Do you want to sort, organize, and store your photo collection using safe, archival materials? We have many options for that and if you’re just getting started, you might want to read Boxes Versus Binders and How to Store Old Photos. But if your goal is to do it as inexpensively as possible, this might be the kit for you. Our 4 x 6 Budget Kit provides safe, acid-free photo storage for snapshots. It’s also great for storing postcard collections!
Basic Steps for Photo Preservation
- Move photos out of the danger zone – basements, attics, and garages. For more info see Agents of Deterioration.
- Remove them from harmful storage environments when possible. These would include: cardboard boxes (acids in these boxes can harm photos), vinyl binders (vinyl or PVC is a bad plastic for storage – avoid it!), and magnetic photo albums (also an acidic environment).
- Put them into archival boxes or binders. Archival means acid-free, lignin-free, and sometimes buffered. Look for detailed product specifications and that it passed the PAT (Photographic Activity Test). All of our boxes and binders are made with acid-free, lignin-free, buffered board and paper. Buffering with calcium carbonate makes the paper slightly alkaline and this helps scavenge acids from the storage environment.
- Move them to an area that is climate controlled and out of direct sunlight.
Storing Snapshots
In the example above most of the prints are the common 4 x 6 format, but one stack is comprised of 3-1/2 x 5 prints. Snapshots printed in the 20th century came in a variety of sizes and papers. Many of them were smaller than 4 x 6. You could store different sized prints in this kit if desired.
The kit includes 50 pieces of our White Card Stock cut to 4-3/8 x 6-1/4 so that they fit perfectly inside the Short Top Box whose inside measurement is 6-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 4-1/2″ H. A stack of 100 4 x 6 photos is about one inch thick so this box could hold up to 1,050 prints. A stack of 60 pieces of card stock is equal to one inch so depending on how many you use as dividers the print capacity will go down a bit. If you are sorting and labeling dividers by rolls, you could fit about 27 rolls of 36 exposures and 41 rolls of 24 exposures in one kit.
Additional Items You Might Use
Interleaving means putting paper between photos or album pages as added protection. It is generally unnecessary to interleave your snapshots if they are in good condition (ie: not dirty, sticky, crumbly, etc). If you plan to take your photos out of the box to look at them periodically, interleaving would be pretty inconvenient. If you’re just storing them long-term it would add more work but more protection.
The Archival Thin Paper – Unbuffered is a very thin paper that works well for interleaving. But if you want a buffered paper that is a bit thinner and less expensive you could opt for the Buffered Tissue. Most of our papers are sold in packages of 100 but the tissue comes in packs of 480.
Example of storing 4 x 6 photos back-to-back in an archival 3-Sided Sleeve
Another option would be to use 3-Sided Sleeves to isolate one (or two back-to-back) photos. 3-Sided Sleeves are made of safe polypropylene. You can use them to separate prints that might have residue or dirt on them. If you want to write information on the back of your photos, use a 4B or 6B Graphite Pencil which works well on resin-coated photo paper. The sleeve also protects the prints during handling. When handling your collection, you should wear gloves to protect your photos from naturally occurring oils on your skin.
Sleeves combined with card stock inserts can also be used as a support for smaller photo formats. This gives you space to write a caption for the photo. Use a #2 pencil or archival pen like our Sakura Micron Pens. These pens are also good for writing on your dividers and box label because the ink will not fade.
Choose Archival
The 4 x 6 Budget Kit comes with a package of 50 pieces of Card Stock. They are acid-free, lignin-free, and buffered. If you don’t use them all you could buy another Short Top Box (04-003-GY) and store more photos or postcards!
We are only offering this kit in one color – our Gray Short Top Box. If you prefer black or tan, order the components separately. If you want an Adhesive Back Label they are sold in packages of twenty.
I’d like to thank our Photo Manager friend, Kristen Goodman, for igniting the idea for this new kit. When I found out she uses our 5 x 7 Card Stock as dividers, I thought why not create a new card stock size to fit into our popular 4 x 6 box. Thanks, Kristen!
Please contact us if you have any questions about your preservation project or our products. We’re happy to help!
