Generation Imaging » Generation Imaging

Happy New Year from Generation Imaging

GenerationImaging — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:07:05 +0000

The staff at Generation Imaging wishes you a happy and prosperous New Year. Initial polls show people are more hopeful this year than the last few years, so let’s hope that it translates into happiness and work for everyone.

As far as Generation Imaging goes, the growing Florida microfilm scanning company has posted increased revenues and profits every year since it has started thanks to its competitive prices, no corporate overhead, and efficient work.

Generation Imaging would like to thank all of its clients for using its microfilm, microfiche, aperture card, color slides, and document scanning services, in addition to 16mm archive writing services. Generation Imaging realizes that the client is always right, that prices need to be low in this current economy, that deadlines need to be met, and that if you are a reseller confidentiality will be respected. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC

Generation Imaging’s Microfilm Scanning Services

GenerationImaging — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:19:58 +0000

Generation Imaging is a Florida company owned by Damian Hospital and Dan Gandul that provides 16mm and 35mm microfilm scanning services. They met each other at Lorien Technologies and have been working together since 1998. Prior to Lorien Technologies, Dan worked at First American Real Estate, and in their microfilm scanning services division for 22 years.

Experiencing life is fun, but so is learning from experiences. Damian and Dan have committed themselves to making sure microfilm scanning services provided by G.I. Partners, LLC are efficiently provided to clients with no excuses.

G.I.’s microfilm scanning services include:

-Free quotes and sample testing.

-Creating an Inventory of roll film to compare to your list or database or to build one from scratch.

-Examining the film to make sure it can be scanned or damaged or repaired.

-Digitizing film at 200DPI to 400DPI (and in rare cases higher) as bi-tonal or greyscale images. File formats can be PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, ad various bi-tonal and greyscale image compressions.

-Images can be split, autocropped, manual cropped, grouped by blips, and named whatever you wish.

-All images are audited/check/modified using ribbon software, which guarantees that every image is detected and captured.

-Roll film projects can be outputed to CD, DVD, external drives, USB stick, FTP’ed, or fileshared.

-While your project is in progress and is it completes, you will be informed about it with updates. We will meet our deadline.

What is NOT included in our microfilm scanning services: bait and switch pricing, bad quality work, missed deadlines without notice, lack of communication, or sending your project overseas or to other companies. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC

Florida Slide Scanning Services

GenerationImaging — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:55:46 +0000

Generation Imaging provides Florida slide scanning services to anyone who has a need to convert color or monochrome slides to digital images, such as JPG, PNG, PDF, or other file formats. We have the capabilities to convert a handful of slides or hundreds of thousands of slides.

The benefit of 35mm slide scanning allows you to store, copy, share, and print the images as much as you’d like. It is a great way to preserve your memories, family history, publications, or sporting events.

There are a lot of slide scanning price advertisements all over the internet. Many ads are awfully aggressive, but they have fine print. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Generation Imaging’s slide scanning pricing depends on the volume of color slides you have and if you need any indexing or data entry done.

All of our work is done in South Florida. Each image is quality checked and rotated to right read.

Types of slides include 35mm, 35mm half frame; Generation Imaging also digitizes 35mm photo negatives, film strips, and various types of photos.

Generation Imaging’s core business is microfilm scanning and microfiche scanning, but we also provide such imaging services like slide scanning, aperture card scanning, 16mm microfilming, 35mm microfilming, document scanning, OCR, and indexing.

Please contact Generation Imaging for your slide scanning price quote. Please let us know the volume and if you have any format requirements. In turn, we will let you know our price per slide and turnover time. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC

Microfilm Conversion Steps: How To Start the Process

GenerationImaging — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:04:57 +0000

Getting Your Microfilm Conversion Started

Identify the media for microfilm conversion. Roll film can be 16mm and 35mm. You can measure the width of the film to determine this. 16mm can be on spools or cartridges, while there are no 35mm cartridges. Roll film is not microfiche (small flat cards), aperture cards (PC cards with a rectangle cut out for film), color slides, or movie film.
The term microfilm conversion refers to creating digital images from roll film. So choose an output format, such as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, or other standard image file formats. Do the folders or images need to be named a certain way? Will the files be single page or multipages?
Get an estimate as to how many reels are in the collection and around how any images are on a roll. To do that, you can use a rule of thumb of 2,000 frames for 16mm or 500 for 35mm, or you can measure an inch and count how many frames are in that inch. Then multiple that number by how long the film is (it may be indicated on the roll label). Otherwise, a rule of thumb could be 100 feet for thick film and 200 feet for thin film.
Contact Generation Imaging for your microfilm conversion quote and turnaround time.
Pack your film up and don’t leave any room for movement. Use any mail carrier you are comfortable with to send it to G.I. If you are local to South Florida you can drop it off or have us pick it up to perform your microfilm conversion.

Florida Aperture Card Scanning

GenerationImaging — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:01:03 +0000

Aperture card scanning is the process of digitizing PC cards that contain a rectangular cutout with film pasted in it. Generation Imaging is a Florida aperture card scanning solution, although we accept aperture card scanning projects from all over the world.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, PC cards containing microfilm was a great way to store and retrieve drawings, blueprints, maps, technical schematics, and other documents or records . However, in today’s digital world where having a computer is commonplace, the continuing use of apertures is impractical.

Generation Imaging uses industry leading equipment and software to create the best image quality possible from aperture card scanning. Images can be converted to PDFs, TIFFs, or JPEGs; bi-tonal or greyscale; multi-page or single page.

Once the apertures are converted to digital images they can be stored on a server or CD/DVD/hard drive. The images can also be processed with an optical character recognition (OCR) if necessary, or have a database built from the Hollerith code punches or data on the header or image.

Why aperture card scanning is a good idea:

It reduce retrieval time
Its creates office space s
Individuals can quickly find specific images
It gives instant access to an entire collections
Users can access documents over on intranet, e-mail, or internet

If your company is in South Florida and local (Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County), and you prefer to do business with a local company, than Generation Imaging is a great Florida aperture card scanning solution for you. If you are not in the area, keep in mind that the bulk of Generation Imaging’s clientele is out of state, and your business is welcomed. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC

Computer Output Microfilm

GenerationImaging — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:13:28 +0000

Computer Output Microfilm is the rarest of 16mm roll film types (ironically Computer Output Microfilm is a very popular form of microfiche). Because of the nature of most COM reels not having regular edges like normal 16mm roll film, converting COM rolls into digital image can be quite a challenge. Thankfully, Generation Imaging has tons of experience working with all kinds of Computer Output Microfilm.

An example of Computer Output Microfilm

If the COM roll is blipped (small markers on the outside of the frames) and the frames have fixed sizes and are equidistant from each other, although the scanner operator must be highly experienced and the setup time is lengthy, it is theoretically possible to scan the Computer Output Microfilm without problems.

If the COM roll does not have blips, the highly skilled scanner operator must used advanced detection algorithms to attempt to find a sense area and setting to capture each frame by itself. Again, the Computer Output Microfilm must pretty much be perfect to pull this method off.

If none of the above methods will work, the expert scanner operator will have to scan the COM images as strips of frames. By padding an overscan and setting the backup, the operator can assure that no frame is missed. However this method requires post-processing: the frames must be manually cropped or split to create individual frames.

Generation Imaging offers scanning solutions for converting COM reels to PDF, TIFF, or JPEG. Please contact us today if you need this type of roll film to be converted to digital images. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC

Reselling Microfiche Scanning Services

GenerationImaging — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:24:01 +0000

Reselling microfiche scanning services is an excellent way for your company, organization, or you to have access to a stream of revenue without investing in equipment, labor, office space, training, or liabilities. For example, let us say you work for a litigation company and one of your clients- in addition to needing documents converted to PDF- also has a collection of microfiche containing payroll records. Let us also assume that the set of fiche contains 1,000 cards.

It doesn’t make sense to perform the microfiche scanning on your own for the following reasons:

Cost. Why buy a new microfiche scanner for $65,000 to digitize something worth around $4,000?
Inferior scanners. There are scanners that are cheap (like $10,000) but what type of quality would you expect from low level camera technology?
Labor, training, workflow. Do you really want to incur money up front costs to expand your company just to handle 1000 COM fiche?

Anyway, after you spend some time investigating all of these options and have meetings about the feasibility of your company doing the microfiche scanning, you will realize that it is more efficient to outsource the microfiche scanning.

Since Generation Imaging is a wholesale service bureau you will get a below market conversion price, which will give you room to add on to the price to your end client, i.e. reselling the microfiche scanning service. After all you are the one responsible for taking care of your end client, you are taking the risk, and you will be the one servicing the end client.

Generation Imaging can be your silent partner for reselling microfiche scanning services, or if you totally don’t want to get involved you could simply have us go direct and we’ll give you a commission- it’s your choice. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC

Florida Microfilm Scanning

GenerationImaging — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:52:56 +0000

There are quite a few Florida microfilm scanning companies. It goes without saying that the state is big and has many different regions and cultures. The bigger the city, the more digital conversion bureaus. Generation Imaging is a Florida microfilm scanning company situated at the Davie – Plantation border, right off 595, near Fort Lauderdale in Broward County.

What factors go into making a decision about which Florida microfilm scanning company to use?

1- Location. For many Floridians, to be within driving distance is an important factor. In fact the first thing organizations who need roll film digitized check is for conversion companies in their area. The mentality is usually based on the fear of lost shipments, shipment costs, or having the film nearby.

Although these seem like valid concerns, much of the fear in not justified. First, USPS has tremendous competitive rates compared to Fed-Ex and UPS. More and more clients use and request USPS than ever before.

The risk of losing film in the mail may be pretty much the same of having an airplane crash. The chances of getting into a car accident on the way to the local company may be greater.

As far as having the film nearby, well there are many services people use that aren’t nearby and require sending things in the mail. Converting roll film is not like bringing your automobile into the mechanic.

2- Arguably, price is the most important element of choosing a Florida microfilm scanning service bureau. Generation Imaging has the lowest price structure for various reasons, including knowing the market, keeping overhead low (you know, like not spending an $8,000 monthly rent), and not engaging in corporate waste (such as paying employees to “keep them busy” or buying lunch for upper management every day. Generation Imaging is a wholesale Florida microfilm scanning company: no middle-men, no subcontracting, and no mark-up costs.

3- For clients that have been through the ringer of using multiple conversion companies, reputation of quality of service may actually supplant pricing. If you are tired of missed deadlines, poor quality images, bait and switch quotes, lack of communication, and up front money demands, give Generation Imaging a try for Florida microfilm scanning. Dan Gandul and Damian Hospital’s faces, phone numbers, and e-mails are all over the internet. They have nothing to hide. Their company is G.I. Partners, LLC, which handles Florida microfilm scanning. Dan and Damian will either supervise, manage, quality control, or in some cases actually digitize your roll film project. G.I. is 100% accountable and takes full responsibility for your project.

What exactly do you have to lose by switching Florida microfilm scanning companies by at least giving Dan and Damian a chance? Loyalty or habit? If you are truly satisfied with your current Florida microfilm scanning company- that’s fine. But if you’d like to at least see if you can save money on a Florida microfilm scanning quote, please feel free to contact us. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC

Convert Microfiche

GenerationImaging — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:37:09 +0000

Although there are technically several ways to convert microfiche to PDF, TIFF, or JPEG, only one of them will deliver to you a high quality product, in a fast amount of time, at a low price. That method, of course, would be to send your microfiche to Generation Imaging in Davie, Florida via USPS, Fed-Ex, UPS, DHL, or via courier. But let us quickly go through the other methods to convert microfiche and see why they aren’t truly options:

Buy your own scanner. Sure you can get a ScanPro 2000 for a few thousand dollars. We have one of those- but we wouldn’t dare use them to convert microfiche for you. The reason why the ScanPro is inexpensive compared to the high production microfiche scanners is because the optics are poor for scanning microfiche; the high reduction ratio of microfiche (24x to 48x), lack of advanced quality filters, and rudimentary camera optics are all factors that are obstacles for creating a quality image. I didn’t even mention that you have to load one card at a time for the ScanPro. Although the ScanPro has its uses for other media, and it does come in handy for us for odd microform we may come across (it’s our business to receive all types of weird film) it’s not suitable for producing an acceptable quality to convert microfiche.
Buy high-end scanners. High production/high optics microfiche scanners (what Generation Imaging uses) can run you anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 each depending on make and model. In addition to maintenance costs, you must consider training, managing labor, workflow, and technical support.
Flat-bed scanner. PC scanners are unable to convert microfiche (the magnification is too low).
Reader printer. Reader printers cost around $3000 to $8000. The manual labor is very time consuming to convert microfiche to digital image (one frame at a time).
Used scanners, used reader printers, etc. Although used scanning equipment sounds good on paper because the prices are cut by thousands of dollars, they don’t come with any warranties. When you consider that reader printers are known to break down and parts are needed, and the same can be said of microfiche scanners.

Ultimately, it is more cost effective and safer to allow Generation Imaging to convert microfiche for your project. You can plug the numbers yourself and weight the risk factors. If you have a small volume project which requires you to convert microfiche, it’s a no-brainer to use Generation Imaging.

Microfiche Scanning- How To Scan Microfiche

GenerationImaging — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:26:31 +0000

Microfiche scanning is the process of converting microfiche to digital images. Scanning microfiche and microfilm scanning are two of Generation Imaging’s main specialties- from quality to price, and to fun. As you could imagine, G.I. gets a lot of questions from callers and e-mails from potential clients that are new to the world of digital conversions. Also, many industries and organizations use different terminologies, so let me clear up some things up:

The difference between microfilm and microfiche is that fiche contain small images on flat sheets. Microfilm is roll film, usually spooled on a 16mm or 35mm or inside a Kodak or 3M cartridge. It gets kind of confusing for some people trying to identify media when they see cut strips of roll film inside clear plastic jackets. But the strong definition is that microfiche is contained on transparent flat sheets (around 4 inches x 6 inches, or 105 x 148 mm).

I used the word transparent for a reason; an image on an opaque sheet (like cardboard or index card) will only work if the material is has a cut-out rectangle. In that case, the “microfiche” is really an aperture card (an old PC card). The aperture card usually has a 35mm drawing, blueprint, or map in the cut-out. There are other scenarios where 16mm strips were cut and pasted in the rectangular cut-off. Either way, Generation Imaging can convert aperture cards to digital image.

There are a few different types of microfiche:

Jacketed microfiche (aka jacket fiche, jackets, jacket microfiche, microfiche jackets, jacketed microfilm sheets) generally contain around 5 rows of cut 16mm microfilm strips. However, 35mm jacketed microfiche have around up to 3 rows. Jacket fiche are perhaps the most varied type of microfiche: some only have a few frames on them, while others have around 60-90 images. Some jackets may contain unusual records, such as EKG, old school dot matrix computer printouts, or earthquake seismographs.

Jacket fiche can be duplicated, which ads to some people’s confusion when identifying microfiche. A diazo microfiche would not have physical sleeves anymore; instead you may see horizontal lines for each row.

COM microfiche have been around for a long time. COM = Computer Output Media. These microfiche are computer generated and usually line up perfectly, in addition to having rows/columns or 16 x 13 or 18 x 15. Occasionally, not all the frames are filled with data, so there are blank spaces instead of a packed microfiche. COM fiche usually contain accounting records.

Step-and-repeat microfiche were created with a special camera (also called 105mm film). They are more straight and even than jacket fiche. These microfiche have a varied image count, I’ve seen some have 100-300 images. They mostly contain manuals: airplanes, motorcycles, automobiles, jetski’s, scientific notebooks, etc.

Other rare types of microfiche include ultrafiche (350-500+ tiny images) and rewritable microfiche, sometimes called Microx or AB Dick microfiche.

Microfiche Scanning

Where Generation Imaging comes in is that G.I. Partners, LLC can convert microfiche to digital images, such as TIFF, PDF, or JPEG at a very low price. Microfiche scanning with NextScan scanners is a specialty of G.I. G.I. also has years of experience with microfiche scanning using Sunrise, Mekel, and Wicks & Wilson microfiche scanners, and has handled all types of microfiche scanning projects. Copyright G.I. Partners, LLC