Acid-free, acid-free, acid-free. It’s everywhere these days in the art world. Art supplies with this label cost more too. Why is that? Why do we have this big push in the art world to be acid-free? If you’re wondering about that, then you’ve come to the right place because that’s what we’re talking about today.
The best way to show you how important acid-free is in art is to show you what happens to art long-term when acid is present. It isn’t pretty.
Take a good look at these two photos above. One is the original: aged, tattered, discolored. The other is a digital restoration job I did a few years ago to bring this photo back to its original state before the ravages of time and acid took their toll.
The photographer printed the original photo on paper full of acid. People created it long before they knew what kind of long term effect such materials had on art and photography. The effects are discoloration, fading, and deterioration. The original copy of this photo will fall apart in a few years. Without the restoration work, we would lose it forever.
When the art world finally realized what was happening to art long-term because of acid in art mediums, they started seeking ways to keep their efforts of expression and beauty around for years and generations to come. Some art is meant for short-term enjoyment. However, visual arts (like photography) are not meant to be temporary. This is why acid-free became so big.
Acid-free in art prevents the deterioration and discoloration which comes slowly over time. This means that any visual wall art you buy which is made with acid-free materials will last much longer than the photo above did and be in far better shape as well. The colors will remain vibrant and true to life. The medium, whether paper or canvas, will remain in good shape and strong for years to come.
Now, making sure that your art will last much longer than before does not come without drawbacks. The biggest drawback is the price tag. It took research to find out what was causing this problem and how to remove the acid from art supplies.
It takes extra effort to create art supplies which will not become time bombs in a few decades thanks to embedded acid. Thanks to the extra steps required to create these special art supplies, the price tag attached to them went up. However, if your art really means something to you, you won’t mind a slightly inflated price tag if it means you can have your art last for hundreds of years rather than a few decades like the photo up top.
Here at Cramer Imaging, we use archival quality paper for our fine art prints. Archival paper incorporates the acid-free quality we know you now want in all your fine art and your photo prints. You can rest assured knowing that we want your fine art prints to last for generations to come and we’ve already taken the necessary steps to ensure that for you.
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