Answered by Amy Kearns, Manager of Worldwide Product Planning and Marketing Strategy, Supplies Business Group, Xerox Corporation

Question:
What is the benefit of using acid-free paper? When should I spec it?

L.J.

Answer:
Acid Free papers (made under what is referred to usually as alkaline paper making conditions) have one major benefit over non-acid free papers (made under acidic paper making conditions). This benefit relates to archival properties.

Acid papers typically have a relatively short life as the acidity in the sheet, what remains after the paper manufacturing process, degrades the product. Acid papers tend to lose strength, become brittle and turn yellow with time. Alkaline sheets (acid free), in contrast, should last several hundred years if stored under proper conditions.

You should spec acid-free papers for any print job that requires a long “shelf life.”

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