General care of prints
Prints should only be handled with clean hands or paper tabs. The paper should be kept flat, grasped by the thumb and fingers at opposite edges or corners in a way that will not cause the paper to buckle. Loose prints should never be rolled for prolonged storage. Prints rolled in tubes for mailing should be flattened as soon as possible. Unframed prints should be stored with archival interleaving (such as glassine) in metal storage cabinets or special solander boxes. Prints should never be in direct contact with paper or paper products with an acid content such as cardboard or newsprint.
Framing
Prints should be mounted only on archival rag backing board with neutral pH. Special archival tapes (hinges) and adhesives should be used for mounting. The print should never be placed in direct contact with glass or Plexiglas.
Environmental conditions
The humidity of the area where the print is to be displayed or stored should be considered. High humidity may promote the growth of mold and cause foxing, small dark spots of discoloration. If humidity is too low, the paper may become brittle. Significant changes from low to high humidity can cause paper to buckle as the paper expands and contracts. Dust and pollution affect all works of art.
Strong light has serious effects on prints. Ultraviolet light is the most damaging and may cause colors to change or fade. Placing framed prints away from direct or strong indirect light and using UF3 Plexiglas in place of regular glass to filter out harmful rays will greatly reduce damage.
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