Optical media, such as CD-ROMs, are a more reliable option for archiving digital photos than magnetic media, such as Zip disks. So here are some tips for archiving on CD-ROM:

Which ones to buy:

• Be sure to use CD-R, which last longer than CD-RW (Re-writeable).
• Buy a known and respected brand; don’t try to save a few pennies by purchasing the cheapest brand.
• Buy CD-ROMs that come with a plastic case for each. Each disk needs to be protected in order to accomplish its goal.
• Use CD-ROM with a gold layer, which are said to last longer than those with a silver layer.

Saving to a CD-ROM:

• Keep the number of photos archived on each CD-ROM low--fill the disk to half of its maximum capacity, which is 640MB--just in case you lose one. That way it won’t have everything that’s important to you.
• Make two copies of each disk, using two different (but well-known) brands of CD-ROM, just in case one brand deteriorates over time or you get a bad batch.
• To quickly view the images, save thumbnails on your CD-ROMs.
• Make a "Best of Photos" CD-ROM from every couple of months. That way, you always have multiple copies of your best photos easily accessible on a few CD-ROMs.
• If you shoot in a RAW mode, don’t store the uncompressed images, which take up too much space. Instead, create and store a thumbnail on the CD-ROM to make viewing the images easy and so you don’t have to convert them again.