Archival permanence and durability – Paper and archive materials

At RISE, we specialize in testing paper, as well as writing and printing on paper, drawing on our extensive experience. Our expertise primarily focuses on assessing the archival permanence and durability of these products. When stored under archival conditions, these materials will endure well into the future.

AI-generated picture in Copilot of an old paper with writing.

Background

The evaluation of materials used to produce archival documents for long-term storage has been conducted since the early 1900s. Initially, this activity was carried out at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and later transferred to the National Swedish Authority for Testing, Inspection and Metrology (SP), which has now merged with several institutes to form RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.

Initially, the focus was solely on paper. However, as new materials for writing and printing emerged, SP developed methods to evaluate the permanence and durability of writing and printing in combination with the paper. Today, in addition to the paper itself, the permanence and durability of writing and printing from pens, stamps, and printers are also evaluated.

Permanence can be defined as the ability to remain unchanged in chemical and physical properties over a long period. Naturally, all materials age, but permanent materials remain functional for a long time. When discussing archival documents, we refer to records that can be stored in protected environments for extended periods, potentially several hundred years. Evaluating long-term properties is one of our specialties, and accelerated ageing is an invaluable tool in assessing permanence and durability.

Paper is tested according to ISO 9706 (permanent paper) and ISO 11108 (archival paper). Archival paper is both permanent and durable, making it more robust than permanent paper and preferable for documents that will be retrieved and handled in the future. According to the National Archives' regulations (RA-FS 2006:4), one of these two types of paper should be used in combination with an archival writing and printing material tested according to ISO 11798 to achieve permanent documents.

Self-adhesive labels are used by archives to label archive boxes and other types of storage media. These labels must also maintain their functionality, particularly their adhesion and the readability of the writing on the label. Currently, there is no ISO standard or certification in this area.

In addition to the permanence and durability of paper, the stability of paper for general graphic applications can also be tested (ISO 20494). Such paper is not intended for long-term storage in an archive but should retain its functionality and durability under normal use (such as newspapers, brochures, catalogs, books, office prints, etc.).

AI-generated picture in Copilot of papers samples in a laboratory.

Testing

Our experts conduct testing, evaluation, and certification of the archival durability of writing materials in accordance with international and national standards and other specifications.

For permanent paper and archival permanent and durable paper (ISO 9706 and ISO 11108), we test kappa number, pH, alkaline reserve, grammage, and tearing strength. For archival paper, fold strength is also tested. For the archival permanence and durability of writing and printing on such paper (ISO 11798), we test lightfastness, heat resistance, water resistance, tendency to transfer recording, abrasion resistance, and mechanical properties.

For self-adhesive labels intended for archive boxes and other types of storage media, testing is conducted according to RA-FS 2006:4, Appendix 3. The tests include writability, appearance, adhesion properties, change in optical density during ageing, water resistance, and abrasion resistance.

Certification

The easiest way to verify that the correct materials are used according to the National Archives' regulations (RA-FS 2006:4) is to choose certified products. RISE performs both testing and issues certificates according to RISE certification rules SPCR 004, including compliance with RA-FS 2006:4 for archival materials. Certified products are listed, see the link on the right side of the page.

Archival-approved materials may be marked with the RISE certification mark and "Svcenskt arkiv".

Currently, there is no certification for file covers, archive boxes, self-adhesive labels, and paper stability.