DIN A3 Prints for Long-term Archiving 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 that is suitable for long-term archiving and, when stored dry and dark, offers archivability of more than 200 years without any perceptible colour change. The photos are then placed with unbuffered cotton interlayer papers in acid-free and light-proof 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 accurate colour reproduction in 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 rubbing and scratching
• The prints are supplied 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 in 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 measuring equipment 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 help of violet, UltraChrome HDX ink can produce a wide palette of vibrant colours as well as deep, rich black tones and dense shadow areas
• The new Photo Black ink has up to 1.5 times higher pigment concentration compared to previous inks, which results in deeper black tones. 
• 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 larger Dmax, the larger colour gamut and the reduced metamerism from the new Epson UltraChrome HDX pigments represent a major advance in visual brilliance for 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 could provide the same long-term qualities as our HDX inks. We deliberately chose 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 Digigraphie certified like our Epson printers
• The natural white paper with a grammage of 320 gr/qm consists of 100% cotton, is free of optical brighteners and is reminiscent of a warm-toned baryta paper. With the large colour gamut and high colour density, extraordinary colour and black/white nuances are achieved and a three-dimensionality is created.
• Wilhelm Imaging Research certifies the paper with the "old" Epson inks a colour stability with dark storage of over 200 years. 

 

Interlayer: Silk paper without alkaline buffer from cotton

• Between each photo sheet, a silk paper without alkaline buffer made of 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

• We supply the photo prints for an additional charge in a hahnemühle Photo Archive Box. The archive box is writeable 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 are ideal for storing prints.
• The archive boxes are age-resistant according to DIN 6738, ISO 9706 and ISO 16245

 

Why we chose these materials

When we started to deal with the topic of long-term archiving of photographs, we researched various websites and sought advice from different experts.
Wilhelm Imaging Research is certainly one of the most well-known sources, providing an impressive amount of information on the topic 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, their close ties to the printer and paper industries, which fund Wilhelm's studies, prompted us to seek out additional sources. For example, many sources reported that paper-ink combinations confirmed by Wilhelm Imaging as extremely durable developed cracks within 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 very late. For these reasons, we consulted further experts. 
An excellent advisor was Mark McCormick-Goodhart, chief and founder of Aardenburg Imaging and Archives – a company active in the field of assessing materials for the creation and conservation of images. Aardenburg Imaging is divided into four areas: photography, printing, research and archiving – the perfect match for our long-term archiving mission. 
Mark MacCormick-Goodhart contributed many insights and ideas to our project. His approach to measuring megalux hours as a measurement point for long-term stability and his idea of i-Metric for assessing quality losses due to colour change when viewing images are absolutely noteworthy. Based on his findings and the results of the  Aardenburg Light Fade Test Results Database and based on his assessment of our project regarding substrates, printers and ink, we decided on the hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl.
Regarding storage for archiving, we contacted Dr Philipp Stolper from the Materials & Environmental Protection Department of Fogra Research Society Printing e.V. based on their recommendations. I was in contact with 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, he wrote to us regarding this standard: "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?) and tear resistance according to Elmendorf (mechanical stability) are determined. This standard is mainly aimed at ensuring that the paper does not release acids or oxidise and thus cause additional damage to the ink. This standard does NOT address the relationship between paper and ink, nor does it look at the change in ink."
Our original thinking was to place the prints in polyethylene sleeves as recommended by Epson for archiving. But Dr Stolper had a clear recommendation: "With regard to the polyethylene sleeve, I don't know whether that might not even be counterproductive if moisture accumulates here and microbiology takes its toll." Admittedly, that was understandable, especially since McCormick-Goodhart echoed the same sentiment: "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." As a result, we dispensed with 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 excellent for retouching. But can we be sure that these images will still be displayable in many years? That they can still be viewed? That the colours will still look the same as they did at the time of capture? 
We are talking here about two classic problem areas:

1. Problem: Risk of total loss of storage media

• Hard drives can break down or produce read errors
• CDs and DVDs can corrode and scratch
• Flash memory and SSDs cannot be written indefinitely; failure of the electronics leads to total loss. 
• Due to their small size, these media can easily be forgotten or unintentionally discarded.
• Accidental dropping, water, etc. can lead to media failure.
• The cloud also offers no 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 store it multiple times?
• Colour microfilm would be a solution, but is hardly used anymore, and back-printing is labour-intensive and requires special reading equipment and printers.

2. Problem: Readability of data formats and colour spaces

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

Besides 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 instill 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