Obtaining Images for Commercial Use

Commercial use is any use that brings value to the person or organization displaying the photograph to the public. It applies to commercial companies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, and individuals who use a reproduction of an image from NYPL in a book, magazine, newspaper, scholarly journal, CD-ROM, DVD, brochure, calendar, poster, flyer, postcard, documentary, TV show, feature film, video, exhibition, web site, promotional material, product, or advertisement.

Photographic Services & Permissions Order Form with Terms & Conditions (pdf)

Use Fee Schedule (pdf)

Instructions:

Complete the Order Form.
Be sure to include the Image ID nos. for images found online in the NYPL Digital Gallery.
For all images not found in the NYPL Digital Gallery please include photocopies, if possible.
Consult the Use Fee Schedule.
The one fee under the category pertaining to your project includes the permission and a 300dpi TIFF file.
4 x 5" color transparencies are available for most items with a surcharge of $50.00 on top of fees posted.
Special handling surcharges of $40.00 per item are affixed on top of fees posted for laminated material larger than 11 x 17"; single items larger than 30 x 40"; bound oversize material larger than 16 x 16"; fragile items; and prints from microfilm.
Submit the application to the Library via mail or fax. Prepayment is required. We can invoice but your order cannot be processed until payment has been received.

Consult the FAQ page for available formats, turnaround time, refund policy, and other general information.

Can't find an image on the Library's web site? NYPL Express offers fee-based picture research from the Library's general collections.

Email Photographic Services & Permissions at permissions@nypl.org if your intended use is not listed on the Use Fee Schedule or for availability of 4x5" color transparencies.