The National Archives of Hungary has bought a digitisation stand unique in the world

Thanks to this equipment, the best possible digital representation of large flat objects never published before, bedsheet-sized maps and sensitive surfaces becomes available to archivists, researchers and the general public. The new device, purchased with the support of the Public Collection Digitisation Strategy, can also be of help in digitising the objects of other collections.

Collections hold many objects and documents that until now could not be digitised because of their size or condition. The existing solutions, which work with a conventional object-moving mechanism and are available at a high price, do not meet the preservation requirements relating to size and the handling of sensitive surfaces, so the need arose to build a bespoke structure.

The equipment was designed and built by Tripont Foto Video Kft. on commission from the National Archives of Hungary, in continuous consultation with the archives’ staff. The stand thus became entirely unique: no other public collection in the world has a device with similar parameters.

On the special stand, objects, maps and mantles measuring nearly 3 metres on their shorter side can be digitised at high resolution and accuracy. Along one axis of the capture the camera moves on a motorised rail system, while the object table beneath it can be positioned manually on a roller track.

Lighting the capture area evenly and with adequate quality was a challenge, which the developers solved by building two rows of LED panels running along the full width of the stand. Depending on the camera and lens fitted, the equipment is suitable for producing image series from 300 ppi up to 1,200 ppi. Image series taken with adequate overlap can be used, with panorama technology, to produce complete images, so that both detailed documentation of archival quality and a version suitable for research and publication are achieved at the same time.

Tripont Foto Video Kft. is continuously developing its digitisation studio; besides digitisation services, our experts, through system sales and the design of solutions tailored to individual needs, believe in digitisation that holds its value. Feel free to contact us!