New, Unique, Features for S-T Imaging's ST200 Digital Microfilm Viewer-Scanner Will Assist Libraries with Inter-Library Loans.

CHICAGO -- New Microfiche and Opaque Card Attachment (MOCA) Expands ST200's Capabilities to Microfiche and Micro Cards, New 48x Zoom Lens Makes Even Smallest Type Easily Legible

S-T Imaging (www.stimaging.com) today introduced new features for the popular ST200 digital microfilm viewer-scanner that expand its capabilities to include microfiche and opaque cards (MOCA), as well as 16 and 35 mm roll film.

"The new MOCA attachment for the ST200 creates images that are compatible with Ariel, and all other inter-library loan software," said Tom Anderson, President of S-T Imaging. "The MOCA attachment greatly expands the utility of the ST200 for the library staff and its patrons. Now the library can scan microfiche magazine articles, or roll film newspaper articles, and immediately e-mail them to fulfill inter-library loan requests. As an added bonus the same Microfiche attachment also allows the view, scan, and capture of images from Redex and other opaque micro cards of any size or reduction. This is something that no other microfiche or roll microfilm system has ever offered. Because the new range of images might include higher reductions, all systems now come with a new 1X to 48X zoom lens capability.

"Unlike other microfilm/microfiche readers, the ST200 can be used under normal ambient lighting. This makes it very accessible for library patrons, who will find the new, extremely user-friendly ScanWrite 3.0 quickly and easily helps them scan and save to CD, disk or the increasingly popular USB thumb drives, either the whole image or just the portion they require. The ST200's size, ability to connect with any PC, and network connectivity makes it an easy choice to replace old microfilm/microfiche readers. The new 48x zoom lens, which improves zooming and doubles the range from 24x to 48x, ensures the easy legibility of even the smallest text."

The ST200, a low cost, demand-based digitizing scanner for roll microfilm, allows operators to research, scan, fax, e-mail, or print a microfilm or microfiche image for future reference. The ST200 was designed to keep the cost of the system low, while improving image quality and ease of use. This was accomplished by moving to an all digital solution for the viewing and the scanning tasks, eliminating the need for expensive projection lenses, mirrors, and even the glass platens found in traditional projection reader/printer/scanner systems. The ST200's design uses standard PC USB and monitor connections, and also eliminates expensive SCSI connections and proprietary video compression hardware so there is no need for a proprietary PC. Its compact size and light weight make it easy to unpack and assemble. Unlike other microfilm readers, the ST200 operates under normal, ambient lighting to provide high resolution, edge-to-edge quality images, handling both negative and positive film, microfiche and opaque card with the attachment, all with network connectivity.

The ST200's digital camera gives a direct video feed of the image to a monitor, with a fast refresh rate of 20 frames per second. A separate linear light system that tracks along the film adjacent to the scan head eliminates the central 'headlight' and dark edges that users can get from competitors' image projection-based scanning systems. The manual or motorized film transport enables researchers to quickly locate the film image (or frame) that they need. The ST200 series uses a CCD based linear scanner to capture the image directly from 16mm or 35mm standard microfilm onto a PC, interfaced via a standard USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The user friendly ScanWrite(TM) software simplifies the scanning and retrieval process for both today's computer generation and first-time users. Simple icons allow for editing; printing; storing on a CD; disk or USB thumb drive; faxing; or e-mailing selected images or selected parts of them.

These new Microfiche and Micro Card features make it possible to now offer three popular configurations to choose from. Select Microfiche and Micro Card only for $6,995, Roll Film only for $7,395, or a combination that does all media on a single platform, for $9,395. All systems include digital viewers, scanners, and ScanWrite 3.0 software to view, scan, print, store, fax and e-mail images. Because there are hundreds of ST200 units already in service at over 100 public and academic libraries, the Microfiche and Opaque Card Attachment (MOCA) is also available at a cost of $1,995.00, to retrofit onto existing ST200s. All ST200 offerings are produced at ICT, a subsidiary of Digital Check Corporation, in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and are available now.

S-T Imaging and ICT (Image Capture Technologies) are wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital Check Corporation (previously known as Microseal), located in Northfield, Illinois, USA. S-T Imaging is a leading distributor of microfilm readers, universal film carriers, digital microfilm viewers and scanners. For more information on S-T Imaging and its products, please contact: Wayne Rogozinski at S-T Imaging, Inc., via phone at 847-501-3344 or e-mail: [e-mail] or visit the website at www.stimaging.com.