How to store printouts/photos/newspaper cuttings?

[Velma]

I have a qeuery about storing family history. I have no original certificates – 80% of my information has come from ScotlandsPeople and consists of printed copies of the certificates I’ve downloaded: the other 20% is photocopies of documents and certificates passed onto me by other family members.

I know that photos and original certificates should be stored in acid free environments – but what about printouts of computer generated images such as those from ScotlandsPeople?

Also what about magazine articles and newspaper cuttings – how should they be kept?
Thanks Velma

[Russell]

Hi Velma and welcome to TalkingScot.

This is a topic that has come up quite a few times and there are as many answers to your storage question as there are genealogists - at least that is the impression I get. I have been gathering print-outs from scotlandspeople for quite a few years now and storing them in plastic pockets in lever arch files and so far have noticed no degradation in the print quality, nor has the print stuck to the plastic as it used to with photocopies from he older machines.
So far I have not located a reasonably priced source of acid free storage for BDM originals so I photocopy them for the appropriate family lever arch file and store the originals carefully in document boxes. I have scanned in all (well nearly all!) of the old family photographs and store the originals in the same way. Not ideal but it keeps them safe until a better method comes along.
Newspaper clippings are a bit of a problem as the paper they were printed on was not designed to have a long life-span anyway. It doesn't seem to matter what you do, they begin to discolour and become brittle so again I photocopy and store them with other original documents.
Some of our members have been able to locate acid free storage systems but I'm out in the country away from easy sources of supply.

No doubt you will get a couple of other contributions soon

Russell

[AndrewP]

I have been gathering print-outs from scotlandspeople for quite a few years now and storing them in plastic pockets in lever arch files and so far have noticed no degradation in the print quality, nor has the print stuck to the plastic as it used to with photocopies from he older machines.

That may be the case if it is printed on an inkjet printer. I suspect that laser prints will end out sticking to the plactic pockets in the fulness of time.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Tracey]

Velma depending on what part of the world you are in, there is a web site called familytreefolk that appears to have lots of acid free storage ideas (at what i think seems reasonably priced if i were to buy from it but as you cant pay via Paypal i wont be !). There may be a lot more finds on google.

I know that photos and original certificates should be stored in acid free environments – but what about printouts of computer generated images such as those from ScotlandsPeople?

A4 acid free paper could be the answer - as for the ink ? dont now how that may fade.