The next 70 years has seen improvements in the speed and quality of image capture, along with the other major change to film technology. The change was that the Acetate film base used had been a problem for microfilm as well as for motion pictures until the 1970's. Acetate is safe, but acetate degrades in the same manner as nitrate, and sometimes at the same rate. Things have changed in a dramatic way with the introduction of polyester. Polyester is to a little extent subject to hydrolysis, but demonstrates outstanding mechanical properties with good dimensional stability.
Film is therefore the only truly archival medium.
More stable than most papers, probably much more stable than electronic media, with no worries regarding hardware and software obsolescence. These devices run 24 hours a day all over the world producing the information and backup that industry needs. Digital film readers and scanners have enhanced the use of microfilm, as the data can be brought back from the archived films at a reasonable cost. The use of microfilm is still growing as people combine the archival storage of their information with the current scanning and CD-ROM technology to create a successful working partnership. For more information you can contact us by clicking here.