The question in the title of this article would be much easier to answer if you took the word "digital" out of it. Color photographic printing has been relatively unchanged since its debut, and you can expect those prints to last up to 100 years if stored properly. [And by properly, I mean away from light in a consistently cool environment without extreme highs or lows in humidity levels.]
But anyone who hasn't been living in a cave the last five years knows that digital photography is rapidly taking over traditional film processes. It's time to ask some tough questions about what that means for the lifespan of your treasured family photographs.
Manufacturer's claims. You're shopping in your favorite office supply superstore and pick up a box of glossy paper for your ink jet printer. The box says it will last 104 years. But how accurate is that claim?
Independent, third party testing. Thank goodness for Henry Wilhelm. His company, Wilhelm Imaging Research, conducts research on the stability and preservation of traditional and digital color photographs and motion pictures.
Brand matters. I'm not a "brand loyalty at any cost" kinda gal, but in this situation brand really does matter. Manufacturer X designed their paper and inks to work together, and it's in your best interest to use them the way they were designed. Wilhelm's testing has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that cheap inks fade more rapidly. So while it's OK to use them for short-term documents, but it's the wrong choice for photographs you'd like future generations to enjoy.
Inkjet vs. traditional prints. "When properly stored, dyebased inkjet and dye diffusion thermal transfer prints have stability comparable to that of traditional photographic prints." But ink jet prints are more vulnerable to certain kinds of damage:
Water damage. According to tests, traditional photographic prints are fairly stable in water. Some types of digital prints are completely destroyed when they become wet, while some are more water-resistant. Dye-based ink jet images, for example, showed serious damage after even a brief immersion in water.
Pollution. Airborne elements such as ozone can cause some colors to fade very rapidly. Some ink jet prints had this color shift problem less than a month after printing. Photos encased in frames are less susceptible to damage from pollution. Use use glass or inert plastic that is specially manufactured to block damaging UV rays.
Personally, I've decided to skip the ink-jet altogether. I had some not-so-great experiences with printing my own photos (and cutting them out - ick) before I started researching ink jet longevity. Now, I upload digital photos to my trusted local photo processor. The web interface is quick and painless, the prices are reasonable, and I pick up my prints on my way home from work.
One final word of advice: Stay away from quickie one hour shops because that rapid turnaround time doesn't always allow for proper rinsing. Residual chemicals (no surprise) will cause prints and film to degrade more quickly. I also noticed once that a popular online printer (they like to flood my in box with free print offers) charged extra for trusted paper brands like Kodak. Hmmm... Something to think about.
Still have questions? Send email queries to Ask the Archivist: ask@jacobsarchival.com
About the Author: Sally Jacobs has a Master's Degree in Library Science
with a Specialization in Archives Management from the University of Wisconsin-
Madison. She has worked on collections at the Library of Congress, the Wisconsin
Historical Society, the Chicago Chapter of the American Red Cross, and many family
collections just like yours. She teaches non-archivists how to organize,
preserve and share their treasured memories.
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