How to prevent photos from turning yellow over time

Have you ever seen old photographs where the white parts have turned completely yellow? That usually starts with the edge of the image, and then, slowly but surely, all the photographs are tinted. While some might consider that charming (like a nostalgic sign of aging), other people want to preserve their images.

So let’s start by learning the reasons that turn prints yellowish, which will allow us to find the perfect way to keep your prints and photo albums.

Table of Contents

Which factors yellow your photos over time?

Let’s see who the culprit is!

Sun exposure: Direct sunlight exposure can damage prints due to UV (Ultraviolet Radiation).
High temperatures: Variation of temperature plays a huge mechanical effect of dilation/contraction of the paper. This can cause wrapping, breaking, or cracking, leaving small openings for molecules to impair the inside part of the paper. High temperatures can also accelerate the chemical reactions in photographs. For dye-printers (which use dry ink melted on the surface of the support), the pigments can melt and move due to high temperature. Extreme cold temperatures can cause the media to freeze and thus create physical degradation.
Moisture: Too much humidity has a mechanical effect. Photo paper expands and swells. It also has a chemical effect: layers of emulsions can stick together, leading to permanent damage. In extreme cases, too much moisture can also lead to the growth of mold and mildew. On the opposite end, in extremely dry environments photo paper can contract and crack. Pigment or other chemical elements in the top layer of the photograph can become brittle and fall.
Acidity: Acid has strong chemical power, and over time it will alter the composition of the photograph (fiber, ink and surface layers). Anything holding acid molecules in contact with photographs will affect your impressions. That can be the support used, but also tape, the framing, the conservation box, the ink, or just a date/note written on the back.
Molecules in the air: In addition to acid, there are many molecules (pollutants) in a home that can alter impressions, such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and even oxygen! Those pollutants come from the products you use to clean your home, if you smoke or have a chimney, from the street/neighborhood. They can cause yellowing, fading and degradation of inkjet prints.
Oil when manipulating long term: Our fingers contain oils (and acidity) that stay on the surface of the pages when we manipulate them. Oil can also come from cooking.
The nature of the printing: There are different types of technology and paper. Some containing fibers have a lot of lignin, which is a substance in wood pulp that naturally turns yellow!

Of course, the type of material and the printing technology will play a huge role. We will address that a bit later.

Best environment to store prints and albums and keep them from turning yellow?

How do you keep your pictures from turning yellow or, at least, minimize future yellowing?

You need an environment:

Sunlight free
With ideal moisture between 35% to 50%
With stable and constant temperature between 40°F to 72°F (4°C-22°C)
Acid-free
Oil-free
Smoke and pollutants free

Best places in your home to store prints for conservation

As a result, the smartest place in your home to ensure the safety of photographs (or a painting) is an opaque, hermetic and acid-free box in a closet in one of the following rooms.

A spare bedroom: If this one is rarely used and you open the windows each day, that should be fine.
An office room: Except if you spend 12 hours a day working in it
A library room
A storage room

And if you wonder why a closet is better, it’s because it has a more constant temperature and is shielded from sunlight.

Worst rooms in your home where you should never store photographs

Attic: Due to high variation of temperature and moisture
Garage: Due to high variation of temperature and pollutants in the air
Basement: If you have an old home, your basement probably has a high level of moisture during the summer which causes mold.
The kitchen and dining room: When you cook, heat and breathe, tons of molecules are liberated in the air that can create chemical reactions.
Living room with houseplants: Houseplants and their foliage are another culprit. Houseplants sweat through their foliage system. And the drainage system also creates water vapors.
Bedroom: When you breathe, the air can be slightly acidic. Over time, pictures turn yellow.
Bathroom and greenhouse: For obvious moisture issues.

How to protect your framed prints on the wall from aging

By now you should start to realize that, in the long term, you can’t really preserve exposed prints from aging. Nevertheless, you can delay the process with a few tips:

Use a clear case: Glass would help a bit by stopping exterior elements
Hang your frame away from the sun
Hang your frame away from the heater, chimney or the AC

Conclusion: Your home is not a museum!

If you live in a mansion or a big house, and if you can afford a museum room dedicated to conservation, where you can control all the environment (constant temperature and low level of moisture, plants, etc.), then your impressions will last forever.

But if you live in a small home (especially in countries with warm summers with lots of moisture and cold winters), then you must be very careful to secure your photographs. They are your family heirlooms.

Tips to protect your prints and wedding albums from aging?

The same storage rules apply for photo-books, and if you have an expensive wedding album, you want to make sure that it still looks good in the future. You don’t want the edge of the pages turning yellow. That’s especially true with the kinds of full-page layouts that we use!

So, now that you know in which room you should keep your precious photo-book (in a dark room, with constant humidity and constant temperature), it’s time to give you a few additional tips.

Wash your hands or use gloves

Human fingers are covered by natural oil and drops of sweat which are acidic. Therefore wash your hands, or better, wear gloves when manipulating photo albums!

Put your album in its box immediately after looking at it.

Some photo-book covers (such as the velvet cover)) are especially sensitive to dirt. You don’t want to drop coffee or some cookies on it. So, put it back in its box immediately after manipulating it.

Clean any dirt with acid-free tissue paper

The material we are using is pretty strong and can easily be cleaned. For that purpose, use acid-free tissue paper to take care of any dirt spots. Make sure it’s well dry before closing the page to avoid them sticking together. Indeed, this would tear apart the surface of the pages next time you open it.

Wear a mask if you are sick

If you are sick and sneezing, wear a mask. Your eyes might not see any drops immediately, but for sure, you don’t want any drops on the surface of the pages. That could change the colors.

Parents’ albums

If you are concerned about your parents’ book, you can find a box. Another option is to order a dedicated one through your photographer.

How does the quality of your photo paper impact the aging and fading color of your photographs?

We have learned what harms photographs and how to prevent colors from turning yellow. Let’s think about prevention. Let’s see different kinds of prints, and wonder which photo paper will last longer.

Polaroid

Polaroids are famous for their fading colors. They are made of several layers, and one of them is a light-sensitive silver halide crystals layer.

Inkjet papers

Inkjet paper is made from fiber that will absorb the ink. Some supports are called archival inkjet paper and are designed to last a century in optimal storage conditions.

The big issue with that is that most homes don’t present museum conditions (those need to conserve are expensive). And a paper designed to absorb ink is by nature designed to absorb moisture and other molecules in the air!

As a result, even if we see some layers of coating protection, we don’t think that inkjet paper is the most relevant choice of material for conservation.

Dye-print or thermal medias

Dye print is a printing process where solid ink is melted on the support. This one is usually made of a polyester material.

Stored in good conditions, impressions can last for numerous years. The only downside we see is that the top layer, not protected, can easily crack (and fall) or melt.

RC paper

RC paper (resin-coated) has been developed in the ’60s and has been improved through the years. It is composed of 4 layers:

A base layer: Usually a strong plastic
A resin coating layer: Made of polyethylene or polypropylene, it creates a smooth and uniform surface that will hold the colors
The ink-receiving layer: It’s a porous layer made of silica. During the developing process, it receives the pigments (from a chemical bath). At the end of the process, all the molecules that have not reacted are washed away.
A layer of plastic: It’s a strong layer of polyester with UV-absorbing treatment that covers the photographs.

Conclusion: Best photo paper and printing technology to choose for wedding albums

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the best kind of photo paper to be used in a wedding album is RC paper. Its composition won’t react as much to moisture and temperature variations. Its chemical components are already stabilized and physically protected between layers of plastic.

Its top layer of polyester with UV-absorbing treatment protects the image from any dirt (oils from fingers, etc.), and from the sun.

What’s more, it offers high dynamic range and superior resolution.

For all those reasons, we use Fujifilm media.

Other considerations

Be ready for unexpected events

In addition to normal aging reasons, unexpected events can destroy your precious heirlooms, such as:

Water damage in a home: Keep your protective case on a shelf, far away from water tubes.
Insect damage: Make sure your home has no insects.
Fire: Home fire burns everything.

Have a backup

It’s easy to digitize any image. Have copies on different computers located in different homes.

Photography restoration

If you have old precious photographs which are fading, you can have them restored.

Photographs are not unique like paintings

The good side of photography is its ability to be reproduced! We will be happy to offer a new framed image.