Connecticut State Library with state seal

Appendix C

Listed below are five groups, or kinds, of documents along with the density ranges at which the documents can be microfilmed successfully.

Classification Description of document Background Density
Group 1 High-quality high-contrast printed books, periodicals, and black typing. 1.3-1.5
Group 2 Fine-line originals, black opaque pencil writing and documents with small, high-contrast print. 1.15-1.4
Group 3 Pencil and ink drawings, faded printing and very small printing, such as footnotes at the bottom of a printed page. 1.0-1.2
Group 4 Low-contrast manuscripts and drawings, graph paper with pale, fine-colored lines; letters typed with a worn ribbon; and poorly printed, faint documents. 0.8-1.0
Group 5 Poor-contrast documents. 0.7-0.85

Reference: ANSI/AIIM MS 23-1991, section 5.1.4, page 26.
Managing Micrographic Records, page 16.

Prepared by the Office of the Public Records Administrator, Connecticut State Library.