FAQ

Acid-free folders and boxes are storage products intended for long-term storage of books and documents, dedicated to the sector of archiving. They are made of specialist, certified acid-free paperboard and cardboard. This means that their pH value – unlike that of most kinds of ordinary board - is higher than 7.5. Thanks to that, they do not accelerate the degradation process of the archived records and ensure optimal environment for their long-term storage. You can find more information on acid-free storage products in the section “Why acid-free enclosures?”

According to ISO 9706 and ISO 16245 requirements, pH value of acid-free storage products should be between 7.5 and 10. All our products which we refer to as “acid-free” are characterised by pH value from this range. 

Degradation process of books and documents is mainly caused by acids. Acids break down cellulose fibres, and cellulose is the key ingredient of paper. Acid compounds found in the environment of the archived materials – such as archival boxes and folders or polluted air – are just as dangerous as those found in archived materials themselves. Acid-free storage products help create a safe environment for the archived records by separating them from the adverse conditions of close environment and thus slowing down the degradation process. 

All the acid-free materials dedicated to long-term storage of collections that we offer have appropriate certificates. We have our paper, paperboard and cardboard tested in an independent laboratory on a regular basis. You can find quality certificates of particular materials and selected products in the section Certificates. 

ISO 9706 and ISO 16245 are international quality standards applied in archiving sector. They define parameter requirements that must be complied with by a given material or a given storage product so that it is suitable for long-term storage of collections, e.g. pH value between 7.5 and 10, alkaline reserve content, etc. ISO 16245 standard additionally defines a number of criteria regarding the construction of a storage product: whether it is suitable and resistant to degradation caused by multiple opening and closing, whether it can sustain load of other boxes without collapsing, whether it can be stored in a stack, etc. 

The fact that our products comply with the very strict requirements of these standards is an independent proof of their top quality. 

PAT (Photographic Activity Test) is an independent specialist test of storage products for photographs. It has been developed in the United States. It is an accelerated aging test which helps discover potentially harmful chemical reactions that the tested storage product and the main components of photographic emulsion might come into. If a given material is awarded a PAT certificate, it means that it has passed the tests. If it then meets a few additional criteria (e.g. the right pH value), it can be safely used for long-term storage of photographs.

Please read our detailed instruction of How to provide measurements carefully. Should you have any doubts, please contact our sales department; our employees will provide any information and instructions you might need.

No, there is no minimum order amount in our store.

Yes, we complete small orders for private individuals, however, due to regulations regarding consumer rights, such orders cannot be placed via our online store but only through an arrangement by e-mail. Should you wish to place such an order, please e-mail your enquiry to us. 

Due to the character of our business (a high number of custom-made products, completing individual and non-standard orders), we only carry out remote sale of our products. We send all the orders by courier, which is why it only takes two business days from the completion of the order to the moment it is delivered to the client. You can order samples of our products free of charge – all you need to do is tick the “Sample” field in the table presenting a given product.  

You can also see our products at conferences for archivists and trade fairs.