Printed photos are memories you can hold in your hands. To keep them pleasing to the eye for many years, however, you need to ensure proper storage conditions. Sunlight, moisture, dust, and unsuitable materials can gradually ruin even the best prints. Fortunately, a few simple rules are enough to preserve your photographs' colours and sharpness for decades.
The Biggest Threats to Prints
The greatest enemy of printed photos is direct sunlight. UV rays cause colours to fade, especially shades of red and yellow. This is why framed photos should be hung away from south-facing windows, or placed in frames with UV-protective glass. The second serious threat is moisture. Storing prints in a basement or bathroom is a sure path to stains and paper warping. The best conditions are a dry, cool room with a stable temperature.
How to Properly Store Photos
Prints that are not hanging on the wall are best kept in photo albums with acid-free inserts or in special archival boxes. It is important to avoid cheap plastic-sleeve albums where prints can stick to the plastic cover. You should also avoid touching the surface of photos with your fingers, as skin oils leave marks that become visible over time. When handling prints, hold them by the edges.
It is also good practice to make copies of the most important photos. If you have particularly precious prints, it is worth ordering duplicates and storing them in a separate location. Photo prints made on professional photographic paper are inherently more durable than prints from a home printer, so it pays to invest in quality, especially for photographs that truly matter to you. Properly stored prints on good paper can last over a hundred years without visible loss of quality.
