2008-06-23

The New AaI&A Website is Here at Last

Today, the AaI&A website gains e-commerce capability, and the new design reflects an integration of both public and membership services. I am trying to keep the site navigation as seamless as possible for all visitors. Content that is free to the public has blue download links while content that is reserved for the AaI&A membership has green colored links. Some information will become available to members first but later be made available to the public. Some will always be reserved for members, and some will always be free.

The immediate benefit of membership is direct access to standardized light fade testing services. This image permanence expertise has typically been available only to companies with significant R&D funds. We are beginning with standardized light fastness testing, but a thriving membership will enable our program to expand into other areas such as gas fading, thermal aging, moisture resistance, and physical properties testing (scratch and abrasion resistance, etc). AaI&A is also conducting new research on initial image quality metrics. As soon as these metrics are ready, we will apply them to the print samples submitted by our members. Members will also have access to the real world test results (data collected from samples in the field) and to special reports on relevant topics in photography and printmaking.

The subscription plan will help AaI&A to fund the work independently and to grow. The idea is to help printmakers to help each other in building a comprehensive knowledge base about the print longevity of the modern materials we use. If enough photographers and printmakers subscribe to the AaI&A program, the ongoing research will become financially sustainable, and companies that manufacture and distribute products for this digital imaging market will eventually take note of our efforts. I also welcome these companies to enroll their employees in our membership. I believe this inclusive approach will help to distribute costs fairly yet preserve the independence and integrity of the program because funding will remain a shared responsibility among all members.

Aardenburg Imaging & Archives is now ready to open its doors to the standardized light fade testing program, and members are the key to gathering the wide range of materials for testing. Please join us in making the program a big success.