Merriam-Webster defines archivability as “capable of being archived.” They further define archive as “the material being preserved.” The understanding is that anything you archive can be kept for a long period of time. The term archivability, when used in terms of eCitations, refers to the ability of the paper the citation is printed on to be readable for a long period of time.
Now, a “long time” is a relative term. Most citations have a useful life of 3 to 6 months. After this time, 99% of citations have been adjudicated and any penalties determined.
Paper used for eCitations has three levels of paper archivability:
1. The cheapest papers have no rating for archivability. The ability of the paper to retain an image is untested, unspecified, and usually short. We’ve all found a receipt from a purchase we made months ago that is barely legible due to fading. Or the receipt we left on the seat or dash of our car that turns brown if left there too long. The same can happen to eCitations printed on inexpensive paper.
2. The most expensive eCitation paper has an archivability of twenty or more years.
3. The most popular eCitation paper has an archivability of seven to ten years. What this means to the Law Enforcement community is you can print a citation with the knowledge that the image will last longer than the citation’s useful life.
The PocketJet® 6 family of printers from Brother Mobile Solutions is definitely the most popular direct thermal printer for eCitations. We’ve also found that our private label roll papers with ten year archivability are a best value in the industry, although we also offer continuous, perforated, fan fold, and cut sheet styles with archivability from seven to twenty years.
We’re so confident you’ll like our paper, we’ll give you a free roll to evaluate. Just give us a call at (800) 830-9523 or fill out this form.
About the Author:
Charlie has a broad background in industrial solutions and systems within the government and manufacturing sectors. His experience in software development, control systems and project management along with his background in engineering, sales and training has given him a solid understanding of customers needs’ and has established a loyal following. Charlie can be reached at (800) 830-9523 x111; charlie.waldman@L-Tron.com