Fuji instant film permenance? and......

[vinny]

So I've been asked to provide info on my fuji instant prints i have in a bin for an exhibit i have starting tomorrow. I've got a few fuji fp-100C45 prints mounted and matted by the corners. The gallery wants to know how long the prints will last and what to call this type of media.

I have them labeled as Instant Prints right now. I haven't contacted fuji about this and wilhelm's site has nothing, at least that i've found with this dial-up internet connection.
Anybody got ideas?
vinny

[Tim Povlick]

i checked the Fuji site and the user's manual for this film briefly addresses this. They talk about the usual - long term storage should be away from high heat and bright lights. There is mention of a new UV coating to cut color fading rate to about 1/4 the previous rate. Since the film is advertised as good for ID photos one would think it should last at least several years (maybe several decades?)

I did try an experiment and left a developed sheet out in the So.CA sun for the day (this was in June) and saw no detrimental effects from the experiement, albeit brief.

Sorry I can't offer more than this.

Best Regards,

Tim

[Gene McCluney]

When an Instant film print is used for photo ID, it is laminated to a page. Perhaps this lamination may help extend the life. The longest term that I am aware of for a photo ID would be in Passport use, which can be as much as 10 years, but of course a photo in a Passport is kept "in the dark" so to speak except for brief exposures to light.

[Gordon Moat]

Generally with the better than Polaroid quality control at Fuji, I would expect FP100C images to last longer than old Polaroid Instant shots. They will eventually fade a bit, though I don't think you will ever end up with a clear white piece of paper.

I do exhibit Polaroid manipulations quite often, and there is no real permanence information on these, since there have never really been any published tests. If the gallery wants you to guarantee the images, I think I might hesitate in doing that, though it would not be too tough to rig a copy outfit to make a copy at some point later in the future. I have seen Polaroid manipulations from the 1970s, and since that is nearly 40 years, I would give that as a reasonable minimum . . . though that implies that a more stable non-manipulated Polaroid should reasonably last far longer.

If you consider Fuji and Kodak C-41 prints, they can still be quite good condition about 70 years later, and will likely avoid detrimental fading for longer. There were a few articles about restoration of old Marilyn Monroe pictures a few years ago, and if you consider how long ago those images originated, it indicates what is possible in image conservation and restoration. This is something I think should be a greater consideration than longevity claims, or using that all too vague term archival, which was mostly pushed by Epson (et al) marketing.

So, can the image last with similar vibrance for more than a decade? YES

Could the image be restored in the future, or technology be used to create a better copy of the original, to be used for display? YES

Would it be reasonable to expect an FP100 image to last longer than 40 years? YES

As far as what to call a Fuji Instant Print, I propose we start calling them FP prints, since Fuji Instant product codes start with the letters FP. Then a manipulation would be an FP Transfer or FP Emulsion Lift print. This is somewhat in-line with C-Print, or a few other similar namings.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[Greg Lockrey]

FWIW I have a collage of Polaroids that I made in the early 70's that is under plexiglass hanging in my office that has been on display all these years. If there is any fading, it has been very slight. I also have C-41 prints that didn't fair as well.