About Microforms
Microform is a generic term for microfilm, microfiche and microprint. MICROFILM is 35 or 16 millimeter film on reels. MICROFICHE are 4 by 6 inch transparent cards. MICROPRINT are opaque cards.
All the Canon reader/printers can make copies from either microfilm or microfiche, and can accommodate either 35 mm or 16 mm film. If you have reading to do before printing, use a reader first and then move to a reader/printer when you know what you want to copy. If you have been using a reader/printer continuously for 1/2 hour, and no other reader/printer is available for a patron who is waiting, staff may ask you to give up the machine to that patron. Reader/printers produce copies for 20 cents each on copycat cards (available from CopyCat Service on 2nd floor) or Tiger Club card or 20 cents in coins. The coin boxes and card readers on these machines cannot pass money from coin box to card.
Copies may be made from positive or negative microfilm or microfiche, and
different size lenses are available to produce a variety of print sizes. Threading
diagrams posted on or near the machines explain how to mount microforms properly.
Do not attempt to service the machines or unsnarl film tangles, go to the
1st Floor Service Desk for assistance.
To use the CANON MS 400 reader/printers: Power switch is at bottom left.
For microfilm (reels), load on the left spindle, with film feeding from the
top of the reel, and pass the film under the black roller and between the
glass plates, left to right. Press the blue feed lever toward the left. Film
should feed onto the takeup reel on the right automatically. Ragged film ends
or curled film may present problems. See the person on duty for help. The
advance/rewind control is a wheel on the right. To move from one edge of the
film to the other, push or pull the film carrier forward or back on its track.
Controls on the lens are: top, Rotation; middle, Zoom; bottom, Focus. The
image on screen that will print is between the four corners marked LTR (vertical).
Print button is green, at upper right of control area. Laser printers are
set for 400 dpi.
For microfiche (flat 4x6 transparencies), push the film carrier all the way
to the back, then slide the fiche carrier from left to center. Pull forward,
raising the top glass. Put fiche on lower glass face down, then push carrier
under lens. Adjust magnification (middle ring on lens) to fit the four corners
of the image to the four corners marked (at bottom right) "LTR".
In most cases the pages run from top left to bottom right, in rows. Each page
has to be positioned and copied manually, one at a time.
To use the MINOLTA microfiche reader/printer: Power switch is on the right side, around the corner from the screen. There are two control rings in the lens; the upper one is zoom, the lower one is focus. To rotate images there is a control on the screen panel at bottom right. The four markers on the screen are approximately the corners of the paper. Use similarly to the Canon fiche reader above.
To use the SUPERCARREL microfilm readers: Power switch is at bottom left.
Raise the upper glass. Load reel onto left spindle (firmly, all the way back)
with film feeding from bottom of the reel, across the rollers and the lower
glass, onto the bottom of the take-up reel. Lower the upper glass into position
over the film and begin cranking the handle on the outside lower right of
the carrel. Forward over the top is forward, backward over the top is reverse.
The two lens ring controls are Focus and Zoom. To rotate the image, swing
the carrier out from its recessed position underneath the carrel.
To use the READEX Microprint/Microcard reader: Power switch is on side of
machine toward back panel. Pull x-y tray toward you until upper glass flips
up, then place card in tray right side up, facing away from you. Focus knob
on side of machine toward front. To print hit print button on control box
beside machine.
To use microfiche readers, find power switch (various models, each is different).
Pull x-y tray toward you until upper glass flips up, then place fiche facing
up and facing away from you on the lower glass (exception is Krauss Curriculum
Collection; place "face down").