Best practices for storing 1000s of prints?

[Ninny148]

Deleted

[Erik Larsen]

An old shoe box full of loose prints stored under the bed is the traditional method
I would think you are probably safe with your solution as long as the boxes you are using are photo safe? If you are in extremely high humidity area or get flooded I guess you could potentially run into the risk of the plastic sleeves sticking to the emulsion of the prints? If the prints are truly heirlooms you might look into archival envelopes. Not sure where to find those but I’m sure there are conservation websites to offer guidance or ask a local museum.

[John Layton]

If house catches fire...that shoebox of old photos gets saved first! (after wife and doggie of course!)

[Willie]

Buy some thin sheets of Bainbridge Alpharag Artcare matboard. 2 ply, not 4. Cut and tape using good acid free tape and store them in your own boxes and sleeves. The Artcare board actively protects the images from atmospheric pollutants. Easy to do, just takes a bit of your time and effort.

[nitroplait]

...most of which are still in their original developer-supplied envelopes.

I am not sure what we are talking about here? Paper envelopes?

What is your environmental circumstances? High or low humidity? Significant variations in humidity or temperature?

Do you frequently need to see/handle the prints?

Is it important they are kept absolutely pristine, or is it OK that minor wear and handling marks occur over time?

What material is it? Color or black and white, resin coated or fiber?

What is the current age and condition of the material?

[ic-racer]

My goal is to have 100 prints to store and pass on. After 40+ years of photography i have about 30 so far.

[nitroplait]

My goal is to have 100 prints to store and pass on. After 40+ years of photography i have about 30 so far.

Good plan. Your children/grand children will love you for not dumping everything on them.

[Alan Klein]

They may like them now and you would get a kick out of it if you gave them some framed ready to mount on their wall. Enjoy their experience and thanks yous with them now.

[Sal Santamaura]

...I have several thousand prints of varying sizes (4x5 up to 5x7), most of which are still in their original developer-supplied envelopes...

Are these color or black and white prints? Are the envelopes paper and/or thin card stock? Advice will depend on answers to those questions.

[Richard Wasserman]

You can buy archival shoe boxes—

https://www.archivalmethods.com/product/short-top-boxes

I would get rid of the envelopes the prints are currently stored in as they, I'm sure, are made of inferior paper with a high acid content. Archival Methods can supply anything else you might need. I've been buying from them for years and they are a first-rate business.