![]() Archival Methods is an industry partner of The Photo Managers, and a sponsor of their annual Save Your Photos Month.The Atatat Digital Photo Frame impressed us with its visual quality, offering a vibrant display without artificially punching up the colors. This blog was written for the The Photo Managers. While the focus here is on photographs, it’s worth noting that if a material is considered photo-safe, the implication is it will also interact safely with other objects. Specifications for Archival Methods’ Interleaving Paper. A good archival supply manufacturer will provide all of that information. However, passing the test does not indicate a material’s pH or lignin content there are also standardized tests for these. Materials passing the PAT can be considered photo-safe. Their Photographic Activity Test (PAT) is an international standard test (ISO 18916) that explores chemical interactions between photos and a given material, such as paper, inks, adhesives, photo albums, scrapbooking supplies, framing components, etc. It also has no official standard, and therefore one should not assume that it truly means what it says.Ĭurrently, the only standardized test for long-term photo-safe materials is from the Image Permanence Institute, an organization dedicated to the development of best practices for preserving images and cultural heritage. PHOTO-SAFE is another term that is commonly used for photo albums and other photo products such as paper, plastics, and adhesives. Instead, look for materials made from one of these inert plastics: POLYESTER (MYLAR), POLYPROPYLENE, and POLYETHYLENE. Plasticizers make this compound unstable, and it deteriorates quickly, damaging photos. Lesser quality photo storage supplies are often made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC, or vinyl). When it comes to plastic enclosures, “acid-free” does not apply instead, materials should be inert and stable. “Acid-free” doesn’t always mean lignin-free, so any archival-quality product you choose should specify both. LIGNIN-FREE paper is made with less than 1% lignin content. However, for paper products, acid-free and lignin-free are two of the most common attributes.ĪCID-FREE paper is made from pulp with a pH above 7 and often BUFFERED with calcium carbonate to neutralize acids formed with aging, or absorbed from the object. Unfortunately, there are no official standards for what makes a material archival. Museums, libraries, and art galleries are concerned with archival materials, and many photo-related products in the consumer marketplace are labeled “archival.” CONSERVATION may include the stabilization and restoration of an object.ĪRCHIVAL describes something that is of the quality suited to the needs of an ARCHIVE, an accumulation of primary source records, retained for their historic or cultural value. If you have photographs that are damaged and require repair, you should seek the advice of a trained conservator. PRESERVATION is the act of preventing or neutralizing the deterioration of objects through proper storage and handling techniques. If you are concerned about saving your family photos, you are dealing with their preservation. Shoe boxes and film developing envelopes contain acids and lignins which can damage your photographs. The good news is there are materials that are much safer for photographs. Beyond the paper, the tapes, glues, and even photo corners that were used to attach photos to album pages are off-gassing chemicals that discolor and damage photographs. The yellowing and brittleness of old papers (especially newsprint) is due to lignin and other residual acids activated by light, humidity, and temperature in a process that often ends up destroying the paper itself. Lignin is a naturally occurring acid that is often present in the wood pulp used to make paper. Most old photo albums are not archival and will damage your photographs over time. And it’s not just prints-slides, negatives, and film reels can be damaged just from the containers they are stored in. Older albums with vintage photos, photos stored in envelopes from the photo lab, and those just in a shoebox are at risk, too. The cheap cardboard pages, the adhesive, and the plastic covering all give off acids that over time, deteriorate the photos’ color, leave stains on the backs, and make it hard to remove photos without damaging them. but what do they really mean? And why do we need to bother with them?Īs anyone with a magnetic-page photo album from the 1980s knows, the way we store our photographs matters. These are just some of the terms that are used when describing products in the photo industry.
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