Dry process production and annotation of archival microform records from

Abstract

Light reflected from hard copy is reduced to microimage size and applied at an imaging and developing station to a dry-process mask film strip which is photosensitive to the reflected light and which is developed by heat to provide microimaged transparencies therein. Such microimaged transparencies in the mask film strip are transferred in an image transferring station to a dry-process microform film to provide imaged microform records therein which conform to the transparent microimages in the mask film strip and which have archival properties. The imaging and developing station includes a platform for receiving the hard copy and a projection means for applying the reduced microimage of the hard copy to the mask film strip. Projection means are provided for expanding and projecting an image of said desired imaged microform record in the microform film in expanded normal size onto the platform for viewing the same. Additional hard copy may be received on the platform in specific relation to the expanded normal size image projected onto the platform for annotation purposes, and the light image reflected from the additional hard copy may be reduced to microimage size and applied to the mask film strip for producing a microimaged transparency of the additional hard copy therein and for providing an imaged microform record of the additional hard copy in the desired imaged microform record of the microform film previously projected onto the platform for annotating the same with the additional hard copy. The photosensitive mask film strip is preferably carried in a movable cassette.