Computer Output Microfilm arrived in the 1960s. Previously the maximum reduction ratio was 24, but thanks to the COM process reduction ratios could be 48. The reduction ratio 0f 48x made it possible to fit 2, 270, or 300+ images on one microfiche card and over 4000 images on a 16mm microfilm. Ultrafiche was created in 1962, although they are still rare. Ultrafiche have reduction ratios of 150 and can store up to 3,200 images on a card. Some rolls of film with high reduction ratios can hold over 20,000 images.

Computer Output Microfilm can have blips (markers) on the film that divide documents from pages. A document contains the same pages of a file. COM also allows for barcodes, which can be located on roll film frames or on microfiche headers. These additions were to help with hand off management and inventory thanks to robots. Indeed, back in the 1960 to 1970s document management companies and IT professionals saw the future as being handled by robotic processes still using COM, as opposed to predicting the digital revolution. It’s a step above having complete faith in vacuum tubes.

Therefore it is ironic that many organizations eventually needed their Computer Output Microfilm  converted to PDF, TIFF, or JPEG. Many companies still need that to happen in the 21st century. If you have Computer Output Microfilm  or Computer Output Microfiche, please contact Generation Imaging for a scanning quote. Generation Imaging has years of experience handling the Computer Output Microfilm to image process.

Going to digital image actually is more versatile than using a system designed over 50 years ago.

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The main use of a microfiche reader is to enlarge information on the microfiche so that you can read it. You can view and read the contents on a microfiche cards when you enlarge the information by projection. The microfiche reader allows you to read information that is not seen with the naked eye.  The microfiche readers with two microfiche holders permits you to switch between two cards very fast. If you need to compare something on a microfiche card to something on a second microfiche, you can load both.

Microfiche readers have served a very important role in the history of microfiche. Once the most efficient way to read information from microfiche cards, microfiche readers are not so common anymore. If you dad microfiche cards, you had to have a microfiche reader to use them. Microfiche readers have become a secondary tool as opposed to the main way to read microfiche cards.

Today we encourage people that are looking for a microfiche reader, to consider scanning the microfiche card to convert the information to a digital format. Once the information is converted, it is stored on your computer. Once digitized, you will not need to use the microfiche or the microfiche viewer any more. You can do many things with a computer file that you were not able to do efficiently with the microfiche cards. But the greatest benefits of the microfiche conversion to digital is that you can store and retrieve the information super fast from anywhere . If you like the idea of scanning your microfiche, let us know.

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