QUESTION: “How archival are your prints and how can my clients best take care of their prints?”

Here’s my easiest to understand “layman’s” ANSWER: All true “photographic prints” on archival paper are archival. Photographic prints don’t use ink – they go through a different process (one which has been explained to me a couple hundred times over the 6 years I’ve worked for photo labs and I still don’t really understand). But it is this process that gives them their archival quality.

Our “papers” are archival grade thus the prints should last about 100 years under the right circumstances.  Our pro grade paper is slightly thicker than standard consumer papers, has better color density (blacks look so black!) and in my opinion, it holds up to wear, tear and time much better.

I do a very small amount of photography work on the side and I know the immense pressure from clients to sell them a CD instead of having them purchase their prints directly from the photographer. I believe that selling them on the “pro-grade archival” prints that I have access to and they don’t (Costco and Walmart ain’t got nothing on Fotoworks Pro) helps a lot of them understand why my prints cost what they do and why they should order them from me. Often times I’ll share with them what I’ll share with you below:

While definitely not a scientific study – I have noticed that the prints I had made when I worked at a previous retail lab (on non-pro grade Fuji paper) fade, warp, tear and stick together significantly more than the prints I’ve had made on the Fuji pro paper. Even knowing the difference in price between the pro grade and consumer papers, I, personally, would ALWAYS choose to have all of my prints (even personal ones) printed on the Fuji Super PD (the pro grade paper).

Because, someday, my great grand kids are going to find a box of my photos in my attic. And my photos will be in pristine condition – unfaded, perfectly flat and they’ll get to see their great-grandma in all her young and colorful glory.

What will your future generations find of you? The same faded, yellowed, torn, stuck together and warped photographs we’ve had to deal with of our parents?

Some extra information that may help you answer questions from your clients:

To care the best for your photographs, here are a few tips that I recommend if you’re looking to “archive” your photos for future generations:

1) Keep photographs out of high humidity areas or if they’re being kept in a high humidity area (I’m thinking beach houses that have moist air coming in through the windows or coastal areas) keep them in a tightly sealed container. This precaution really isn’t necessary in normal conditions.

2) Keep photographs out of direct sunlight to prevent fading. Archival papers really do protect the integrity of the paper – but the image will still fade under large amounts of direct sunlight – just like a fabric would.

3) If water gets spilled on an image, pat it dry as completely as possible and then let it air dry for several hours before putting it in a stack of photos, a frame, etc…. Even the slightest amount of water left on a print will cause it to stick to the glass in a frame after a period of time, or stick to other prints in the stack.

4) Do not leave photographs in high heat situations (such as inside a car on a hot day). They will curl up at the edges or, if in a stack, will absorb moisture in the air around them and stick together.

That might have been more information than you ever wanted, but I felt like answering the question thoroughly because I have a lot of first hand experience and have heard a lot of second hand stories that have given me great insight into caring for your prints. Plus, once I started answering it I figured I would just answer it as fully as possible for you.

Have a burning question for the experts? Let me know!
All the best,
Katie Johnson