DIN A3 Prints for Long-term Archival of Photographs

Data format: DIN A3 (420x297mm) or smaller, 600dpi max., RGB, CMYK or LAB, with job ticket. Delivered final format: approx. 430x315mm

For your valuable images and documents, we offer an analogue archival solution as a printed photo, which is suitable for long-term archiving and offers archivability of more than 200 years with dry and dark storage without any noticeable colour change occurring. The photos are then placed with unbuffered cotton interlayer papers in acid-free and light-tight cardboard photo boxes to provide optimal long-term storage conditions.
 

Our long-term archivable photo prints are characterised by the following features:

• We print your photo at the highest possible resolution directly from your RGB colour space. You do not need to convert your images into special ICC profiles.
• We print on the printing system with the most precise colour reproduction of the entire printer market
• We print with the latest and most long-term stable Epson HDX colour pigments
• We print on hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl made from cotton, which offers enormous storage capacity
• On each print, a status line below the image shows the filename, ICC profiles used, print date, rendering intent, printer, substrate, pigment inks and much more
• The prints are equipped with 18gr/qm unbuffered cotton interlayer layers to prevent scuffing and scratching
• The prints are delivered on request in special archive boxes that are optimal for long-term archiving
• Print papers, interlayer papers and archive boxes are certified and designed for long-term archiving.

 

Detailed information on the materials used and their suitability for long-term archiving

Photo printer: EPSON SureColor 9000V Spectro

• The SureColor SC-P9000V is the printer with the most accurate colour reproduction of the entire printer market¹
• Epson TFP PrecisionCore print head and pigment inks with orange, green and violet as additional colours
• We print at the highest possible resolution of the printer
• We print directly from your RGB colour space to reproduce as much of your photographed colour gamut as possible
• Printer and measurement technology were delivered on 23.12.2015 and put into operation in early 2016

 

Pigment ink: EPSON HDX colours

• We print with 11 different pigment inks

• With the aid of violet, UltraChrome HDX ink can produce a large palette of vibrant colours as well as deep, rich blacks and dense shadow areas
• The new Photo Black ink has up to 1.5 times higher pigment concentration compared to previous inks, which provides deeper blacks. 
• UltraChrome HDX inks developed for long durability. Particularly in the yellow range, the weaknesses of the earlier HDR inks have been eliminated. Mark McCormick-Goodhart, Director of Aardenburg Imaging and Archives, writes: "Yellow has been by far the weakest link [for the long-term stability of pigments]. The new HDX ink set remedies this weakness[...].
• Henry Wilhelm of Wilhelm Imaging Research writes about the new HDX inks: "The data measured so far shows that - depending on the paper used - the new inks offer long-term stability of up to 200 years for colour prints, and probably over 400 years for black and white prints. [...] The greater Dmax, the greater colour space and the reduced metamerism through the new Epson UltraChrome HDX pigments represent a major advance in visual brilliance of both colour and black and white images. [...] The generally better performance of the prints is a significant contribution to photography."

 

Substrate: hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl

• We searched for a long time for a paper that would be capable of providing the same long-term qualities as our HDX inks. We deliberately used a non-resin-coated paper. It is also important that our hahnemühle paper contains no optical brighteners, which are critical for long-term stability for various reasons.
• We also chose the paper because the certification experts have extensive experience with it. 
• The paper is certified for digiraphy like our Epson printers
• The natural white paper with a weight of 320 gr/qm is made from 100% cotton, is free from optical brighteners and is reminiscent of a warm-toned baryta paper. With the large colour space and high colour density, extraordinary colour and black/white nuances are achieved and a three-dimensionality is attained.
• Wilhelm Imaging Research certifies the paper with the "old" Epson inks with a colour stability in dark storage of over 200 years. 

 

Interlayer: Silk paper without alkaline buffer made from cotton

• Between each photo sheet, a silk paper without alkaline buffer made from 100% cotton with a weight of 17-18 gr/qm is inserted to minimise mechanical friction
• The silk paper is smooth on one side with a pH of 7.0 - acid-free and without optical brighteners.
• The paper has passed the Photographic Activity Test (PAT) according to ISO 18916.

 

The archive box

• For an additional charge, we deliver the photo prints in a hahnemühle Photo Archive Box. The archive box is writable and can be stored optimally. Approximately 50 images with interlayer papers can be stored per archive box.
• The archive boxes are guaranteed acid-free and ideal for storing prints.
• The archive boxes are resistant to ageing in accordance with DIN 6738, ISO 9706 and ISO 16245

 

Why we chose these materials

When we began to look into the subject of long-term archiving of photographs, we researched various websites and sought advice from various experts.
Wilhelm Imaging Research is certainly one of the best-known sources, providing an impressive amount of information on the subject of long-term durability of specific printer/ink/paper combinations. Wilhelm Imaging Research certainly pioneered this field and was an important source for us. However, the proximity to the printer and paper industries that fund Wilhelm's studies led us to seek additional sources. For example, many sources stated that paper-ink combinations confirmed by Wilhelm Imaging as extremely durable developed cracks after just a few years. Also, the consideration of climate influences such as ozone on the prints was probably only taken into account by Wilhelm Imaging much later. For these reasons, we consulted further experts. 
An excellent advisor was Mark McCormick-Goodhart, head and founder of Aardenburg Imaging and Archives - a company that works in the field of evaluating materials for the creation and preservation of images. Aardenburg Imaging is divided into four areas: photography, printing, research and archiving – the perfect match for our long-term archiving mission. 
Mark McCormick-Goodhart contributed many insights and ideas to our project. His approach to examining megalux hours as a measurement point for long-term stability and his idea of i-Metric for assessing quality loss through colour change when viewing images are absolutely noteworthy. Based on his insights and the results of the  Aardenburg Light Fade Test Results Database and his assessment of our project regarding substrates, printers and ink, we decided on hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl.
Regarding storage for archiving, we contacted Dr. Philipp Stolper from the Material & Environmental Protection Department of Fogra Research Association for Print e.V. on the basis of the recommendations. I contacted him, among other things, regarding the suitability of hahnemühle/Tecco/Sihl papers, which are partly certified by Fogra according to ISO 9706 ("Information and documentation - Paper for documents - Requirements for permanence"). However, regarding this standard, he wrote to us: "In this test, Kappa number (indicator of lignin content), alkaline reserve (measure of substances that can neutralise acids produced during ageing), pH value in aqueous solution (is the paper generally acidic?) as well as tear strength according to Elmendorf (mechanical stability) are determined. This standard is primarily aimed at ensuring that the paper does not release acids or oxidise and thus cause additional damage to the printing ink. This standard does NOT address the relationship between paper and printing ink, nor does it look at changes in printing ink."
Our original idea was to put the prints in polyethylene sleeves, as recommended by Epson for archiving. However, Dr. Stolper had a clear recommendation: "Regarding the polyethylene sleeve, I don't know if that might not even be counterproductive if moisture accumulates here and microbiology also plays a role." Admittedly, that was understandable, especially since McCormick-Goodhart agreed: "A high quality PE wrapper won't necessarily harm anything, but probably is unnecessary unless you expect high levels of physical print handling on a routine basis." We subsequently eliminated the polyethylene sleeve.

 

Why is long-term archiving of photographs important?

Today, almost all photographs are taken digitally. Digital images are inexpensive, high-resolution, good in colour and excellently retouchable. But can we be sure that these images will still be displayable in many years? That they can still be viewed? That the colours still look the same as they did at the time of capture? 
We are talking about two classic problem areas here:

1. Issue: Risk of total loss of storage media

• Hard drives can fail or produce read errors
• CDs and DVDs can corrode and scratch
• Flash memory and SSDs cannot be written indefinitely; a failure of the electronics leads to total loss. 
• Due to their small size, these media can be easily forgotten or accidentally disposed of.
• Accidental dropping, water etc. can cause media failure.
• The cloud is also not a secure solution: What if the provider becomes insolvent? Who guarantees the data? Will Strato and Amazon still exist in 50 years?
• Can you manage to permanently migrate your data to new storage media and save it multiple times?
• Colour microfilm would be a solution, but it is hardly used anymore, and back-printing is labour-intensive and requires special readers and printers.

2. Issue: Readability of data formats and colour spaces

• Can data formats such as JPG, TIF and PSD still be read in decades?
• Can colour spaces such as ECI-RGB V2 or AdobeRGB still be interpreted, can the original colour still be viewed?
• Can you manage the permanent effort of migrating to new data formats?

In addition to long-term archiving as a print, there are currently hardly any alternatives. "A physical print is the only viable way at this point in time to ensure that future audiences will see the aesthetics of the image the way the photographer wanted them portrayed. The print is where the photographer is able to instil and ensure his or her own aesthetic values in their image craft. At this time, enduring, nothing less than a print, a tactile, physical object, very often hand signed by the artist, achieves this goal." Mark McCormick-Goodhart