DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHIC DUPLICATION SYSTEM WITH IMAGE QUALITY RESTORATION

An apparatus for printing out recovered image data from a photograph is disclosed. The data is recorded in infrared ink on top of the image itself in an encoded fault tolerant digital form enabling the image to be recovered notwithstanding damage to the photograph surface. The apparatus can print out the image after processing the data. If the data is stored then the image can be printed as many times as required. Alternatively, the photograph can be repeatedly passed through the scanner or reader the required number of times. In another form of the invention, the apparatus can also print out the image with the image data again recorded in infra-red ink using a printer which has the necessary number of ink jet nozzles to do so and the apparatus has the necessary processing capacity to process, compress, scramble and encode the data.