Have you ever heard someone talk about archival paper?

As a beginning photographer, I had no idea what that meant or if it was important.  It is essential.   Have you ever seen family photos that are faded or yellowing, or worse, both?  This is because of the quality of the paper.  When you go to have someone print your pictures from your camera, it is rarely on archival paper. 

Archival paper is more expensive, but in the long run, it is well worth considering.  Archival paper is usually acid-free and is made from natural fibers, such as cotton.  These things help keep that photograph looking as good as it did when you had it printed or purchased from a professional photographer.

When deciding on a paper, you can ask if the paper is archival or look closely when you have pictures processed for you to see if they use archival paper.  I print all of my work on archival paper and store paper with acid-free boxes so that there is no degradation of the paper I use.  

For more information, please visit the Printful Glossary.