[comp.graphics] digitizing microfische - how?

<ATDYW@ASUACAD.BITNET> (06/01/91)

Does anyone out there know of a way to digitize microfische? I'm aware of
ways to dump computer output to fische, but what about the other direction?
Any help will be apreciated.

Dan Wilson

dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) (06/04/91)

In article <91152.035047ATDYW@ASUACAD.BITNET>, ATDYW@ASUACAD.BITNET writes:
|> Does anyone out there know of a way to digitize microfische? I'm aware of
|> ways to dump computer output to fische, but what about the other direction?
|> Any help will be apreciated.

Someone here had the same question, but never brought in a test fiche
for us to try out.

It seems to me that a moderately high-resolution flatbed scanner should
do the trick.  Even a good 400dpi greyscale/color scanner should be
able to produce a large enough picture to be usable.

--
...David Elliott
...dce@smsc.sony.com | ...!{uunet,mips}!sonyusa!dce
...(408)944-4073
..."Art is never fair" - paa

troby@diana.cair.du.edu (Thorn Roby) (06/06/91)

XRS makes a microfilm scanner for 16mm reels but it can't handle 
fiche, and is designed for sequentially scanning an entire reel.
They can be reached at (213) 214-1900.
Vexcel in Boulder CO (sorry, don't have their number) has a very
high resolution scanner used for aerial photos which might be
adaptable to fiche. Not cheap though.
I doubt that a 400 dpi scanner would provide enough information 
to be useful. If the medium transport problems could be solved, it's
possible that a slide scanner (Nikon, Barneyscan, Microtek) might 
provide enough resolution (2000-4000 dpi). But my guess is that unless
you're going to do a lot of this your easiest route is to print the
fiche to paper and scan the paper.

-- 

Thorn Roby                              troby@diana.cair.du.edu
CARL Systems, Inc.                               troby@carl.org   
777 Grant Street, Denver, CO  80203              (303) 861-5319

jb@falstaff.mae.cwru.edu (Jim Berilla) (06/06/91)

In article <1991Jun4.151733.20348@smsc.sony.com> dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) writes:
> [...]          Even a good 400dpi greyscale/color scanner should be
>able to produce a large enough picture to be usable.

In article <1991Jun5.184025.17868@mercury.cair.du.edu> troby@diana.cair.du.edu (Thorn Roby) adds:
> [...]
>I doubt that a 400 dpi scanner would provide enough information 
>to be useful. If the medium transport problems could be solved, it's
>possible that a slide scanner (Nikon, Barneyscan, Microtek) might 
>provide enough resolution (2000-4000 dpi). But my guess is that unless
>you're going to do a lot of this your easiest route is to print the
>fiche to paper and scan the paper.

Reality check time.

I think that Thorn Roby is right.  On the fische that I have in my hand, a
page measures about .2" by .26" (5 by 6.5mm).  A random line selected from
one of the pages has 97 characters.  The horizontal resolution would be
.8 pixels per character at 400 dpi.
-- 
      Jim Berilla / jb@falstaff.cwru.edu / 216-368-6776
"My opinions are my own, except on Wednesday mornings at 9 AM,
           when my opinions are those of my boss."