A Word About Digital Photography

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We know digital storage is a trend that seems to make things easier, but consider this: Digital storage does not guarantee lasting images. Why? Because technology changes at breakneck speeds and equipment fails. Nobody knows the future of storage. Think about the 8-track tape, 3-1/2" floppies and the cassette tape � which, if you hadn�t noticed, are currently struggling to survive in a market full of CDs and DVDs. If you can even find them, they're probably gathering dust in storage because you no longer have the equipment or the software necessary to use them. The point is, technology is constantly changing and just because something is standard now, doesn�t mean it will be in the future.
If you need further convincing on this, here�s a cautionary tale: Right before the dot-com bubble burst, scores of people were uploading photos to digital storage companies. After a huge number of these companies declared bankruptcy, hundreds of thousands of people simply lost all their photos. For example, 1.5 million people lost images they were storing at PhotoPoint.com when the website shut down in December 2001 without notifying its customers.
This is why we highly recommend that you make prints from negatives or digital media. According to the Photo Marketing Association (PMA), only about 35% of digital photos taken in 2005 were printed. To repeat, get prints made from your digital media before they are lost.
What To Look For In A Home Printer
An archival quality printer uses pigments instead of dyes. Air pollutants and humidity can cause dyes in many inkjet systems to deteriorate and fade or change in color. However, prints made on inkjet printers using pigment inks are believed to last as long, if not longer, than dye-based color prints from a photo lab. Some of the newer printers are using pigments that make prints rated to 200+ years. According to a recent article in Photo Marketing Magazine, it�s crucial to use companies� inks and papers together regardless of whether the ink is dye- or pigment-based. �It's all in the chemistry� they say. �Each company has its own proprietary ink and paper formulations, and these are designed to complement each other.�
Because technology is constantly changing, refer to Henry Wilhelm�s site at www.wilhelm-research.com. Wilhelm, who is one of the world�s foremost experts on the light fading stability of digital and photographic color images, tests and rates printers in reference to performance and permanence. The site, which is a compendium of information relative to photo permanence, is like Consumer Reports for archival photo enthusiasts.

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