Medium-term storage conditions ensure preservation for a minimum of 10 years, which more closely matches standard office environment. Preservation Issues by Type of Material Static analog media are human readable, for example printed publications, photographs, microfilm, and digital hard copy output. Chemical and physical stability are the limiting factors for the usable life of these materials. For dynamic analog media, such as motion pictures and analog video tape, chemical and physical stability and systems obsolescence are both limiting factors in the usable life of these materials-the equipment needed to retrieve material may not last. Life Expectancies for Different Types of Materials 1.
Different users accept different levels of color fading.
Color prints and transparencies generally are more stable than color negatives. Dye stability of both color prints and negatives has improved over the last 10 years. Yellow staining from aging emulsions is the greatest concern with color prints. The same ink can have different stability depending on the support. They are sensitive to light fading, and there are problems with finger prints.