Archival Solution of the Week | Archival Crystal Clear Bags

Our archival Crystal Clear Bags are a great solution for safely storing and protecting matted and unmatted prints, photographs, artwork, documents, letters, genealogy materials, magazines, comic books, collectibles, and practically any other flat materials you can think of!

crystal clear bags
An old grade school diploma from the family genealogy archive safely stored in a resealable Archival Methods Crystal Clear Bag.

The words “crystal clear” are included in this bag’s name for reason, as these strong resealable archival bags are as clear as glass, and will allow you to see both sides of your irreplaceable materials during handling, display and storage. 

crystal clear bags
These important family letters and documents are being stored in Crystal Clear Bags for easy, resealable access and long-term archival protection. You can purchase Archival White Card Stock to use as backing boards, if desired.
crystal clear bags
A matted drawing in a Crystal Clear Bag is safe to handle and store indefinitely, and can be reopened and resealed time and time again. 

Archival Crystal Clear Bags: The Specs

Our Crystal Clear Bags are made of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP for short), which features excellent clarity and a low electrostatic charge so as to minimize static attraction to dust. They are completely acid-free and inert, and will not “outgas” any of the harmful plasticizers that are sometimes used in the manufacture of non-archival bags.

All this makes our Crystal Clear Bags perfect for both everyday handling and long-term archival storage.

crystal clear bags

Each bag is sealed on three sides and opens on the short side with a 1-1/2” flap. In terms of easy access and safe reusability, Archival Methods’ Crystal Clear Bags have a protective adhesive closure strip located on the body of the bag itself, not on the flap. This adhesive placement is important because when the contents are removed or re-inserted there is less chance of the artwork sticking to the adhesive strip. Many bargain brands have their adhesive strip on the flap, which inevitably sticks to your materials and will often damage them.

crystal clear bags

Archival Methods’ Crystal Clear Bags are available in many sizes to meet your needs. These high-quality bags are sized to accommodate the common thicknesses of matted prints or multiple unmatted prints. Bags up to 11 x 14″ will accommodate 3/16″ in thickness, and bags 12 x 16″ and larger will accommodate 3/8″ in thickness.

Whether you’re looking to archivally preserve your materials in long-term storage, or have safe and easy access to them for everyday use, our economical, resealable, museum-quality Crystal Clear Bags are an excellent choice for whatever flat materials you have!

Contact Us

If you have any additional questions on preserving your collections, or would you like more information on any of our museum-quality archival storage and presentation materials, please contact us here at Archival Methods. We’re always there to help with any archiving, storage, or presentation questions you may have.