Print stops photos from fading away

The best way to enjoy photos is to print them, according to Paul Curtis, director of Photo Imaging Council Australia (PICA).

Following the rise of digital photography, many users were content to keep their photos on the camera or computer; but Curtis believes that this is not sufficient. "In 2003 we were printing less photos than in 2000," Curtis (pictured) said. A lot can happen in three years, and he notes that: "We had almost lost a whole generation of people who weren't printing their images."

Compared to other mediums, paper is the best option. "Even putting pictures from the phone onto computer loses a lot of people. It's a shame as a lot of photos - especially family photos - get more valuable as time goes by," Curtis said.

"Putting photos on CDs is better than nothing, but it's still not safe," he added, pointing to people backing up files onto the now defunct floppy disk as proof.

Between Myspace, Facebook, Bebo and Photobucket, there's no shortage of sites to upload photos onto, but Curtis is still wary of these self-publishing outlets. "Dot coms can come and go as well," he warned.

Research conducted by PICA shows that in Australia, 65 per cent of households printed photos from their digital camera in 2006, an increase from previous years.

Looking to the future, Curtis is optimistic that figures will increase rather than decrease. "I think that more people will return to printing their photos," he said. "It's the only sure way to hold onto your memories."