Self-Sustainable FADGI 3-Star Image Quality Using InoTec Software for Document Scanners
New InoTec software offers uncomplicated self-calibration of SCAMAX® production document scanners to various imaging standards.
Ergolding near Landshut, Germany and Frederick, Md. InoTec, the production scanner brand of the German market leader DATAWIN GmbH, has developed the InoICC software tool which can be used to calibrate InoTec’s SCAMAX® document scanners to the world’s most rigorous digitization standards, including the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI). The InoICC software is free of charge, takes little time to operate and – once established – can be used without technical assistance (a rare advantage when dealing with complex standards). The software is included with the purchase of any InoTec SCAMAX® production scanner, available in North America from The Crowley Company (Crowley).
About FADGI and ISO 19264-1: Quality Standards for Digitization Projects
FADGI guidelines provide parameters for digitizing projects in a way that accurately and measurably captures the original material. The guidelines describe how quality standards in digitization projects can be guaranteed in a traceable and sustainable manner both regarding the technology used and the entire digital creation process. This is important when capturing cultural assets and are used by many U.S. federal institutions and have gained traction in international cultural institutions as well. The highest FADGI standard is FADGI 4-star.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has also defined quality criteria for archiving technical documents, cultural assets and many other documents in ISO 19264-1. The standard is primarily used in Europe and ensures standardized high quality regarding the color, resolution and geometry of a digital copy. The highest ISO 19264-1 standard is Level A.
Meeting digitization standards is mandatory for many scanning operations, especially for those capturing cultural heritage assets, technical documents or works of art. InoTec SCAMAX® production scanners are among the few desktop document scanners that achieve FADGI 3-star image quality and ISO 19264-1, Level B image quality levels.
InoICC Calibration Tool
The Crowley Company has been working with archives, museums and other cultural heritage entities in the United States and Canada to achieve FADGI-rated images, many of which using the InoTec SCAMAX® scanners. In conjunction with initial installation, FADGI foundational services and training from Crowley’s InoTec-trained support professionals, the InoICC software makes day-to-day calibration a simple and fast process. Intended to liberate FADGI scanning institutions from constant technical assistance, the InoICC software offers scanner users self-sufficiency when calibrating their hardware.
Beyond the software and scanner, the process only requires a test chart to achieve the desired quality standard on the InoTec SCAMAX® high-speed document scanners. The recurring calibration process takes only a few minutes and can be performed by all scanner users with any level of experience. The calibration can be used in the scanning process without any further measures (independent of the software and at full scanning speed).
“We are proud to offer SCAMAX® users a real competitive advantage with InoICC,” remarks Benjamin Meyer, head of development for DATAWIN GmbH. “At no cost, in fact.”
“InoICC enables [users] to scan in accordance with the most important international digitization guidelines and thus recommend themselves for particularly prestigious scanning projects. Especially scanning service providers and archive digitization centers benefit from such proven image quality. But also all other users who want to scan qualitatively and as close as possible to the original. For example, to make subsequent processes particularly reliable and efficient.”
“Crowley is proud of our continued connection to the world of high quality, preservation scanning, especially in partnership with InoTec,” remarks Matt McCabe, vice-president of Crowley sales and marketing. “Crowley’s Image Quality Specialist, Corin Van de Griek, was recognized by InoTec for his assistance in helping the manufacturer achieve FADGI-level capture on their scanners in 2021. We’re thrilled to continue this legacy of success by offering the InoICC tool to users and support those seeking FADGI quality with our expert technical team.”
Analysis Tools Prove Image Quality According to FADGI 3-Star Image Quality and ISO 19264-1, Level B
Whether – and to what extent – a scanner achieves targeted image quality can be tested and proven by means of analysis software. The SCAMAX® scanners calibrated using InoICC meet the targeted digitization qualities in analysis with GoldenThread Analysis Software and iQ-Analyzer at a rate of 100 percent. Such accuracy not only guarantees users better scanning results but is already mandatory for many scanning scenarios.
FADGI 3-Star Mandatory in the USA From Summer 2024 and Gaining Ground in Europe
Prestigious U.S. records institutions such as National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of Congress and other government entities will soon require all records submitted to their offices be captured in accordance with FAGDI 3-star standards. This mandate was originally set to kick off at the beginning of 2023 but has been pushed back to begin in the summer of 2024 to give various stakeholders the time to meet the technical requirements associated with FADGI 3-star image quality.
In Europe, the digitization of written heritage has experienced a strong push towards standardization in recent years especially in the archival environment and with technical guidelines aiming at increasing legal certainty in the field of “replacement scanning.”
Watch the Video and Demo InoTec Scanners at #InfoCon2023
Watch how the InoICC software works in this video from InoTec and join The Crowley Company (Booth 512) at the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) InfoCon 2023 Conference in Detroit, MI on October 9-11, 2023.
Crowley will be demonstrating the InoTec SCAMAX® scanners as well as the acclaimed Mekel Technology production microform scanners and Zeutschel Overhead Scanning Systems. Join us in the expo hall to experience these scanners in-person and chat about digitization services.
For more information on InoTec scanners, InoICC software and other FADGI-capable scanners and capture services, visit www.thecrowleycompany.com or call (240) 215-0224 to speak with Crowley’s team of digitization specialists.
https://youtu.be/5282mB-VAa4?si=0UERZVFGuv1ftAR8
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About The Crowley Company
The Crowley Company is a world leader in digital scanning technologies manufacture and resale and provides an extensive number of digital document and film conversion services to the library, academic, publishing, commercial, government and archive sectors.
About InoTec
The InoTec brand, based in Wölfersheim, Hesse, optimizes the business processes of its customers worldwide with highly reliable production scanners and excellent service. Its SCAMAX® family of production scanners helps governments, government agencies and companies in all industries to scan large volumes of documents productively and securely.