Recommended Reading

Available for purchase online from the Society of Imaging Science and Technology.

This conference of the Society of Imaging Science and Technology presents expert perspectives on topics such as storage, obsolescence, sustainable business models, and formats and standards. Techniques for producing, capturing, preserving, indexing, and accessing digital objects and images are explored in depth. Archiving is a blend of invited focal papers, keynote talks, and refereed oral and interactive display presentations.

Available for purchase online from the Society of Imaging Science and Technology.

The Institute of Physics conference is a discussion venue for the progress of research on inks, substrates and printing technologies intended for archival usage. This conference is intended primarily to inform the international cultural heritage community about developments in digital photography and printing technologies and their significance for conservation and preservation issues and techniques.

Available for purchase online from the Institute of Physics.

The Non-Impact Printing conference of the Society of Imaging Science and Technology is the premier technical conference presenting technical papers on the stability of all digital print processes. Each conference has had a special session dedicated to technical papers on image stability and permanence.

Available for purchase online from the Society of Imaging Science and Technology.

This standard details the chemical and physical requirements for products to be used as storage containers, exhibition framing packages, and photo albums for all imaging materials. The scope includes not only traditional photographic prints but also modern digitally printed materials including inkjet, direct dye thermal transfer ("dye-sub"), and electrophotographic.

Available for purchase online from the International Organization for Standardization.

This standard describes recommended storage practices including environmental conditions to maximize collection longevity. The scope includes not only traditional photographic prints but also modern digitally printed materials including inkjet, direct dye thermal transfer ("dye-sub"), and electrophotographic.

Available for purchase online from the International Organization for Standardization.

This invaluable resource demystifies the complex, rapidly changing, and sometimes confusing world of digital print technologies. It describes the major digital printing processes used by photographers and artists over the past forty years, explaining and illustrating materials and their deterioration, methods of identification, and options for acquiring and preserving digital prints. A removable poster provides a ready reference for identifying specific processes and materials.

Available for purchase online from The Getty.

A thorough discussion of the history of digital printing technologies. This volume provides context for all of the digitally printed materials created in the last half century. It also includes a glossary and bibliography.

Available for purchase online from the Society of Imaging Science and Technology.

This history of office copying with all its invention and variation – from typewriters to laser printers – is an invaluable reference manual. It is a comprehensive history of office technology throughout the twentieth century, with detailed descriptions of the copies produced. Companies that made the equipment and copy products, as well as trade names, copying methods, papers, dyes, and stencils are all covered in this richly illustrated book with more than 400 images. The volume also includes an extensive print identification section.

Available for purchase online from the National Archives of Australia.

This is the comprehensive guide to both the traditional and the new digital printing technologies. This book covers in detail all aspects of the printing process from typography to print finishing. An accompanying CD-Rom enables the reader to perform a full text search within the entire book, and guides through the comprehensive texts and pictures.

Available for purchase online from the Society of Imaging Science and Technology.

While the book is not new (it was originally published in 2001) it is new to our list of recommended reading. This catalog, from an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art titled Digital Printmaking Now, provides an excellent introduction to the issues surrounding the place of the digital print within collecting institutions. One of the prime questions raised again and again is whether these objects are consideredphotographs or prints. This leads to the obvious follow up questions of which curator should exhibit them and which conservator should treat them. While the book does not offer answers, and it does not attempt to do so, it clearly illustrates the problem through multiple examples of modern artworks that blur these boundaries.

This atlas is intended to help readers become aware of the various ways that inkjet prints can be harmed during water emergencies. Each page highlights a different form of water damage that an affect inkjet-printed photographs and fine art. Every water emergency will be different, so prior familiarization with all potential types of damage will help disaster responders understand what has occurred to an object as well as how best to react to and recover their materials during the actual event. Funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. (Access the online version to look inside the book!) 53 pages, softcover, 8” x 8”. Price: $25.

Available for purchase online from the Image Permanence Institute.

While intended as a resource for libraries, archives, and museums who are considering digitization as a viable option for preserving deteriorating traditional photograph collections, this booklet will be useful to the producer or collector of digitally printed materials for its discussion of important issues related to image quality.

This publication is the result of research conducted by the Image Permanence Institute and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. All cited internet resources and references have been updated for the second edition.

Available for purchase online from the Image Permanence Institute.

This bulletin reviews the technology of photocopiers and laser printers, and discusses the stability and preservation of copies. The conclusion is that black-and-white copies (i.e. those using carbon-based toner) on alkaline paper form very stable records, but color photocopies do not. The bulletin also includes a list of preservation concerns that will be useful to archivists responsible for the care of photocopied documents, and a number of current technical references that discuss the topic in more depth.

Available for purchase online from the Canadian Conservation Institute.

An Analysis of the Factors Influencing Paper Selection for Books of Reproduced Fine Art Printed on Digital Presses by Brian Gamm, Franziska Frey and Susan Farnand (2012)

The purpose of this study was to qualify the important factors contributing to the selection of paper used to create books of reproduced fine art printed on digital presses. Toner-based digital presses are now capable of matching offset lithographic presses in both image and print quality. Current trends show that there is an increased interest in printing fine art books on these modern presses. This project analyzed the paper properties that maximize perceived image quality and therefore influence paper selection. By extension, the papers rated as having the highest image quality and as being the most preferred would most likely be selected for use in books of reproduced fine art.

Available for download free from the Printing Industry Center at Rochester Institute of Technology.

This 48-page book with its accompanying wheel of environmental conditions provides an overview of the stability of traditional color photographic materials and explains how and why these images fade, why they need special storage, and what can be done to make them last as long as possible.

This publication (with wheel) is no longer in print. You can download the PDF version for free below (no wheel).

Available for download from the Image Permanence Institute.

This two-part publication was created for today's collection care professionals, who must provide long-term, preservation-quality storage for a growing diversity of collection materials—often in a single storage area. The IPI Media Storage Quick Reference (MSQR) distills key preservation issues for still and motion picture film, glass plate negatives, magnetic tape, photographic paper prints, inkjet prints, CDs, and DVDs and helps the user better understand how the storage environment affects them, both individually and in mixed collections. The booklet's text, diagrams, and tables present the information in an easily accessible format. Side 1 of the wheel offers a medium-by-medium overview of preservation issues, recommendations, and guidance on the suitability of four typical storage environments (ROOM, COOL, COLD, and FROZEN); Side 2 is a guide to the types and dates of use of plastic supports commonly used for various film and magnetic tape media.

Available for purchase online from the Image Permanence Institute.