Originally Posted by
kthompson
Scott, the Printfile sleeves are generally not recommended for long term storage, because of slip agents in the sleeve (makes it easier to slide the negs in), and the fact that you can scratch the negs this way as well. Just because they're not stinky like PVC, and say "archival" on them, doesn't mean they're good for the long term. I think maybe less than 10 yrs. would be a good estimate, but it would depend on your storage conditions. What can happen is the sleeve can stick to the neg. and transfer this pattern to it. They call it "ferrotyping". I've seen it happen to negs in a decent storage environment, and because of this, we switched everything out several years ago. Although, we still use the 4-up pages for short term use sometimes. If you want a good measure of what is considered to be an "archival" product, check out the specs for a sleeve/envelope to see if they pass the Photographic Activity Test (P.A.T.). This is an independent test given by the Image Permanence Institute to see if the product effects the print/neg material in storage. Usually a catalog or vendor, will state someplace that they are in compliance with this test. If they don't, it doesn't mean it's a "bad" product, it may be good for some purposes.
For our long term storage we use either Mylar D (the best) or uncoated polypropolene (cheaper) fold-lock sleeves. Depending on whether it's a b&w or color transp. these go into a buffered or unbuffered acid/lignin free envelope. All this is stored in a baked enamel filing cabinet made for film. We've got alot of negs/ct's, but if you were on a small scale, you could use one of the flip-top box kits that these supply companies sell. Here's a short list of some other places to try besides LI. Gaylord Bros., University Products, the Hollinger Corp., Archivart, Metal Edge Inc., Conservation Resources Int'l. Personally, I'd look at Gaylord and Hollinger, but there are other places besides LI.
All this stuff can be pretty confusing to sort out, feel free to email if you want, about a third of my job deals with filing...one other thing too, even if you get a "good" sleeve, make sure you store your negs in a cool& dry place. Humidity and higher than room temp. heat can really shorten the life of your film.
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