A New Test for Photo Safety Has Been Published
ISO 18916 - Photographic Activity Test for Filing Enclosures
The stability of images is dependent upon three factors. Namely the inherent stability of the image itself, the quality of the storage conditions, as well as the characteristics of any storage product in contact with the image. Over a decade ago, IPI developed the Photographic Activity Test which predicts the long-term effects of these products. This test is for all enclosure materials including: paper, plastics, inks, adhesives and labels in close contact with photographic black-and-white and color images. It uses a very sensitive indicator which is artificially aged against the storage product in question. This test procedure has proven to be very effective and has been standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Recently this method was updated by ISO experts to include a wider variety of enclosure types and computer printed images such as inkjet prints made from dye based and pigment based inks, thermal dye diffusion ("dye sub") prints and electrophotographic (laser) prints. The updated version of the test has just been published as ISO 18916 Photographic Activity Test for Filing Enclosures and it can be obtained from ISO at www.iso.org or from your national standards body.
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Book Review by Daniel Burge
The Scrapbook in American Life - Susan Tucker, Katherine Ott, and Patricia Buckler
This book was clearly written for the scholar as opposed to the popular press. As such, I expect it will prove of little interest for the average scrapbook maker or photo-album compiler. The chapters address both the varieties of scrapbook creation intents as well as critical analyses of specific historical figures and eras. Personally, as an academic, I found the book interesting; my only fault was the occasional stretches of imagination required to swallow some of the conclusions a few authors drew from their ambiguous and silent source materials. Scrapbooks have been rejected or neglected as source materials for a variety of cultural studies. I am grateful for the efforts put forth by both the writers and the editors to address these objects of potential cultural importance. |
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Tips & Tricks
Going Green Fades Photos Faster
Many people are switching from incandescent to fluorescent light bulbs to save energy, but most don't know that fluorescent fades photos faster. If you're going to go green make sure you frame you photos behind glass. Glass cuts out much of the harmful UV energy from fluorescent bulbs and will help your picture remain pristine much longer.
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Term of the Month
Plasticizer - A chemical added to plastic films to increase their pliability. The most notable plasticized photo-storage material is flexible PVC, which has been shown to exude it's oily plasticizer onto the surface of enclosed images. ISO storage standards recommend against the use of PVC in photographic storage enclosures.
Visit the Archival Advisor Glossary
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Helpful Link of the Month
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This is a great site from i3a, the leading international imaging industry trade association.
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