The record for the longest document scan at nearly three-quarters of a mile has been set and certified, scanner manufacturer Bowe Bell & Howell on Friday said.

The Truper 3600, a low-volume production scanner, was used to scan a document measuring 3,875 feet. A Guinness World Records judge validated the feat, which took one hour, 17 minutes, and 22 seconds, and was conducted Feb. 25 in Orlando, Fla., at the HIMSS Conference, the health care IT industry's largest annual event.

In order to set the record, BBH had to perform an uninterrupted scan on a single page, storing the results in a continuous file. The original document had to be made out of paper. The document used was a custom-made fetal monitor strip.

Gareth Deaves, a judge for Guinness World Records, traveled from London to validate the record. "We are pleased to recognize Bowe Bell and Howell as new Guinness World Record holders for the longest scanned document at 3,875 feet," Deaves said in a statement. "We congratulate everyone involved in this record-breaking achievement."

For BBH, the achievement became a marketing tool for its scanner. "With this record, we've again proved that BBH offers perhaps the most reliable, hardest-working scanners available," said Mandy Lewis, senior product manager at BBH.

Key to setting the record was the Truper's long document handling feature, which enables health-care organizations to scan long medical records, which are common in the industry. Such documents include fetal monitoring strips and EKG printouts. An EKG, or electrocardiogram, is a graphic produced by an electrocardiograph, which records the electrical activity of the heart over time. The Truper has long and regular page modes.

BBH, headquartered in Wheeling, Ill., and incorporated in 1907, is a former manufacturer of motion picture cameras and projectors. The company provides document processing, microfilmers, scanners, and financial services.