How long can Fuji instant film last?

<p>This is a very old and question and maybe silly in the same time.<br>

Does instant film image fades away quickly?<br>

I have done some researches on the internet and in this forum already. Almost all the discussions of this issue are based on Polaroid films, which are fine, but since we mainly use Fuji film now, I think I may ask it again.<br>

I have also read Fuji's information sheets of FP100c and FP100b (pdf files found on internet); they only say that the UV light will speed up the fading process.<br />Although the information sheet mentions that the new colour instant film (fp100c) has a layer that helps to resist UV light, and it will extend the life of our image by about 1/4, but still it doesn't tell us that how long it will survive in total.<br>

So if I keep them away from sunlight, will they survive more than 70 years? (I don't want to see my memories disappear while I'm still alive).<br />And also, by fading away, are we talking about totally disappear and become blank, or are we talking about image become soft and gets yellowish?</p>

<p>I don't think anyone will know the answer to that question until it happens. For virtually every media I can think of, manufacturer claims of longevity are always based on hype and artificial tests which we have to take their word for being somehow accurate. Just keep in mind the actual life span of a burnable CD as a reference... 10 years is being lucky (and this is because the dye on the CD's fades). All color films are based on dyes and all dyes fade with age. It is not just a matter of lightfastness (holding up against UV light) but all dyes undergo a long slow process of oxidation that causes them to fade. This is true of any material, whether it be photographic media, printed media, fabrics, paints, anything. Also, UV light is not the only part of sunlight that effects dyes... radiation that penetrates walls and light-tight boxes also degrades unexposed film, and I'm sure given long enough it would also effect exposed film images as well. It's very likely that color images will loose pigmentation from one color first, which will cause it to shift towards the opposite colors in appearance. Depending on the fastness of the dyes used will determine which direction the color will shift, and this is very likely different from emulsion to emulsion... as is the case with aging 35mm color negatives which shift towards different colors depending on the specific film it is.</p>

<p>However, if you want to be sure they last, shoot B&W. I have personally held Polaroid B&W images shot in the early 1950's that look like they were taken yesterday.</p>

<p>Whatever you use, Fuji, etc. color dyes are just not going to be as stable as simple B&W. Similar to Patrick's experience, I've got nearly a thousand B&W Type 52 Polaroid 4x5 images and, so long as I coated them carefully when I shot them, they are as crisp and nice as the day they were taken back in the summer of 1965. If that film were still available, I'd have a 4x5 camera and shoot it today.<br /> I'll add that electronic archiving is going to be good for keeping color, etc. over time. Where electronic storage is weak, of course, is in knowing that the data will still be there at all in 50 years, and secondly, even if it is, will you be able to read it? At least for the middle term, I'd scan and electronically archive any "instant film" color pictures.</p>

<p>In the end, the only way to truly archive color is still to do color separations. Even there, how far beyond a couple of hundred years you could go is uncertain. Whether our civilization will last any longer than that is another question with an uncertain answer. I do recommend either carving information into stone or cuneiform markings in clay that is then baked. We know that these have archival endurance in the thousands of years.</p>

<p>I have read an old discussion about how coating make the pring last longer. But none of Fuji film comes with coating, right?<br>

I do not intend to make my image survive forever. As I said, I just don't want to see the image disappear while I'm still alive. I'm not a professional photographer, most of the time photography is a way of expressing, like painting. And because it is not commercially used, the images exsisted only for me or for the one who I give the photo to. So I just hope that the images would last long enough until we past away.<br>

I do scan a lot, and I am a heavy photoshop user. The image content is not the only concern, it is the original photo that I'm worring about. If the image is scanned and reprinted, it would transform into something else.<br>

Anyway, I think Patrick is right, no one would know until it happens, and most observation so far were done with Polaroid films.<br />And how long it can survive really depends on how we keep the photo.<br>

Thanks a lot, guys!</p>

<p>Dark storage at low humidity is the key to keeping any color print whatsoever, over as long as it will last.</p>

<p>Don't hang them on the wall in a sunny room. The coatings you may have heard of are probably just UV coatings designed to protect prints hanging in rooms receiving sunlight. Such coatings are offered on "archival" glass used by museums and galleries, but it is expensive. Prints stored in acid-free boxes or albums will last longer than prints on a wall receiving sunlight no matter what coating is on it. Acid-free archival albums are generally available at any store that sells cameras or photographic prints. I do believe you can also order plastic sheets for archival albums that fit this size Polaroid, although it's been years since I looked at ordering them.</p>

<p>OK... I took a look... I know some places used to sell the exact size, but this was as close as I could find:<br>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=2632&N=4294539296+4294955044</p>

<p>Scan the original and display the reproduction. The original Fuji image must be stored away from any light for maximum longevity. It's that simple. The color will almost certainly shift in your lifetime no matter what you do but I think you will be able to see the image.</p>

<p>The only photographic color process that I know of that is permanent is Gum Bichromate using water colors that have real pigments for the colors. Not dyes or hues. You can expect that print to last as long as a pigment based water color painting. (The most archival photographic process is Platinum but it is not a color process. Gold and Palladium prints almost as long. Most Noble metals under normal circumstances are not subject to oxidation.)</p>

<p>You can expect to see changes in your original Fuji print if displayed in direct sunlight in less than a year.</p>

<p>my friend said polaroid photos will last forever if its laminated, because the dye wont oxidate so it will not fade. i don't know if its true because i havent tried. can anyone clarify this?<br>

i recently played with instax mini 7s and i have captured my high school days and my graduation photos. and i really want my children to see it :D so is it true if you laminate the photos it will not fade?</p>