This International Standard establishes a vocabulary of terms and definitions used in relation to the permanence of imaging materials, related storage materials and digital storage media.

In most cases these terms and definitions are generic and are applicable to the entire imaging industry. For terms and definitions specific to particular applications, industry standards are applicable. However, in some cases the definition of a term is still evolving and/or is used by different user groups in different ways. In these cases, a definition related to permanence of imaging materials work is given and a note to this effect is included.