What is microfilm?
Microfilm is usually on 16 mm or 35 mm roll film. Roll film is stored on reels or in 3M or Kodak hard plastic cassettes.

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What is microfilm used for?
Microfilm is used for preservation, archiving, to reduce storage space, and research. Also, prints from microfilm are admissible in court.

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What is involved in microfilm scanning?
Digitizing microfilm entails using a microfilm scanner to convert the 16mm or 35mm frames to a digital image, such as TIFF, PDF, or JPEG.

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What are microfiche?
A microfiche is a film "card" with small image frames. Microfiche are generally stored in envelopes which are put in drawers, boxes, or books, and stored as file cards. The different types of fiche are COM, jackets, step-and-repeat, quad, single frame, ultrafiche, and rewritable fiche, which can be digitally converted with a microfiche scanner.

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What are aperture cards?
Aperture cards are Hollerith punched PC cards with a 35mm microfilm frame mounted in the hole inside of a clear plastic sleeve; they are used for engineering drawings.

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Does IImage Retrieval convert maps and books to PDF, TIFF & JPEG?
Yes, we have a variety of large format scanners and book scanners that can digitize materials up to 24" x  36".

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Does IImage Retrieval provide sample scans for microfilm, microfiche, bound documents, and large format documents?
Yes! Please call us today to set up a free sample scan of your materials. We are confident that our work will demonstrate our experience and knowledge of digital imaging.

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How long will it take to scan my Microfilm?
In most cases, we can scan film orders of up to 10 rolls in about one week. For orders over 10 rolls, it can take up to two weeks before we ship the film back to you. We use FedEx priority shipping for all shipments from our facility. You may call our offices any time to receive a more accurate time table for delivery.

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Can the materials to be scanned be given a priority status to hurry up delivery?
Yes. IImage Retrieval can adjust production methods to provide a faster delivery time. Please contact us for more information.

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Does IImage Retrieval provide free scan samples?
Yes. We provide free samples for material to be scanned. Shipping not included.

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Do you provide partial scans of microfilm to retrieve only a few images?
No, we charge by a "per roll" basis due to the effort that goes into setting up the scanner for a particular roll. We would provide you with all the images from the roll in which you can remove or delete at a later time.

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What image format should I choose?
Most of the image files we create for small orders are multipage PDF files. Essentially, you will receive one big PDF for each roll you send us, with each image on your film represented as a page in the file. We recommend PDF as the main format because it is very common and uses a free viewer to easily view, search, save, print and share your documents. JPEG's are another widely used image format but they are only available one image per file and typically require a graphics program in order to view them.

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Can you provide other image formats?
Yes. We are able to provide you with just about any image format that is available today. Some formats may require larger storage requirements which may affect the pricing. Please contact us with questions on available image formats.

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What equipment do you use for scanning?
IImage Retrieval proudly uses NextScan microfilm scanners and i2S Book Scanners for all services provided in our productions offices. IIRI is the American reseller for i2S equipment and software whose equipment is considered to be an industry leader in digital imaging. We are confident that our equipment, along with our expertise will provide our customers with the highest quality scanning services possible.