subject: Keep Photos From Fading [print this page] Photographs that you print for fun, to hang on bulletin boards, give out to your friends as fun little cards, or even just to hang on the fridge aren't necessarily meant to last forever. However, if you are looking to print out some photographs that you intend to keep for a long period of time you are going to have to make sure you take care of them properly to keep them from fading over time.
All photographs eventually fade as they age but there are ways to delay this process. First of all, you need to choose the correct paper for the task. You can use regular inkjet glossy paper for those photos to hang on your fridge but you'll want to get inkjet photo paper that is of archival quality when you want to print photographs that you want to hold onto for a long period of time.
Archival photo quality paper is treated with chemicals to help prevent fading. It may be more expensive in the short term, but it's certainly less expensive than perpetually buying photo paper to replace your faded images.
In addition to purchasing professional photo paper, you can also protect your photographs from fading in other ways. Keep your pictures out of direct sunlight. Nothing will make photos fade faster than constant, direct or indirect, exposure to sunlight and UV rays. Put your photos in places where the sun won't damage them or purchase frames that will block out the harmful and damaging UV rays of the sun.
If you aren't planning on hanging your photos on the wall in frames then the next best place to keep them is in photo books or binders. When you are storing your photographs this way make sure that you are keeping them on acid free paper. This will ensure that the paper you're mounting on won't damage or disintegrate the pictures you have inside.
Regardless of what the photograph is of, there is a reason you took it. You want to preserve that memory, that moment, for as long as you can. Printing on archival grade professional photo paper, keeping the picture out of the sun, and mounting onto acid-free books will definitely help you hold onto that visual recollection for as long as you can. You can also ensure that you'll have them around for a lot longer by scanning them into your computer so you can print them on regular glossy inkjet photo paper as many times as you would like or need!
