Gold FAQ Question: I want to store my archived CDs and DVDs in a fire-safe. Sentry makes a safe with an "ETL verified" 2 hour fire protection for CDs and DVDs (the safe is subjected to 1850 degrees F for 2 hours, and the interior temperature remains below 350 F degrees to "protect digital media.") Will CDs or DVDs really survive this? I've read elsewhere that they need to be in "media safes," that keep the temperature below 125 degrees F.
Answer: We subject our discs to "environmental tests" that use temperatures as high as 85 centigrade (185 Fahrenheit). We know that anything above 90 C or 194 Fahrenheit can cause irreversible damage. The media safe looks like the right way to go. Question: I wish to scan both photographic prints and negatives on an Epson 4870 Pro Scanner and have the information burned onto CD's or DVD's in order to archive the images. Is there a Mitsui Gold DVD-R in addition to the Mitsui Gold CD-R to archive the images, and about how many images can be stored on each, with the best quality scanning?
Answer: MAM-A makes an Archive Grade Gold DVD-R with a capacity of 4.38 gb (same as standard DVD-R) For the scanner that you have, the max file size will be approx 160 MB (at 12,800 x 12,800 = max setting), so you should be able to store about 27 images of that size per DVD. Only about 4 images on CD at that resolution.
Question: I’ve heard that some jewel cases might shorten the archival life of a disc depending on the material that it is made of. Do you have any recommendations?
Answer: There are disc storage products that can be used to lengthen the archival life of CD and DVD media. By adding a Corrosion Intercept jewel case insert, you can significantly increase the lifetime of silver or aluminum discs (by some estimates, as much as 30 times). It is not necessary to use these types of products with the MAM-A Archive Grade CD-R or DVD-R media however, since pure gold is not susceptible to oxidation. MAM-A uses only 99.99% pure gold for its archive grade products.
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Gold CD-R 
