We're all in a state of transition (and probably confusion) in the  
transfer from film (which is not immutable, it just takes longer) to  
digital. Floppies and 3.5" diskettes are now as available as buggy  
whips. CD's, DVD's, whatever are a transitory technology. Where it  
appears to be headed is massive servers with multiple backups that  
will have the images for online use. The advantage is that they are  
in effect originals.

States with very firm, as in set in cement, policies about prints for  
archives had an end-run of some CRM firms handing them B&W prints on  
photo paper from high-res inkjet printers using archival quality  
black inks and being accepted because they looked enough like the  
stipulated type. Those same states seem now to be going to mass  
storage of digital, thankfully.

The technology is there. The archival mindset needs to fully come to  
grips with it and work within that framework.

Lyle Browning


On Oct 1, 2007, at 2:59 PM, Carol Serr wrote:

>  But Meli's point is...her state wants (requires?) negatives...not
> (just) prints.  There are no negatives of digital images.
> We cant even trust that these digital images will preserve when stored
> on CDs...since those only have a limited life...or so I understand.
> But, NO need to rehash all that on this forum.  I think it was  
> throughly
> done last yr some time.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>> Behalf Of Richard W. Galloway
>> Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 11:25 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Metric Graph Paper - & other supplies
>>
>> Another option is to convert a copy of your digital photograph
>> to B&W and print that on photo paper. The state will never
>> know the difference and there is no need to find a lab that
>> still does B&W processing.
>>
>> Richard W. Galloway
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Meli Diamanti" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 9:48 AM
>> Subject: Re: Metric Graph Paper - & other supplies
>>
>>
>>> Another item:  I may have to end up looking for photographic
>> paper for
>>> black/white photo printing soon.  The local camera shop says
>> they can't
>>> get it any more.  And our state seems to balk at the transition to
>>> digital.  So I take digital images to use, and black/white
>> for the record.
>>> I may just have the black/white film developed and not
>> bother trying to
>>> print them any more.  That way, the state can still archive
>> the negatives.
>>> Meli Diamanti
>>