Preparation of film for long term storage |
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Film leaders
A short section of film should be attached to each end of the film. Some types of unprocessed film, known as "cream leader" because of their light colour, are suitable.
The leader provides a convenient location to write identification information about the carrier. The leader also provides a degree of protection for the film during winding and other handling.
Fig 8.2 Leaders
"Painted" leader is also available for this purpose, however this often becomes powdery over time and deposits the "paint" as a dust that may cause scratching. Therefore the dust needs to be cleaned away before the film can be used. Also unless the exact composition of the pigments and carrier in the paint are known there is a risk that these will harm the film, and especially the image, in some way.
