I have many years experience in the digitisation and digital restoration of works such as manuscripts, books, photographic prints, slides, negatives, glass plates etc. I am comfortable working with old and rare materials and come equipped with archival grade handling and storage equipment sourced from Preservation Equipment Limited.
A combination of techniques are employed utilising digital photography and flat bed scanning, both of which will usually take place on-site so there is no need to remove items from their secure or environmentally controlled environment. I am able to carry out wet mount scanning however I do prefer to do this off site as the fluids are highly flammable, as such I prefer not to transport them unnecessarily and would rather not use them within an archival storage facility. If items do need to be taken off-site I can supply archival storage (buffered or unbuffered as appropriate) and packing materials. If you are based in the Exeter area I am usually able to return items the same day. I am sensitive to the handling requirements of old media and can if necessary work with items contained within polyester enclosures in order to minimize handling.
Archival prints can also be provided, these are produced using ink and paper combinations with life spans exceeding 130 years displayed under glass and in excess of 300 years in dark storage before fading, changes in colour balance or paper yellowing. Tests conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research.
I have experience of digitising contemporary artworks such as textiles and paintings. I also provide creative and documentary photography of 3 dimensional art, from small scale ceramics to large outdoor sculptural pieces.
If you are thinking of carrying out your own digitisation project I am able to provide assistance in choosing equipment and software and helping you design an appropriate workflow. In the meantime you may be interested in this series of blog posts.