Abstract: A high speed aperture card printer and method include a rotatable glass cylinder temporarily to transport aperture cards fed one directly after the other onto the cylinder. The aperture cards are tightly held against the cylinder by parallel endless belts positioned on either side of the microfilm carried by the aperture card so as to leave one surface of the microfilm uncovered. The printer includes an optics system passing light radially outwardly through the rotating glass cylinder and the microfilm transported thereby optically to scan images on the microfilm for printing copies thereof on plain paper.

Abstract: A broad magnification ratio range, microform to paper printing system includes a fixed focal length objective lens, a selectively adjustable short zoom mirror assembly, a selectively adjustable long zoom mirror assembly and optical switching means selectively to exclude or include the long zoom mirror assembly to provide the optical path length needed for the magnification ratio selected. The printing system may include an aperture shutter assembly positioned immediately adjacent the image slit of the optical system, the aperture shutter assembly having two blades operative to set the aperture width therebetween to control drum exposure and also operative selectively to close the aperture therebetween to block drum exposure.

Abstract: A roll microfilm printer and method includes preview optics sequentially to scan microfilm images for temporarily recording at least edge location and background density data and printing optics sequentially to print the microfilm images onto plain paper with masking and exposure control based upon the prerecorded data from the preview optics. The preview optics include a sensor board having an array of photo diode sensors to receive a light beam that sequentially passes through microfilm images contained on the moving microfilm strip, the optically sensed data from the images is electronically converted and temporarily recorded for use in subsequently controlling the printing optics. The printing optics includes a high speed mask assembly positioned adjacent the moving microfilm strip, the mask assembly having two high speed stepper motors controlled in accordance with the prerecorded data to drive edge masks toward or away from one another to mask unused image areas.

Abstract: A microfiche printing system and method includes an optical system operative to scan and temporarily record microfiche image edge data on a high speed row scanning stroke of a microfiche sheet and to print the row of microfiche images onto plain paper on a printing stroke of the microfiche sheet using the temporarily recorded data automatically to control microfiche image masking. The optics system includes a shutter/mirror assembly having a shutter movable between an open position for printing microfiche images aligned with the optics in the printing stroke and a closed position to block the light path of the optics system edge masking functions in the printing stroke and for diverting the image for edge sensing functions in the scanning stroke.