Chicago, IL?

Yes. Ship your cards to our New Castle, Delaware facility by UPS or FedEx. We confirm receipt, scan, and return or store the originals as you direct.

How are the drawings indexed?

To the fields you choose, such as drawing number, sheet and revision, so engineers can search for the drawing they need.

What if the film on our cards is damaged?

Our in-house film lab repairs common film problems before scanning, so damaged cards can still produce readable drawings.

What file formats do we get back?

TIFF or searchable PDF files, or loaded straight into your document management system.

Get a quote

Ask for a quote for aperture card scanning services in Chicago, IL. Call 1-800-DMI-4210 or request a quote online and tell us about your drawing archive.