The Compact digimage system is a complete and compact gel documentation system with a digital control panel. It contains a digital camera with a superb resolution of 10.0 megapixels. The system is equipped with a built-in UV transilluminator and a large 8” TFT colorful screen for gel observation. Its side access design provides a safe and convenient way for the user to recover agarose gel bands. For limited space, low budget requirements, the Compact digimage system can be operated without a computer. A variety of images can captured including: agarose and other fluorescent gels, colorimetric gels, autoradiography film, and blotting membrane. A safety switch is equipped to turn off the UV transilluminator automatically when the front door is opened. Files can be saved in a variety of formats, including RAW format, for transfer to a computer for storage and analysis. The Digimage system can also directly connect to a thermal printer for printing the result immediately.