The Inconvenient Truth about "Archival" Products

"Archival"

"PhotoSafe"

"Permanent"

You've seen these words on photo albums and scrapbook supplies, but I bet you didn't know that they are basically meaningless. Yep. That's right. Sad but true.

There is no standard legal definition for any of these terms. Which means that companies are free use these words to describe any product they want to sell -- even products made from materials which are known to cause damage to photographs. I have personally seen those notoriously damaging sticky magnetic albums sold as archival. I nearly caused a scene in the scrapbook store.

Check out this little-known fact: The term "archival" has been applied so loosely and so inappropriately that it's no longer used in International Standards for photographic materials.

But what about "acid free," you ask?

Acid free is great. You definitely want to keep your photographs away from acids which are basically a slow fire. If you've ever seen the brown mark left behind from a newspaper clipping, you know what I'm talking about.

So, yes! Acid free is important, but itís not enough to assure the longest possible life for your photographs. If you'd like to check the acidity of papers you will be using, there are inexpensive pH testing pens available from most archival supply companies. The lignins that remain after trees are turned into paper become acidic over time, so "lignin-free" is also a good idea.

There is only one way to be sure you are getting the highest quality archival supplies.

Thank goodness for the PAT (Photographic Activity Test.) As always, independent testing gives us the most reliable information. The Photographic Activity Test (PAT) is an International Standard (ISO 14523) developed by the Image Permanence Institute. The test involves incubating materials in temperature- and humidity-controlled chambers to simulate aging and takes from four to six weeks.

The PAT predicts potentially harmful interactions between photographs and storage materials such as album pages, covers, and envelopes. It is also used to test all the components of storage materials such adhesives,inks, paints, labels, and tapes.

You can find PAT passed materials at an archival supply company such as Gaylord and Light Impressions. 

Bottom line: If it has not passed the PAT --  you cannot be absolutely certain that it is "Photo-Safe," period.

About the author: Sally Jacobs, The Practical Archivist, is on a mission to save your family photographs from an untimely death. She has a Master's in Library Science with a Specialization in Archives Management and has worked on collections housed at the Library of Congress and the Wisconsin Historical Society, among others.