The cost of film and video preservation is high, ranging from about one dollar and up per foot of film to $100 and up for each hour of videotape. This makes it all the more necessary for the archive to ensure that it is getting the best possible quality in its preservation masters. There are only a few commercial labs in the US which specialize in copying nitrate and/or problematic safety film. Recommendations about them may be obtained from the National Center or one of the major archives. Many commercial labs can assist with general film or video copying, but if a particular lab has no experience in archival copying, it is wise to work closely with lab personnel to ensure standards of quality. The task of preserving moving images is a difficult one and requires time, effort, and money. The problems to be faced are serious ones and the situation, particularly in regard to technology, is not getting any better. Hopefully, one day the perfect preservation medium for all moving images will be developed. In the meantime, archivists must continue to do the best they can with the materials at hand. Through the combined effort of many institutions cooperating on a national level, it is possible to meet the challenge of preserving our moving image heritage.