Do you have a collection of bulky aperture cards taking up valuable space? These cards, once a popular way to store microfilm images of documents and drawings, are becoming a thing of the past in the digital age. But what about the valuable information they hold?
This article explores how scanning aperture cards can maximize the life of your legacy data. We’ll delve into the benefits of aperture card scanning services, the process of digitizing aperture card data, and how it can empower you to access and manage your information more efficiently.
What are Aperture Cards and Why Scan Them?
Aperture cards are envelopes made of cardstock holding a small piece of microfilm. This microfilm typically contains images of documents, engineering drawings, or other historical records. While they were a great storage solution in their time, they have several drawbacks in today’s world:
- Physical Bulk: Aperture cards take up a considerable amount of physical space. This can be a major issue for businesses and organizations struggling with limited storage capacity.
- Accessibility Challenges: Retrieving specific information from a collection of aperture cards can be a time-consuming and tedious process.
- Risk of Damage: Microfilm is susceptible to degradation over time, especially if not stored properly.
- Sharing Difficulties: Sharing information stored on microfilm is cumbersome in a digital world.
Scanning aperture cards offers a solution to these challenges. By converting the microfilm images into digital files, you can:
- Free Up Valuable Space: Eliminate the need for physical storage of aperture cards.
- Boost Accessibility: Easily search and retrieve information from your digitized data with the help of indexing and document management systems.
- Enhance Preservation: Digital files are less susceptible to damage than microfilm, ensuring long-term data security.
- Facilitate Collaboration: Share information electronically with colleagues and stakeholders with ease.
Benefits of Using Aperture Card Scanning Services
While you can technically scan aperture cards yourself with specialized equipment, partnering with a professional aperture card scanning service offers several advantages:
- Expertise and Equipment: Scanning companies have the experience and equipment to handle large-scale aperture card conversion projects efficiently and accurately.
- Quality Control: They employ rigorous quality control measures to ensure your digitized images are clear, high-resolution, and ready for use.
- Data Security: They prioritize data security by following industry-standard practices for protecting your sensitive information throughout the aperture card imaging process.
- Customization: They can tailor the scanning process to your specific needs, including image resolution, file format, and indexing options.
- Faster Turnaround: Scanning companies have the resources to complete large projects, minimizing workflow disruption quickly.
Efficient aperture card scanning services can save you time, money, and frustration in the long run.
How Professional Aperture Card Scanning Services Work
Letting a professional service like Smooth Solutions handle your aperture card conversion offers numerous advantages. Here’s a glimpse into their process:
- 1. Consultation: You’ll discuss your specific needs with a Smooth Solutions representative. This includes determining the volume of cards, desired turnaround time, preferred file format, and any particular indexing requirements.
- 2. Secure Transportation (Optional): If necessary, Smooth Solutions can arrange secure pick-up and transportation of your aperture cards to their scanning facility.
- 3. Card Inspection and Cleaning: The team carefully inspects your cards for any damage or debris and implements gentle cleaning techniques to ensure optimal scanning results.
- 4. High-Volume Scanning: Smooth Solutions uses advanced, high-speed scanners capable of efficiently processing large quantities of aperture cards.
- 5. Image Optimization: Sophisticated software analyzes and optimizes the captured images to enhance clarity, contrast, and overall quality. This might involve features like dual-stream scanning for both bi-tonal (black and white) and grayscale versions.
- 6. Quality Control: A dedicated team carefully reviews the scanned images to guarantee accuracy and completeness.
- 7. Automatic Indexing (Optional): If your cards contain Hollerith data (punched holes), Smooth Solutions’ technology can often extract this data automatically, creating searchable keywords for efficient retrieval.
- 8. Manual Indexing (Optional): For cards without Hollerith data, the team can manually add index tags based on the information on the card or the digital image, allowing you to search and locate specific documents quickly.
- 9. Secure Data Delivery: Once the scanning and indexing are complete, Smooth Solutions delivers your digital files in your preferred format (e.g., JPG, PDF) on a secure storage device.
Smooth Solutions Advantage
By partnering with Smooth Solutions, you benefit from their expertise, technology, and commitment to security. Their entire process is designed to ensure:
- Efficiency: High-volume scanners and streamlined workflows guarantee a fast turnaround time for your project.
- Accuracy: Careful quality control ensures your digitized data is error-free and reliable.
- Security: Stringent data security protocols safeguard your sensitive information throughout the process.
- Customization: They tailor their services to your specific needs, including indexing options and file formats.
- Peace of Mind: You can focus on your core business while Smooth Solutions handles aperture card conversion’s time-consuming and technical aspects.
Let Smooth Solutions increase the life of your legacy data by converting your aperture cards into easily accessible and manageable digital files. Contact Smooth Solutions today to explore our digitization solutions.