Microfilm Digitisation

Microfilm Digitisation

Microfilm and microfiche digitisation is an area in which we have a wealth of experience and expertise. Many of our customers have previously microfilmed their collections for preservation purposes. Formats include:

  • 35mm microfilm reels
  • 16 mm microfilm reels
  • Aperture cards
  • Microfilm cartridge reels
  • 35 mm microfiche
  • 16 mm microfiche
  • Jacket microfilm

Using the industry-leading Sunrise Apollo HS microfilm scanners we can capture directly from these formats. This digitisation process renders the collection far more accessible and much easier to share both internally or externally.

We capture microfilm from both negative and positive film types. If possible, we prefer to work from the negative as it is usually the first generation copy (the positive being copied from the negative) and in better condition as it has been used less.

As a general standard we digitise the various microfilm formats to an uncompressed Tiff file format for preservation purposes as well as a compressed jpg and/or pdf format for access and dissemination. We always suggest output in greyscale, rather than bitmap (pure black and white). Greyscale fully captures the tonal range which provides an authentic copy of the original document, plan or drawing. If a scaling indication is available on the film we are able to capture the material to its full original size.

In addition, we have been very successful in utilising Optical Character Recognition (OCR) techniques on microfilmed material to create a fully searchable archive. This enables indexing and keyword searches across the newly-created database.

Customers include:

  • London School of Economics
  • Royal Collection
  • Wallace Collection
  • Fitzwilliam Museum
  • King's College London
  • National Library of Scotland
  • National Gallery
  • RNLI
  • Cartier
  • Medway Archives
  • Egham Historical Society
  • Dunkeld Archives

Please do contact us to discuss digitisation of some free samples from your collection. This will allow you to see the results and benefits of opening up access to your microfilm or microfiche archive prior to committing to a project.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more about our services please use the buttons below or call us on +44 (0)20 8309 5445

Full Article Contact Max Request a Quotation Request Free Samples / Demo

Testimonials

I have worked with Max Communications and the team for some years. In recent work with their Archivematica iteration in the College Archives and Corporate Records Unit, and other digital work required by varying cohorts in Imperial, Max Communications have been responsive, innovative and demonstrated great problem-solving abilities. The Max Communications team, from the top down, is approachable, friendly and keen to help.

An example is in their engagement for some major confidential scanning projects. The projects were discussed, scoped and agreed to a high standard of hand scanning. Benchmarking was agreed to our satisfaction when the project started, with a fast progress time for the work. They provided rapid access to files, including digitising out of sequence, e.g. one such turn around for hand scanning, editing and proofing a large file was within 3 hours. The digital delivery was by secure online transfer, and the hard disks and hard copy delivered securely by courier.

On a lighter note, digitisation of 1960s academic cine film was carried out promptly and to a high standard, such that it can be reshown at a major conference

 --Anne Barrett | College Archivist & Corporate Records Manager | Imperial College London