I have an Epsom Dura-Brite printer/scanner. This "Dura-Brite" range of printers is unlike most home PC printers as it uses resin based waterproof ink. Most use non waterproof dye based inks...as most people know, just drop a few drops of water on them and the inks run off the page.. According to the maunfacturer (Epsom) , the Dura-Brite prints are light-fade resistant for 120 years. (You can look up specifications for these printers on the Epsom website....not all of their printers are waterproof ink, just the Dura-Brite ones). All photos should be stored in acid-free paper albums or acid-free clear sleeves. Back up your copies on a CD disc and a falshdrive (1 gigabyte memory stick will hold about 500 images, I'm told). That way if your computer goes fut, and you cannot get the data retrieved, you will have extra copies stored. By the way, light is the enemy of CD's as well...they are gradually destroyed by exposure to light. Leave them in the car in the sun and it could happen pretty fast! When CD technology was first introduced it was said that they were an improvement on vinyls as they were indestructible...LOL!!!. I think we are all wise to that particular 'furphy' by now. (Although that paste for repairing scratched CD's has given many a worn CD a new lease of life!) CD's were a simply part of the new digital revolution, the big switch to computer technology, as we are all no doubt aware. Back to photos on hard copy: Costwise, I am unsure which is the cheaper way to print...the home PC waterproof ink prints, or those done commercially by a digital/colour photcopier. The commercial copiers have become so much cheaper of late, and it's now in the range of about A$2.00 per A4 page. Unfortunately the Dura Brite cartridges will not be cheaply refillable like the non waterproof ink ones. I know of no similar service available There is no generic bulk ink available for them that I am aware of, so one has to buy a new commercial cartridge every time. As most people will be aware, cartridge ink refills are the only way of making home printouts anywhere near as cheap as a photocopied page of B & W. I calculated that for an A4 B&W printed page using new cartridges, the cost of the ink alone on a home PC printed A4 page of text was A$0.20, whereas a B/W photocopy (the ink of which does not run) could cost as little as A$0.05-10 cents per page. The cost of purchasing Dura Brite printers is the much the same as other printers. I bought mine for about A$120.00....like most these days, it scans as well. If a member of the family/friend is good at Adobe Photoshop (free downloadable software) digitable enhancement manipulation, some old photos can be virtually restored to look as good as, if not better than, the original print. Then it just comes down to the question, which printer has the geatest number of dots per square inch (d.p.s.i)? Or which has the better (greater) resolution: the commercial printer or your home printer?. That aspect of the technology seems to be improving with every new generation of printers.... at the intermediate level, there are some very good ones designed more for small business use, if you are prepared to invest the money. Cheers Deb > Lorna, thanks so much for that! It has been on my 'to do' list for a long > time, but haven't known where to start - as soon as we've settled in to > our > new home, old photo storage will be top of the list. > > Have you any advice for storing printed digital pictures? I have not got > a > lot of originals, but have been able to take photos of old family photos > with the digital camera, and would like to print them out for long term > storage. > > Thanks and thanks to the original questioner - sometimes when you ask a > question, the answer helps a whole lot of other people. >