welcome to the dp3 newsletter!

Introduction to the DP3 Project

The Digital Print Preservation Portal (DP3) consists of two separate but complimentary research projects. The first is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is an in-depth investigation of the stability of digitally printed materials when they are exposed to light, airborne pollutants, heat, and humidity. The second project is funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and is a study of the potentially harmful effects of enclosures and physical handling on digital prints, as well as their vulnerability to damage due to flood.

These projects are designed to provide the library and archive communities as well as individual scholars with previously unknown and unattainable information regarding the permanence and care of prints created using modern digital output technologies. Funding for the creation of a unique website DP3Project.org has also been provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The website will include not only results of the above research but also general information on the history and materials of digital printing as well as print identification strategies.

Upcoming Presentations and Publications of DP3 Projects Results

IPI would truly like to thank all 182 individuals/institutions in the cultural heritage field that participated in our survey last June to assess their experience with digitally printed materials in their collections. A summary of those results will be presented at IS&T’s Archiving 2009 Conference at the Hilton Crystal City in Arlington, VA, May 4th to 7th. The article will also be published in the conference proceedings and available at the conference or at www.imaging.org shortly thereafter.

"Defining Digital Print"
An article discussing the issues surrounding development of a common definition for the term “digital print” will be published in the March/April issue of the Archival Outlook newsletter from the Society of American Archivists. SAA members can access the newsletter at www.archivists.org. Non-members aren’t given access to the article until six months after publication, so maybe now’s a good time to join.

Sensitivities of Digital Prints to Abrasion
A presentation of the results of our abrasion testing work Sensitivities of Modern Digital Prints to Abrasion Damage, will be given by IPI research scientist, Douglas Nishimura at the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Annual 2009 meeting as part of the Book and Paper Group programs. The sensitivities of digital prints to abrasion as well as the abrasiveness of common enclosures will be analyzed and discussed.