Care and Longevity for Holograms
- EMBOSSED: These are the most impervious to environmental factors and are unlikely to fade, In extreme cases of UV exposure it's possible, but they could be bumper stickers and likely will be here next time there are dinasaurs on earth!
- PHOTOPOLYMER: These are the second most robust type of hologram, but they can fade or discolor. Exposure to direct sunlight (UV) over long periods should be avoided, as it can cause discoloration or even 'fading' (which is really the interference pattern which makes the image shifting so far towards the red or blue end of the spectrum that it becomes hard to see or dim). Water is unlikely to affect most photopolymer holograms but it's best not to use anything wet directly on the film, espcially at the edges.
- SILVER HALIDE: Silver Halide film was chosen by most artists because it has great flexibility in creation and was fairly easy to expose and with access (though no longer made commercially so now hard to get) and because it could be made in flexible film instead of glass. Silver halide is like the old photographic film, and just like old photos it can deteriorate, though if kept in standard living environment and with low humidity and out of direct sunlight it should last indefinitely. Do not clean SH holograms with water, water will immediately deteriorate a silver halide hologram.
Also, except for embossed type, no holograms (ESPECIALLY Silver Halide) likes moisture of any kind. Thus you want to keep them in air conditioned living environments, as excessive humidity can cause deterioration.*