Verdefilm

Walter,  I just thought I'd shoot a copy of my notes that I took
yesterday at PARC by you in case you hadn't seen the CNN report on this
film.

John

Verde Film To Replace Silver Halide?

I went to Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) yesterday for an
interesting forum on a new technology called Verdefilm.  This is a
high-resolution color film developed at Xerox Canada (Dr. Hardy
Sonnenberg, Manager) which at this time is targeted towards imagesetters
and scanner-recorders.

It is a film which is somewhat like the silver film that we are all
used to: it has a polyester base, a conducting layer, a photo-sensitive
layer and then an Infra-red/overcoat layer on top.  A big difference: it
must be electrically charged to produce an image; if it is held up in
sunlight will not produce an image of any kind. Once it has been
charged, it can be exposed in the normal manner.  At this time the
process is: use a laser-type printer to sensitize the film, expose it,
and then heat-fix and print.

This film uses elemental selenium to produce images. It is claimed that
elemental selenium is non-toxic to people and the environment; thus the
name "Verde" as Xerox intends that this product be fully recycled. It is
meant to be permanent under normal storage conditions, it will be made
in widths up to 62" wide, and can be exposed at a rate of 6"/second.

Verde film was "accelerated life" tested in 3M's labs and at the
Rochester Institute of Technology for "life- quality".  Initial
manufacturing will be by Rexham Custom, and Quebecor Printing, Inc. From
what was shown at PARC, there are many manufacturers ready to produce
this material, one of whom is Agfa.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 7:39
                 Distributed: Sunday, November 14, 1993
                        Message Id: cdl-7-39-007
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