Acid free archival paper can last more than 1000 years and is used in situations where art or documents require a longer life without becoming yellow or breaking down. It's also used commonly in the long term archival storage of art, documents and textiles.
Pure cellulose is white, and the paper made from it will be white and will resist yellowing. Lignin eventually turns paper yellow because of oxidation. That is, the lignin molecules, when exposed to oxygen in the air, begin to change and become less stable. The lignin will absorb more light, giving off a darker color.
Proper storage is your biggest ally in keeping paper from yellowing. Storing your artwork away from light, where it's cool and dry can drastically extend the life of even newsprint.
With paper, it all comes back to the fact that it's made from wood, which contains the substance lignin. When the molecules responsible for color (chromophores) in lignin are exposed to air and sunlight, they become less stable, causing them to absorb more light, gradually darkening the paper from white to yellow.
Acid-free paper is designed to last for centuries. Due to its construction, it will not yellow with age and won't get brittle in the same way that paper with a higher degree of acidity can over time.
If you want to restore the pristine condition of a book that has yellowed, you have two options. You could apply an expensive and delicate process of bleaching individual pages by immersing them in a chemical solution. Or, you could take steps to prevent the yellowing in the first place.
Archival paper is an especially permanent, durable acid-free paper. Archival paper is meant to be used for publications of high legal, historical, or significant value.
From a quality standpoint, no other fiber yields paper with such a luxurious feel and unique texture. This becomes obvious to you (and your client) the moment your fingers touch the surface. What's more, cotton paper is much stronger than wood-pulp based papers and won't yellow over time.
During the manufacturing process, this fine wood pulp is bleached or dyed further to create its final white or coloured finish. The process can also involve the blending of different pulps to create varied textures, weights, strengths and smoothness in the finished stock.
Well, it's basic science, you see. Paper is made out of wood that consists of cellulose and the wood component lignin. Now, lignin and cellulose, both the components are prone to oxidation. And oxidation, in turn, is responsible for the paper to turn yellow and eventually brown.
This is because paper contains tiny amounts of acid. This acid slowly breaks down the cellulose fibres in the paper which change the colour of paper from white to yellow. The reaction speeds up in sunlight and the paper may turn brown and become brittle.
While there are artist who use hairspray, it's not advisable because it can cause yellowing of the paper over time and over-spraying can cause the paper to become sticky.
Why do white clothes go yellow? White clothes can turn yellow due to a variety of factors, such as using too much detergent and fabric softener, oxygenation, deodorant stains, washing with well water or long-term storage.
They include the belief that yellow is easier on the eyes because it doesn't create as much glare as white, and thus, yellow paper was the obvious way to go. Others hypothesized that yellow paper was beneficial because it didn't show age like white paper.
You see, the reason most paper is so dazzling white is that it is bleached with chlorine at the pulp and paper mill. And among the byproducts of the chlorine bleaching process are hundreds of synthetic compounds called organochlorines.
Light yellow and light blue were found to be the paper colors that were the easiest to read off of. It could easily be read in all lighting conditions, and the effectiveness of the colors weren't diminished if someone wore tinted glasses (like I do).
Toilet paper has the color white because it's bleached. Without the bleach, the paper would be brownish in color. Companies do not invest in manufacturing coloured toilet paper because dying these lots would cost them more money. And this would eventually mean that toilet paper will become expensive.
Using too much bleach can also turn the paper yellow. For stains larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm), use a paper towel instead of a cotton swab.
In paper production, a high whiteness level is achieved by the use of highly bleached pulp together with high light scattering filler pigment.
Cotton papers are known for their purity, durability and permanence, making them very desirable for artists who want to create a fine art piece that will last.
100% Cotton Papers
Neenah has been making naturally strong and irresistibly soft cotton fiber papers for over a century. With their premium feel, subtle texture, and enduring resilience, NEENAH® Cotton Papers make an impact.
100% Cotton
It's bright and crisp, and there's none of that sponginess when I touch it. And while it's cold press watercolour paper like the other papers, it feels a little smoother, though this will depend on the brand you're using. Painting on it is also quite enjoyable!
Silk tissue paper is used to wrap sensitive objects and as filling or interleaving material. Silk tissue paper without an alkaline buffer, machine glazed single-sided, pH 7, acid-free and manufactured without the usage of optical brightening agents.
24lb, 100% Cotton Paper . This white paper is ACID-FREE and ARCHIVAL. It has a WATERMARK which is visible only when you shine a bright light behind the sheet. Archival paper has all the benefits of Acid-Free paper, except that it resists yellowing and brittleness even longer than ordinary Acid-Free paper.
Acid-free papers are made using alkaline paper making technology. This means the pH of the pulp that is used to form the paper is above 7 (neutral). The paper is also buffered with an alkaline reserve, such as calcium carbonate, to neutralize acid compounds absorbed from the atmosphere or formed through natural aging.