DCML Digest, Vol 26, Issue 21

[Gary Leach]

Frank,

> I have been following the discussion on the whereabouts
> of original Disney comic material with much interest. On
> this occasion, the term "stats" was often used. Could
> someone tell me what exactly "stats" are? Until now I
> thought that this is just another (historic) term for
> photocopies, but this does not seem to fit here ...

The terms "stat" and "photostat" have acquired certain loose 
definitions over the course of time, but a true photostat "stat" is (or 
more to the point these days, was) a positive image produced on 
photosensitive paper utilizing a process camera or contact frame. Just 
like film negatives, photostats had to be chemically processed and 
dried after shooting. And just like film negatives, photostats continue 
to develop even after being chemically "stopped", so that over time 
they fade even if stored in lightless conditions. Western never worried 
about this because their archives were maintained for the purposes of 
reprinting, not preserving for posterity.

Gary