your worldwide imaging partner.
We pride ourselves on the consistency of our end product. To ensure reliability and consistency we have developed a process that is strictly adhered to for each of the projects that have been entrusted to our care. A project may involve as many as two dozen individual processes. Depending on the complexity, your project will be processed in the following manner.
Initial Testing
Prior to the acceptance of any project, a sample of the film to be converted is
requested. The media submitted is then tested and reviewed based on the specifications
provided by the end user. The resulting test images are then sent to you, either on
portable media (CD, DVD, tape, etc.), or as an email attachment. This establishes
the proper level of expectation for the media. Simultaneously an Estimated
Invoice/Work Order is created and faxed to you. This is to document the functions
to be performed, the price quotation, and based on the volume figures, a total price.
The project does not commence until the client approves the quality of the output,
the job specifications and the pricing.
Inventory Control
Upon receipt of the media and the necessary inventory documentation for each
client-approved project, the media is immediately inventoried to ensure concurrence
with the shipping documents. When total agreement is reached, the information is
then entered into our automated tracking system. This provides for control of the
individual images that make up the project and gives us the capability to locate
any image that you might need to reference while the actual film is in our care.
Scanning
The media is then re-tested to determine the optimal scanner settings based upon
the quality of the film. The results of this test are also e-mailed to the client
for a final check and approval.
The scanners are set to the approved specifications and adjusted as necessary on a per-media basis. Should the media quality deviate significantly from the approved test, the client will be notified. An integral part of the scanning process is the enhancement of images that includes despeckling, deskewing, and rotation as required. These enhancements are included in the base price for the project.
Quality Control
The scanned images are then reviewed by a separate Quality Control Department. This
department acts on behalf of the client to ensure all images are legible and of the
best possible quality. Rejected images or media are returned to the Scanning
Department to be re-scanned and inserted in the proper location as required.
The normal quality control process visually inspects a reasonable percentage of the output and if it is found to be within normal parameters the media is accepted. On occasion, 100 percent verification is required. This is possible only when a consistent numbering is present on the original document and an up-charge is applicable.
Processing
Depending on the original filming process, a shaded border or halo may exist around
the actual image. This border results primarily from the contrast between the
document and its background, although other factors are involved. Along with reducing
the effective size of the image when printed, the border also increases the file
size - considerably, in some cases. There are two ways to eliminate this situation.
When there is a great deal of contrast between the image and the border it is
usually possible to use auto-cropping software on the images. When that is not the case,
manual intervention is required and each image is trimmed individually. This
condition can only be determined by testing. When this is considered necessary
an up-charge will apply. When the client requires auto-cropping, a second Quality
Control process is initiated.
Additional processes may be required. Each additional procedure is individually priced based on its complexity.
Indexing
A very common requirement is the addition of an index key. Simple indexing can
often be automated. An example of a simple indexing key is a book and page lineup,
where the file names correspond to the book and page stamps on the document.
Database matching whereby a simple index is expanded by matching a simple to a
computer readable file provided by the client to create multiple keys is also
available. A very complex indexing scheme may require manual indexing. For
instance, we can index and group images by social security number or account
information. Up-charges for indexing are quoted individually based on review
and testing of the actual media.
Output
The scanning process normally produces images in TIFF-IV format. TIFF images
can be grouped individually or provided as a single multi-page TIFF file.
TIFF to PDF or other special request formats can be accomodated and will be
priced based on user requirements.
The final product is usually written to CD, DVD, or USB hard disk with the proper
identification label, although we are capable of delivering it by various other
means such as: tape, FTP (normal or over secure socket), SCP, NAS, et cetera.
The final product has an additional Quality Control step to ensure the correctness
of the output media prior to shipping.
