Document Manager: E-ImageData has been in the micrographics industry for over 30 years. Tell us how you've come to be seen as the world's leading manufacturer of microfilm scanner equipment, and why customers choose ScanPro?

James Westoby: Being successful in the micrographics industry is dependent upon meeting two important goals: care about your customers' needs and meeting those needs with high-quality products. From the beginning, our personnel at e-ImageData have taken exceptional care both to assess our customers' current needs and to forecast their future needs. We value all the product feedback we can acquire. Although microfilm usage has a long and reliable history, the speed of today's computer technology advancements requires constant forethought and evolution of our product technology to address our customers' ever-changing needs and expectations.

The innovative technologies that e-ImageData has developed have allowed us to produce a product that meets and exceeds our customers' body of needs while totally exceeding their expectations. Customer feedback such as "The ScanPro makes working with microfilm fun" is not uncommon, is very satisfying and, reflects our mission to provide the best possible user experience.

Broadly speaking, our customers are looking for a piece of high-quality "bridge equipment" that will allow them to access the vast amount of information preserved on microfilm and to do it using today's computer technologies. And, of course, ease-of-use is expected. E-ImageData has addressed these needs with product features on small, desktop models that are compatible in size and weight with sturdy and well-designed construction. In addition, we provide continued performance improvement for ease-of-use and high-resolution capture of all film types as well as continuous integration of software for application support, and we do it all at a fair price.

To answer our customers' need for thrift and speed the ScanPro offers automatic scanning and upgradability. Automatic scanning greatly enhances the ease-of-use experience. It enables a "set it and forget it" mode, freeing up staff to perform other tasks while the ScanPro quickly does the work. This is particularly valuable for large conversion projects. Additionally, the ScanPro is designed to allow future software upgrades to be added as they become available. This feature keeps pace with technological advancements while keeping customers' initial costs low. Our customers benefit from buying the ScanPro very economically and adding additional capabilities over time.

DM: About three years ago you released the ScanPro All-In-One scanner that not only has automatic scanning capability but also offers a unique software 'membership package'. What was the thinking behind this development?

JW: The ScanPro All-In-One scanner is our product that is capable of high-speed automatic scanning. It can be purchased as an All-In-One unit as an initial purchase, or customers can convert their ScanPro 2200 or ScanPro 3000 models to an All-In-One by purchasing the enabling hardware and software.

With the purchase of the All-In-One, customers have the option to gain a suite of additional features combined with a longer warranty life. Our standard warranty, included at no cost with our other models, covers the unit and its accessories for three years. Through our ScanPro Advantage Membership, customers can choose to extend the warranty for up to five years while benefitting from the additional functions.

Feedback from our customers inspired this approach. With our customers' volume of large conversion projects rapidly growing, the need for a low-cost, high-speed automatic scanner became more immediate. At the same time, customers were indicating their desire to have access to an extended warranty program where they achieved an immediate benefit - the suite of additional features - while ensuring the product life of their purchase.

DM: As technology keeps evolving, what is e-ImageData doing to stay ahead of the curve in this digital age?

JW: We innovate. We are continually developing new technology which keeps pace with other digital developments. This allows e-ImageData to present our customers with a high-quality and familiar feeling piece of equipment that exceeds today's standards for functionality, reliability, economy, and ease of use.

More info: www.e-imagedata.com