As the article in the centerspread of this week's issue explains, the Militant is now appealing to its readers to aid in another way - helping convert the paper's extensive photo archives to digital form. Many Militant supporters have already got their feet wet in scanning pictures - the photos on both the front and back pages of this issue, as well as several others, were sent in by E-mail. This means the paper can be more timely, with access to pictures within hours after something happens, and it saves supporters the expense of sending photos by overnight mail. Last week's issue featured a photo from the cover of the Birmingham Weekly that Militant supporters in Alabama E-mailed in barely 12 hours before the paper came off the press.

While we can still use prints or film, getting as many pictures as possible as electronic files will help the Militant staff move rapidly to an entirely digital photo system. Over the coming weeks and months, supporters of the paper will also be able to contribute their time, energy, and skills to scan and preserve in digital form the thousands of photos - many of them irreplaceable - that are in the archives of the Militant and Pathfinder Press.

A few technical tips for sending in photos by E-mail: In order to have a photo archive of sufficient quality to use not only in the Militant but in Perspectiva Mundial and Pathfinder books (which are printed at a higher resolution), it's best to scan pictures at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (ppi). The minimum resolution for the Militant should be 150 ppi. We prefer files in the TIFF format, although JPEG and GIF files can be used.

Of course, in order to send in photos by any method, someone has to take them. Don't forget to bring a camera to strike picket lines, plant gate sales, and protest actions!  
 
 
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