How do you store Finished Prints?

[rknewcomb]

OK, you've made this beautiful image. You liked it so much you made a larger size print, say 16x20 or 20x24.
How do you store your beautiful larger prints. Spare prints or extras probably get put in an old film box but what about the matted ones for presentation that are not framed?
Do you put them in some type of cabinet, in a box under the bed...?
A matted 16x20 is likely to be 24x28 inches when finished finished.
Robert

[Jeff Bannow]

Any matted work goes into a ClearBag (http://www.clearbags.com/art-photo), and then gets stored in our blueprint cabinets - the flat file filing cabinet type. Works great for us, and minimizes damage.

We've picked up the cabinets used and very cheap via both eBay and Craigslist, looking for local pickup only (shipping would be outrageous).

[John Jarosz]

Yes, the big flat file blueprint/drawing cabinets are geat for all darkroom and finished prints. Antique ones are made from wood (archivists will shudder) but they make for nice furniture. The metal ones are safer and more utilitarian. Vinyl drawing board covering on the top gives you a nice work surface for trimming and mounting prints.

John

[amac212]

I would love to have a metal flat file cabinet and haven't had any luck finding anything in my area. But my on-the-cheap alternative method has been buying 2 Alex flat file cabinets from IKEA. I put castors on one and stack the other on top. I love them!

[Bruce Barlow]

I have cabinets with shelves about 6" apart. Stack 'em up, put 'em in, close the door.

[rknewcomb]

I've been looking at cabinets as one possible answer. Hard to find one deep enough to handle a 24 inch+ deep box of prints. Flat files might be nice, but hard to find.
Thanks for the answers!

[jim kitchen]

Dear rknewcomb,

The question you ask happens to be referenced in many archival notes and dissertations, but the best answers, and reports are located with the International Standards Organization. Storing finished art work is a science, and a science that can easily be misunderstood, because many web sites have seriously outdated information and, or propagate useless urban legends, regarding many hearsay archival properties.

The quickest answer for the moment, which is a precis from the following ISO texts and dissertations, happens to be as follows:

Avoid any wooden or wood by-product enclosure, because wooden structures will transfer harmful offgas contaminants to the surface of your artwork, such as lignin derivatives, various peroxides, and wood processing oils, which are entrained within the wooden materials during the manufacturing process, or post preparation. Metal cabinets seem to be the accepted standard today, but you must be made aware that metal cabinets require archival properties too, such as the metal cabinet can only made of non-combustible, non-corrosive materials such as stainless steel, anodized aluminum, or steel with powder-coated finishes. If metal cabinets do not meet these specifications, they will eventually transfer harmful offgas contaminants to the surface of any artwork, because the metal paint's finishing process, and paint's curing procedure is surely suspect.

I studied this issue for several years because I was curious, and because of that curiosity, I collect reference data.

I believe these references will help you… :)

jim k



The archival storage information and their web page locations are as follows:

Care Handling and Storage of Photographs, Mark Roosa, Library of Congress, Revised and updated by Andrew Robb, 2002
http://archive.ifla.org/VI/4/news/ipi5-e.pdf

American Conservation Consortium
http://www.conservator.com/collections_preservation.htm

Image Permanence Institute
http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/

The Preservation of Archaeological Records and Photographs, Kelli Bacon, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, 2010
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=anthrotheses


International Organization for Standardization: http://www.iso.org/iso/home.html

Photographic Activity Test (ISO 14523:1999): ISO standard withdrawn and superceded…
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=24597

Revised and superceded with Photographic Activity Test (ISO 18916:2007):
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=31940


Standards Referenced by ISO 18916:2007


ISO 5-4:2009
Photography - Density measurements - Part 4: Geometric conditions for reflection density
http://www.iso.org/iso/search.htm?qt=ISO+5-4%3A2009&searchSubmit=Search&sort=rel&type=simple&published=on

ISO 5-3:2009
Photography - Density measurements - Part 3: Spectral conditions
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=52915

ISO 5-2:2009
Photography - Density measurements - Part 2: Geometric conditions for transmission density
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=52914

ISO 18920:2000
Imaging materials - Processed photographic reflection prints - Storage practices
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=31116

ISO 18918:2000
Imaging materials - Processed photographic plates - Storage practices
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=31115

ISO 18912:2002
Imaging materials - Processed vesicular photographic film - Specifications for stability
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=31936

ISO 18911:2010
Imaging materials - Processed safety photographic films - Storage practices
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=46602

ISO 18905:2002
Imaging materials - Ammonia-processed diazo photographic film - Specifications for stability
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=31929

ISO 18902:2007/Cor 1:2009
Imaging materials - Processed imaging materials - Albums, framing and storage materials
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=54031

ISO 18901:2010
Imaging materials - Processed silver-gelatin type black-and-white films - Specifications for stability
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=51029


Standards Referencing ISO 18916:2007


ISO 18902:2007
Imaging materials - Processed imaging materials - Albums, framing and storage materials
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=45790

BS ISO 18902:2007 (British Standards)
Imaging materials. Processed imaging materials. Albums, framing and storage materials
http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030202776

ISO/DIS 18920
Imaging materials - Reflection prints - Storage practices
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=46186

BS ISO 18920 (British Standards)
Imaging materials. Reflection prints. Storage practices
http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030006782

JIS K 7641:2008 (Japanese Standard)
Imaging Materials - Processed Safety Photographic Films - Storage Practices
Too many URLs to list...

[drew.saunders]

I too use an Ikea Alex on casters for both the Epson 2880 printer, and print/paper storage. It'll fit 13x19 paper just fine. I don't know about its archival properties, if that concerned me, I'd put the prints in an archival box or sleeve first, then into the Alex.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241

Drew

[jon.oman]

Dear rknewcomb,

The question you ask happens to be referenced in many archival notes and dissertations, but the best answers, and reports are located with the International Standards Organization. Storing finished art work is a science, and a science that can easily be misunderstood, because many web sites have seriously outdated information and, or propagate useless urban legends, regarding many hearsay archival properties.

The quickest answer for the moment, which is a precis from the following ISO texts and dissertations, happens to be as follows:

Avoid any wooden or wood by-product enclosure, because wooden structures will transfer harmful offgas contaminants to the surface of your artwork, such as lignin derivatives, various peroxides, and wood processing oils, which are entrained within the wooden materials during the manufacturing process, or post preparation. Metal cabinets seem to be the accepted standard today, but you must be made aware that metal cabinets require archival properties too, such as the metal cabinet can only made of non-combustible, non-corrosive materials such as stainless steel, anodized aluminum, or steel with powder-coated finishes. If metal cabinets do not meet these specifications, they will eventually transfer harmful offgas contaminants to the surface of any artwork, because the metal paint's finishing process, and paint's curing procedure is surely suspect.

I studied this issue for several years because I was curious, and because of that curiosity, I collect reference data.

I believe these references will help you… :)

jim k



Jim,

Good information!

[rknewcomb]

really deep cabinets, open shelves, a special clean room...?