The present invention is a polyester film base which has a surface approximately 5 nm thick. The surface of the film base has been altered to include about 6 to 15 atomic percent nitrogen in the form of imines, secondary amines and primary amines in the ratio of about 1:1:2. The invention also includes a film base whose surface includes oxygen in the form of hydroxyl, ether, epoxy, carbonyl or carboxyl groups wherein the oxygen is about 4 to 10 atomic percent above the original surface content of the base. The polyester film base can be either polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate.