Storing Large Photographic Prints - Advice Please!

<p>I’ve just come back from viewing 10 art photos, printed on Epsom Professional Paper, each measuring 100 × 150cm each. They were rolled up and stored in extendable portfolio tubes, in which they were originally delivered in.<br>

It turns out they are quite valuable and the person who owns them asked me for advice on what the best way to store them flat would be.<br>

I suggested getting them mounted onto aluminium, with a thin protective matt coating. This would get them flat again plus also give the option for hanging / cleaning in the future.<br>

Any advice on other ways on getting them and storing them flat would be greatly appreciated. How would a gallery or museum store unframed photographic work over a long period of time? Budget isn’t really a massive concern for the collector so all suggestions are welcome.<br>

Many Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>you're looking for something like <a href="http://www.modulinegarage.com/photo067.html">this</a> . Couldn't find the actual link but they do them for photo's and paintings too with less deeper drawers. Not cheap, but excellent. Of course they can make them to fit your specs as well. Also humidity and temperature in the room should be constant.</p>

<p>Unmounted, unframed large works on paper are typically stored in large, shallow drawers, flat. If the drawers can accommodate more than one sheet at a time some archival separation sheet may be placed between each photo, painting, document or other work on paper. This has been pretty much the standard for many decades. It's not handy because a lot of real estate is required to accommodate this type of storage.</p>

<p>I would be reluctant to suggest an application of any type of foreign substance to any work on paper that has been stored curled long enough to have retained a set. You should contact a professional conservator for information.</p>

<p>At work we use blueprint cabinets, i.e. shallow & large drawers. The units are stackable and can be gotten from any large office supply type store with a reasonable furniture profile.</p>

<p><strong>However</strong> ... the largest standard US blueprint/drawing size is 'E' which is 34 inches x 44 inches or 86cm x 112 cm. In all my engineering life, I have never seen a larger print, so a larger cabinet is unlikely to be easily had beyond some special manufacturer for large prints or a custom built thing. Either way, pricey. A new E sized 5 drawer cabinet typically runs about $1200 + USD now.</p>

<p>Jim M.</p>

<p>I have a print chest- which I suspect started life as an architect's plan chest- and whilst it holds decently sized prints its some way short of the size you mention. I have seen bigger, but ugly with it and still to small for your purpose.</p>

<p>I have large prints mounted on Foamex, interleved and slid under a bed. After several years there ther seem ok but if these prints are valuable I'm not sure that there's a serious alternative to seeking conservation advice. I might start with <a href="http://www.johnjones.co.uk">www.johnjones.co.uk</a> who know a lot about mounting and conservation, which they carry out for museums. I might also try the curators at one or two of the bigger museums - eg Victoria & Albert in London - who probably have to play this game a lot, or the National Media Museum in Bradford that has a huge photographic archive. I'd bet that few of the items they get donated are in ideal archival shape when they come in.</p>

<p>re the prospect of mounting the print to an aluminum backing: </p>

<p>I used to dry-mount a lot of my RC prints back in the 70's. The resin coating didn't completely protect the paper from the backing (including the dry-mount tissue). It seems the exposure of the cut edges of the photographic paper was all the exposure needed for the dry-mount tissue to yellow the prints (slightly) to approx 1/4" from the edges. And once stuck, those prints weren't coming off gracefully. </p>

<p>Many years later, I got a very nicely printed sheepskin diploma and had it professionally framed. To my horror, they dry-mounted it on foam-core. I "went with it," on the assurance that the materials were all acid-free. Eventually the foam-core warped, so that the diploma was pulled about 1/2" away from the non-glare glass, making the document unreadable. I corrected it by backing the foam-core with 1/4" plywood. The framed document weighs a ton, but at least it's flat. </p>

<p>I'm no authority on archival techniques, but I think affixing the prints to anything is the wrong way to go. If anything goes wrong, it's hard to reverse!</p>