Storing photographs

Simon Barcham Green <simongreen [at] aol__com> writes

>.. I will be storing prints as well as CDs. My local
>photographic print shop claims that as he uses a photographic
>printer rather than an inkjet printer, the prints will last for
>decades. ...
>
>Subject to proper storage is this claim likely to be true? If not is
>there a UK company to whom I could send CDs and get reasonably
>permanent images back from? ...

Why not just shoot negatives and scan them to archival CD's?
Otherwise, have B&W film made from your digital files. We know that
silver halide film lasts and how to properly store it.

Anyway, in direct answer to your question, correctly processed color
photo paper like Fuji Crystal Archive has been shown to hold up very
well in accelerated aging tests, and estimates of at least 40 years
on display before a 30% fade are to be expected. Kept in the dark,
one would expect a great deal longer. Kodak claims 100 to 200 years
for their color paper in their tests, but Fuji says that under the
same test conditions, they would fare as well or better. In either
case, make sure that the lab is quality oriented and equipped to
assure proper processing. Many of these places don't even own a
densitometer or run control strips.

John Castronovo
Tech photo and imaging


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:27
               Distributed: Wednesday, November 23, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-19-27-004
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