Stability of Mount Boards and Other Paper Products Used with Photographs

lasting than others, the stability requirements for boards and papers will vary correspondingly. With color materials, both the type of print and whether or not it will be subjected to light fading during prolonged display will determine the stability requirements of the mount board. With Ilford Ilfochrome prints (called Cibachrome prints, 1963–1991), Kodak Dye Transfer prints, and Fuji Dyecolor prints — which should remain in excellent condition for many hundreds of years when stored in the dark, but which will have a much shorter life if displayed — the intended use of a print will strongly influence the stability requirements of the board chosen to mount it. On the other hand, UltraStable Permanent Color prints (introduced in 1991) and Polaroid Permanent-Color prints (introduced in 1989), both of which are made with extremely stable color pigments instead of the far less stable organic dyes used with other types of color photographs, and properly processed fiber-base black-andwhite prints that have been treated with Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner or a sulfiding toner, can be expected to have an exceedingly long life either if exposed to light on display or if kept in the dark. Only the most stable boards and other materials should be chosen to mount these prints. Physical stability requirements include the following: a mount board must maintain sufficient strength and stiffness to properly support and protect a print throughout its expected life; an interleaving paper must retain its smoothness and flexibility; and a storage envelope must have great folding endurance to withstand repeated opening and closing without breaking.