Microfiche Scanning

This article discusses the various types of common microfiche.

SoftFile routinely converts all sort of microfiche images into an electronic format.

Most of SoftFile's customers ask SoftFile to convert their microfiche to electronic because they no longer have a microfiche viewer (or don't want one) and because the records retention for the microfiche is probably very long or permanent.

Like all documents that SoftFile scans, microfiche is usually people of property type documents.

About Microfiche Jackets

Both 16MM or 35MM (or a combination of both) can be inserted into a microfiche jacket. The following image illustrates a five channel 16MM microfiche jacket that is partially used.

Microfiche is used instead of a reel of microfilm so that the respective records can be individually unitized. This approach was generally used where the microfiche was to be retrieved by the public. Whereas, using a reel of microfilm (where a reel of 16MM microfilm might contain between 2,000 to 7,500 images per one reel) one would need to scroll through thousands of images before finding the one, six-page record that they were interested in viewing.

This was especially the case where the records were confidential. For example, if you requested to view your personal records, they were often available on microfiche. This is because if on microfilm, you could see someone else's private records.

In addition, microfiche was often updated (where microfilm images might have been added to the same microfiche jacket years later. It is impractical to update a reel of film by splicing in images.

Usually a 16MM microfiche jacket might contain up 65 images per one fiche. Typically a 35MM only microfiche jacket might contain up to six 35MM microfiche images. It is not uncommon to find combo 16MM/35MM microfiche jackets in use at various building authorities (city building division) so that both the microfilm plan sheets and documentation were together on the same microfiche.

16MM Microfiche	35MM Microfiche	Combo Microfiche

About 105MM Microfiche

It is not uncommon to come across 105MM microfiche. This is essentially a microfiche with one large image (typically some sort of architectural plan sheet).

About COM (Computer Output Microfiche)

Although in some respects COM looks like any other microfiche, it is quite different.

First, a COM image is much smaller. Whereas in terms of its reduction ratio, a 16MM microfiche image might be a ratio of 24:1 (24X), often a COM image is 52:1 (52X). This means that while most 16MM microfiche might contain up to 65 images maximum per fiche, a COM fiche might contain 240 images!

Also unlike 16MM microfiche, where each image is a photographic miniature (or a photographic negative) of a document, a COM image was never a photograph of a document.

During its inception, computer memory was much more expensive than today. Therefore, instead of printing out mainframe data (to free up expensive memory) the data was sent to COM. At 52X smaller than an 8.5X11 printout, COM was much more manageable than paper. So a COM image is actually just mainframe data, which is organized to resemble a document.

Similarly, UltraCOM was developed which was even smaller than 52X. As computer memory became less expensive, the requirement for COM fell out of popular usage.