Is Ilford XP2 Super archival enough for long-term storage?
Asked 3/22/2016
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I’m considering Ilford XP2 Super for black-and-white work, but I’m unsure how suitable it is for archival storage. Since XP2 Super is a chromogenic black-and-white film processed in C-41 chemistry, does it have a shorter lifespan than traditional silver-based black-and-white film? For long-term preservation, is standard black-and-white film the better choice? Also, does processing method affect longevity, and is there any archival benefit to developing XP2 Super in conventional black-and-white chemistry instead of C-41?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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If you want long archivability characteristics then you should stick to regular B&W film. XP2 is chromogenic film which uses dyes during development to produce the image. These dyes do fade out with time. There was a research that I read once about color negative films life and I believe (not sure though) it was red dye who start fading first, I can't find this article right now.
But for 20-50 years (short period relatively) the chromogenic will serve you, however you must know that it's better to process it using C41 based on Ilford recommendations. The Blex step in C41 is important to process the dyes and fix at the same time, this bleach step is missing from the conventional B&W processing.
Can the processing affect its life-span? Absolutely, and that goes for each film. Short fixing for B&W negs will make them less stable and certainly not archivable.
So To summarize, if you want max archivability then stick to regular B&W negatives (print then on FB paper if you want). If you still want to use Xp2 then do C41.
Check Ilford publication for more info
PS: you can mix conventional B&W film developers with C41, just switch the developer soup in C41 with what you want and experiment. However you must do the C41 bleach to process the dyes.
Originally by user6236. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6236
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
XP2 Super is generally less archival than traditional silver-based black-and-white film. It’s a chromogenic film, meaning the final image is formed by dyes during development rather than a metallic silver image, and dyes are more prone to fading over time.
If maximum long-term archivability is your priority, conventional black-and-white film is the safer choice. XP2 Super should still be fine for moderate time spans, but it is not usually considered the best option for very long-term archival storage.
Processing does affect lifespan. For XP2 Super, C-41 processing is the recommended method. The bleach/fix stages in C-41 are important to properly form and stabilize the dye image. Conventional black-and-white processing does not include the same steps, so it is not likely to provide an archival advantage and may be inappropriate for this film.
So: for best archival permanence, use a traditional black-and-white film and process it properly; if you shoot XP2 Super, process it in standard C-41.
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