Archival Issues with Paper
How long will your print last? This is a question that paper manufacturers asked the
leading paper archival specialist in the U.S., Wilhelm Imaging Research. You can
read more about paper permanence and download the Wilhelm book on perma-
nence free at http://www.wilhelm-research.com/. This lab in Iowa tests papers for longevity
using different lighting and torture tests.288 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
DEEP UNDERGROUND
Corbis Imagery, a stock photography startup founded by Bill Gates back in the early 1990s,
now owns millions of photographs from the nineteenth and twentieth century’s great mas-
ter photographers. These images are preserved inside a giant cave carved out of a moun-
tain in Pennsylvania. This underground warehouse is kept at a constant 28° Fahrenheit to
slow the aging process.Archival paper with a matte or semi-gloss finish is designed for pigment-based inks,
which are common on high-end photo printers. Images printed on these types of
printer are displayed behind non-glare archival glass for many decades or more
without any noticeable fading.What About Dye-Sublimation Printers?
Keep in mind the benefits of dye-sublimation printers. If you need to print dozens or
hundreds of prints at exactly the same size—4''×6'', for example—a dye-sublimation
printer might be for you. Visit your local camera store or copier house (for example,
Kinko’s), where you’ll be able to use their dye-sublimation printer. You can also pur-
chase your own dye-sublimation printer. When you buy ink for these printers, the
exact number of prints that can be produced is also included.Saving Your Images on CD-ROM
Photographs printed on paper, even archival paper, will not last forever. Printed
images are vulnerable: They can be lost to fire or theft, they can be damaged by
spills or tears, or they can simply fade. Storing your images electronically can pre-
vent these risks and allow you to keep your images for posterity. The best way to
store your images electronically is to save them on a CD-ROM.
Granted, with technology changing at the speed of light, CD-ROMs will be obsolete
before a protected inkjet print starts to fade, but at the very least you’ll have your
images in a format that can be moved digitally to the next storage medium.