Costs of making reproductions of paper structure with various techniques =========================================================== (1) Rubbing Estimation by Gerard van Thienen Working in one library an average of 40 rubbings / day is possible. One week, 5 days, in 3 libraries in Palma de Mallorca, March 2004: 170 rubbings. (2) Electron-radiography The best images of watermarks are made by beta radiography and electron radiography. Because of the slowness of beta radiography - a single image can take hours to capture - electron radiography is preferable. This method was developed almost twenty years ago by Schnitger, Ziesche and Mundry in Berlin and has been adopted in The Hague in cooperation with the Röntgen Technische Dienst (RTD) in Rotterdam. It is now possible to make 250 to 300 Röntgen negatives of watermarks from forty incunables in four hours in the basement of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek. http://watermark.kb.nl/introWM.html / 15:04 31/10/2005 Costs of Rotterdam company Roentgen Technische Dienst 'Making the invisible visible': 30.000 euros per week, two man, one van. (3) Beta-radiography Based on a discussion with Alois Haidinger and Maria Stieglecker (OEAW) by Vlad Atanasiu August 2005 Personel costs ------------------------------------ 1 - Examination of the document where the papers are conserved 2 - Produce rubbings 3 - Make a choice of papers to reproduce 4 - Radiography a - Exposure 3-8 hours / radioactive plate / 2 pages to reproduce commonly 9 exposures / day; maximal 18 b - Developping c - Rechecking for good quality the reproductioon of some papers might be redone 5 - Digitizing of paper reproduction (following informations on hardware supplies is supplied by Georg Dietz) - scanning of hardcopy radiography films by professional firms: c. 3-11 euros - mid-range Umax scanner: 2500 euros - professional Ronetgenfilm scanner 'Cobra scan': > 12.000 euros 6 - Description of paper features principally watermark description, measurement and classification, not including measurement of other paper features 20 minutes / paper approx. 3 papers / hour approx. 25 papers / day (*) - Make or install a database for archiving and describing the papers Mean production: 300 papers / 1 person / 1 month work Material costs ------------------------------------ 1 - Radioactive plates: 5000 euros / plate (today produced only on spacial request) Costs of Rotterdam company Roentgen Technische Dienst 'Making the invisible visible': 30.000 per week, two man, one van 2 - Film: 4 euros / slide 0 euros developpment (agreement with a hospital to develop at their facility the films) MEAN MONTHLY COSTS 1200 films for 300 papers (development not included) 1700 personel (1 person) ------ 3000 per month / 300 papers 10000 initial investement in plates (2 plates)