WORLD CONFERENCE ON RECORDS AND GENEALOGICAL SEMINAR MINIATURIZATION OF RECORDS PART III HIGH REDUCTION MICROFILM TECHNOLOGY, TECHNIQUES, AND SYSTEMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00402R000100140003-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2006
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: August 5, 1969
• Content Type: REPORT

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WORLD CONFERENCE
ON RECORDS
AND GENEALOGICAL SEMINAR
"Record Protection in
an Uncertain World"
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
5-8 August 1969
MINIATURIZATION OF RECORDS
Part I I I
High Reduction Microfilm Technology, Techniques, and Systems
By
David R. Wolf
Yerkes-Wolf Associates
4000,
COPYRIGHT? 1969 iAp~t~L~I~Air50Gf~1`P~JF'fLF9URL}T'CfF~ESU~"CHRf51 (5F LATT~R0I02000N001-
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MINIATURIZATION OF RECORDS
Part I I I
High Reduction Microfilm Technology, Techniques, and systems
By
David R. Wolf
Yerkes-Wolf Associates
Microfilm is in its fifth decade of modern use as an information recording medium.
Today, the process of taking pictures of documents, book pages, photographs, and other
graphic records is well within the comprehension and potentially within the scope of activity
of nearly everyone. Accordingly, microfilm has been used for the procedural recording of
business records, scholarly interchange, and the building of research collections and protective
archives for some forty years. None of us familiar with this medium cease to marvel at the
usefuliness of massive collections like that of The Genealogical Society -- or those so small that
they can be held in one hand.
The introduction within the last decade of improved film and cameras, new formats,
better reproduction equipment and readers, and reader-printers served to enhance existing
applications and awaken others to microfilm as an information medium. One can observe that
the power and usefuilness of a medium increases with its ability to transfer information. From
a microfilm of our record we can produce an information display, enlarged hard copy, printing
plates for the prepartion of hard copies for distribution, other microforms and microfilm
copies for distribution, or further reduced microfilm formats. Thus microfilm is no longer
simply a recording medium but has become a powerful information transfer medium.
Refinement in microduplication - the reproduction of microfilm as microfilm - led to
expanded use as a publishing medium. In the last half decade, we have seen this use grow from
a modest level to a rapidly expanding one involving the publication of technical documents,
catalogs, parts lists, and other collections by governmental, industrial, and commercial
organizations. Growth of interest in micropublishing coupled with research and development
in the laboratories of our industry lead us then to my topic today -- High Reduction Microfilm.
Before we get into the technology, some definitions may be in order. Most
microrecording is done at linear reductions in the range 12/1 to 30/1. At reductions in this
range, we can record from 60 to 100 document pages on one 4 by 6 inch microfiche or the
content of a well organized file drawer on one 100 foot roll of film. Today, high reduction
microrecording is defined as reduction one order of magnitude higher -- or linear reductions in
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the range 120/1 to 300/1. At reductions in this range, we can record from 3000 to 10,000
document pages on one 4 by 6 inch ultrafiche or high reduction microfiche.
High reduction microphotographic recordings are not new. Using special photographic
emulsions, the New Testament had been recorded in an area about the size of a pin head over
one hundred years ago. As was the case with microfilm however, reduction of the technology
to modern commercial practice had to await need as the mother of reinvention.
Today, two commercial methods of high reduction microrecording are available. At
present, both are used on a service basis, that is, documents are converted under rigid controls
in a service facility. While the PCMI system of the National Cash Register Company and the
MDS system of Microform Data Systems, Inc. are similar in many respects, each warrants
description.
The PCMI system takes its name from and was developed out of basic research on
photochromic materials by NCR. A photochromic material can be defined as one which will
respond to radiant energy by producing a visible image. The heart of the PCMI system is a
photochrome coating which can be imaged by light of one wavelength and erased by light of a
longer wavelength, Since the photochromic image is a dye, it is grainless and capable of high
resoltuion.
The first step in the PCMI process is the reduction of document pages to 35mm. film at
1/15th their original size. For this, a standard planetary camera modified to assure precision of
image placement and film pull-down is used. A density control panel is recorded with each
image.
Following the carefully controlled processing of the 35mm. film, the images are further
reduced 10 diameters in a PCMI camera recorder onto a PCMI plate. The PCMI plate is
prepared by coating the photochromic material on a precision ground glass plate under "clean
room" conditions. Exposures in this second reduction are controlled by measurement of the
density developed in the image of the density control panel recorded with each document
image on the input film. The operator of the camera recorder can inspect the images on the
photochromic plate, erase, and re-record any unsatisfactory images.
Upon completion of the photochromic plate, the 3000 images at 1/150th the original size
are contact printed to a reproduction master plate. This plate is a precision ground glass plate
which has been coated with a Lippman silver emulsion. The photochromic plate is then placed
in cold storage to preserve the images.
Following development and inspection of the Lippman plate, it is used for the contact
exposure of the distribution transparencies on a high resolution silver film. Following
development and inspection of this film, it is laminated between protective layers of film and
cut into high reduction microfiche for distribuuion.
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NCR currently offers a reader for the PCMI transparencies. The film carrier for the
transparency is designed to indicate X and Y position providing rapid location images. Cost of
the reader ranges from $700 to below $500 in large quantity.
The basic MDS system was acquired by Microform Data Systems from Republic Aviation
where it was developed out of the need to "package" a considerable amount of information at
a high reduction. The first step in this system uses a precision camera to reduce input
document pages to 35 mm. microfilm at reductions up to 26/1.
Using a special fixed reduction camera, the 35mm. film images are then reduced ten
diameters to a spectrophotographic emulsion. The resulting master, containing up to 10,000
pages in a 100 x 100, 4 x 5 inch matrix, is then used to contact expose a high resolution film.
Development, lamination, and chopping of this film results in the high reduction microfiche
for distribution.
Prototypes of readers designed for varied ultrafiche formats and providing various modes
of image location from manual to digital input auto-location have been shown. At the time of
this writing, specific model/price information was not available.
At normal reductions, one can store approximately three-quarters of a million document
pages in microfiche format in one cubic foot. In high reduction fiche format, at 250/1, the
theoretical storage density in one cubic foot is 85 million document pages. For those of you
oriented to the storage of information as bits, these densities equate to seven billion bits at
24/1 and eight hundred billion bits at 250/1 for typed pages stored in graphic or analog form.
From the foregoing, it is obvious that high reduction microforms offer a very high storage
density or savings in space. This, however, is not the significant consideration in their
application. Far more important are the ease of file maintenance and the low cost of
information distribution in micropublishing systems. When one considers the precision
involved in the preparation of the high reduction master or the fact that the work must be
done in "clean room" conditions since a speck of dust could mask several pages, the fact that
the master may cost several hundred dollars becomes obvious. However, analagous to the
economics of printing, the power of the system is in the preparation of distribution copies. In
ultrafiche form, we can produce distribution copies of 3000 to 10,000 pages for about one
dollar in reproduction cost per copy.
Based on these economics, it is obvious that high reduction microfilm systems are
applicable today only for micropublishing where the cost of the master can be spread over
many distribution copies. As mentioned earlier, for micropublishing an equally important
factor is file maintenance. When collections of several hundred pages can be distributed to
many reference stations as a few dozen ultrafiche, the ease of file maintenance and operating
control can be an all important system consideration. There are other systems considerations
both pro and con for high reduction microforms. However, in the few minutes remaining we
might look to the future.
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What does the future hold? We seem to be limited only by our imagination or by our
ability to define our needs.
In the laboratory we have seen ultra-micro-photo-graphic reductions of 50,000 diameters.
This could mean one million five-hundred-page books on one post card.
Progressing in the other direction, there is pressure to produce the "book" microfiche. At
24 to 1, we can record documents up to 100 pages on microfiche. Increasing reduction one
order of magnitude to 250 to 1, we can record collections, up to 10,000 pages, on one
micro-microfiche. At reductions of 40 to 60 diameters, we could record 400 to 800 pages -- or
most books -- on one intermediate reduction microfiche. Such a development is easily within
application of present technology, commercialization has already been initiated for
micropublishing, and we can expect more developments in this area.
Holographic recording, using the energy of lasers, and other coherent energy sources, may'
never be used to produce high reductions. However, since it is possible to superimpose images
on holograms, high density recording and storage is envisioned.
As we use computers increasingly to process certain types of information, computer
output to microform for both improved reference to and distribution of the output increase in
importance. Here again, we may only be limited by our imagination and need. Experimentally,
high quality intermediate reductions have been produced and high reduction microfilm ouput
for computers is within reason.
As we learn more about our true requirements in information processing and transfer, as
we better understand our probelms, both systems design and the application of the available
technology and development of new technology will progress at accelerating rates. We expect
microphotographic technology to play an increasingly important role. Obviously, we must all
constantly be alert to new developments and devote studious attention to our true
requirements. In the spirit of this thought, it has been my pleasure to discuss High Reduction
Microfilm briefly with you today.
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