ANSI standards for photographic materials

Since I recently got back from ANSI, I thought that I would post a short
update on relevant standards.  Other related standards are listed at the
end and if anyone is interested in their status, they can contact me.

Overview of the ANSI procedures:

There are four types of ANSI documents: specifications, recommended
practices, test methods and technical reports.

As a general rule, ANSI is farther ahead in the area of photographic
standards than other countries. ISO tends to adopt ANSI standards
(after adding "u"s to color and changing units to SI). We tend to
like to keep standards consistent so as many standards as possible
are joint ANSI/ISO documents.  ISO meets only once every three years
while ANSI meets twice per year so more work can be done by the ANSI
group.  To make the process easier, delegates from the major
manufacturers around the world (Germany, Switzerland, England, and
Japan) also participate in these meetings.

The committee IT9 (of which Peter Adelstein is Chair) can create
sub-committees (with designations such as IT9-1) and sub-committees
can create task groups all as deemed necessary. IT9 is authorized
under the control of NAPM, the National Association of Photographic
Manufacturers, and they do most of the office work.  They also
oversee the US ISO group too.

Draft documents are usually written at the sub-committee or task
group level.  These drafts are revised by that particular group
until they feel that it is ready for ballot.  To save time, we
usually ballot both the drafting group (task group or
sub-committee), the parent sub-committee, in the case of drafting by
a task group, and the full IT9 committee.

Depending on the ballots, the document may be sent back for further
revision (if technical changes need to be made) and the revised
document is again balloted, or if there are only editorial
revisions, the document is accepted and sent to SAC review.  SAC is
the Standards Advisory Council. They ensure that proper procedures
were followed and that all comments were addressed adequately. This
is purely a procedures group and not a technical one.

The approved document then gets sent out for 60 day public review
(such documents are listed in the ANSI journal.)  It does cost money
to get a copy of a draft document that is out for public review.
Once the 60 day review has been completed, the document is then sent
to BSR for another check (BSR is the Board of Standards Review) and
finally is sent to ANSI for publication.

Printing is the slow part and may take up to a year.

Okay, here goes.  Anything marked with ** indicates a new document coming.

    NAPM IT9.1 Silver-Gelatin Film--Specifications for Stability.
    Last approved 1992.  Recommended that ANSI adopt ISO 10602:1995.
    We'll probably ballot this next year. This documents is largely
    for manufacturing properties, but also includes residual hypo
    and residual silver limits too.

    ANSI IT9.2 Filing Enclosures and Storage Containers.  Last
    approved 1991 . This one is due for review in 1996.  Sarah
    Wagner, among others will be looking at it.  I've also asked
    Debbie Norris and Barbara Brown to have a look too.

    NAPM IT9.11 Processed Safety Photographic Films - Storage.  This
    document was approved in 1994.

    IT9.13 Glossary of Terms Pertaining to Stability (Films and
    Papers).  This was revised and will complete public review in
    December.  Already there are some changes to definitions being
    discussed although these changes will have to wait until the
    next revision. **[This will be a new ANSI document available in
    1996.]**

    NAPM IT9.15 The Effectiveness of Chemical Conversion of Silver
    Images Against Oxidation--Methods for Measuring.  This document
    was created in 1993.  It contains both a peroxide fuming test
    and a bleach bath test.

    NAPM IT9.16 Photographic Activity Test.  The PAT was separated
    from IT9.2 in 1993.  This document is being revised at ISO first
    and ANSI will then ballot to accept the ISO version.  This
    change will probably be done in 1996.

    NAPM IT9.17 Determination of Residual Thiosulfate and Other
    Related Chemicals in Processed Photographic Materials--Methods
    Using Iodine- Amylose, Methylene Blue and Silver Sulfide.  This
    is a joint ANSI/ISO standard last approved in 1993.  The ISO
    document was also approved in 1993.  (ISO 417:1993).

    NAPM IT9.18 Processed Photographic Plates--Storage Practices.
    This is a revision and Redesignation of PH1.45-1980(R1989).  It
    will complete public review October 31 and will be sent on to
    ANSI for final approval.  **[This is a new document and will be
    available sometime in 1996.]**

    NAPM IT9.20 Reflection Prints--Storage Practices.  This is a
    revision and redesignation of PH1.48-1982(R1987).  Public review
    will be completed October 31.  **[This will be a new ANSI
    document and will be available sometime in 1996.]**

    NAPM IT9.23 Polyester Base Magnetic Tape--Storage.  This draft
    was balloted in October.  Comments have been returned to
    sub-committee IT9-5 for review.  If there are no technical
    changes following sub-committee review the standard will be sent
    in for SAC review.  Otherwise, the document will be re-balloted.
    **[This will be a new document and I expect that it will be
    available sometime in late 1996 or early 1997.]**

Other Standards:

    NAPM IT9.3 Determination of Dimensional Change (Films and
    Papers).

    NAPM IT9.4 Method for Determining Lubrication.

    IT 9.5  Ammonia-Processed Diazo Films--Specifications for
    Stability.

    IT9.6 Photographic Films--Specifications for Safety Film.

    NAPM IT9.7 Photographic Films and Papers--Wedge Test for
    Brittleness.

    NAPM IT9.8 Photographic Film--Determination of Folding
    Endurance.

    IT9.9 Stability of Color Photographic Images--Methods for
    Measuring.

    IT9.10 Determination of the Curl of Photographic Film.

    IT9.12 Processed Vesicular Photographic Film-Specifications for
    Stability.

    IT9.14 Method for Determining the Resistance of Photographic
    Emulsions to Wet Abrasion.

    NAPM IT9.19 Thermally Processed Silver Microfilm--Specifications
    for Stability.

    NAPM IT9.21 Life Expectancy of Compact Discs (CD ROM)--Method
    for Estimating, Based on Effects of Temperature and Relative
    Humidity.

    NAPM IT9.22 Scratch resistance of Processed Photographic
    Films--Method for Determining.

    NAPM IT9.24 Arrhenius Testing.

    NAPM TR1 Humidity Measurements and Control in Photographic
    Standardization.

Doug

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:45
                 Distributed: Friday, December 1, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-45-005
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