Archival imaging and method therefor

摘要

An archival medium, such as a compact disc, is made of a metal such as aluminum which is mechanically gained with particulate material under conditions that embed particulate material into the surface of the medium and visibly imageable by selective exposure to infrared laser radiation. A mechanically grained aluminum medium can also be anodically oxidized under conditions that do not impair the ability of the substrate to be laser imaged. The archival medium can be coated with opaque and transparent polymer coatings before or after imaging for security and/or protection. The coating can be a laser ablatable coating to provide a tamper-proof medium.