What happens if you use non-acid-free paper?

Seeing Henri Jean's screwup thread, it just donned on me that the layout I finished last night contained one piece of paper that's not acid-free. Well, I don't know if it's acid-free or not. It's my son's hospital card. I think it's just a regular cardstock, so it could be safe.

But anyway, what if it's not acid-free? There's no photo on the layout, just the card and the hospital bracelets, and it's in a page protector. Should I be worried about it?

I would think you would be fine. At worst, I think it will just yellow a bit.

The papers I was trying to spray with Make it Acid Free were thin momento papers that wouldn't hold up.

I've used commercial cards in my scrapbooks and they seem to be holding up fine. But now I do spray them but it isn't always necessary. It just gives me piece of mind.

I think the main issue is whether or not a photo is touching it. And I do have some very old photos that are so ruined and faded becuase they were on non-acid free backgrounds.

My oldest son wants all my scrapbooks someday and I journal and research a lot so are full of photos and history of other countries and my granddauther will probably use some for school. So for those books I'm very careful. They will be passed down in the family.

I wouldn't be worried.

I don't think you have to worry. But there is a pen that you can purchase that lets you know the PH level of things. If its a certain number then you know it's harmful to your layout. I would try that to make sure. Remember we all learn something everyday. This is just a little learning experience for you.. LOL

I've heard of the pens. Where do you by them?

You go to jail. Directly to jail, do not pass GO and do not collect $200.

Seriously, paper and pictures might fade a little wacky, go a little yellow, become a little brittle.

FYI, acid does travel so even if you are "safe" and put a photo far away from something acidic on the page, it will eventually make it's way through the rest of the paper and touch the photo. There are buffered papers (made with calcium carbonate iirc) that stop the acid from traveling. Once upon a time all of Creative Memories cardstock was buffered. I'm not sure if this is still the case or not.

in 100 years, it might be a bit crumbly or yellowed.

I am only REALLY concerned if I am scrapping something vastly important,,otherwise, I try to limit my acid, but if it happens, it happens.

I figure if I make 500 LO's before I die (I don't scrap much, I'm mostly a card maker),,,,,

and 250 of them survive 100 years,,,,,,,

I'll be very happy,,where ever I am LOL

Ok, now I feel better. I really don't want to have to spray on all paper that's not marked "acid-free".

I don't want to go to acid jail either.

THE WORLD ENDS.

Don't be a world-ender!

acid jail is scary! they don't allow paper trimmers there! :shock:

And you know this how, oh mistress of the commas???

• CommaHolly Said:

that's right. no trimmers and only decorative scissors.

• yelppuppy Said:

I did a LO with my daughter's hospital card. I didn't use a photo but the card is 24 years old and not yellow in the least so does that mean it's acid free?

I have a distant relative that was an original photographer when they took days to take. Or seemed like it.

Many of those photos have lasted for a bajillion years in cardboard boxes, wrapped in newspaper.

Do I keep an eye on what I use? Yep. Am I OCD about it? Nope.

anywhere that relegates you to ONLY deco scissors goes beyond jail,,,,,,,,


that's hell right there.

• moxiegirl23 Said:

I've been threatened with it! abuse, I tell ya!

• CommaHolly Said:

The 8th circle of scrap hell.

Didn't know "hell" was an allowed word here. I'm less offended by other words that are bleeped.

Learn something new every day.

Ok guys you have to put warnings on these posts I'm sneaking from work and I just about spit soda all over my keyboard and ended up sucking it downthe wrong way.

Not good at work

• scraprabbit Said:

sorry, sarah, didn't mean to offend. I meant hell as in a very bad place, not as a swear word.

• CommaHolly Said:

Oh no, I wasn't offended at all. Just that I thought more people could possibly be offended by it (or it could be used more offensively) than other words, such as c rap.

• scraprabbit Said:

... and yesterday I learned you can say "********" Now that could be dangerous here!

edited to add: I swear I saw it yesterday

• Lunie2nz Said:

Well, some write that with a ! instead of an i to make it come through. (When I quote your post I can see what you wrote.)

Hi everyone! I'm very new here. I was trying to find out some info on acid-free (or not) card stock. I recently just started making homemade journals and for my envelopes and postcards and all that nice fun stuff I use card stock. Well, today I just found out that the card stock I used in my last three journals was in fact NOT acid-free. What's going to happen? I used the card stock to run through the photocopier with printed images etc. Will they just turn yellowish or are they going to ruin other things inside the journal. I don't have any photos in there, just some tea dyed paper etc.

Hi and welcome!

Probably nothing will happen! Acid-free is a bit of a bone of contention actually. Yes, acid in papers and card-stock will eventually degrade photos, but most photos themselves are acidic anyway. If you haven't got any valuable, vintage photos, then personally I wouldn't be worrying. The yellowing comes from the paper's lignin content, not the acid.

Any ephemera (receipts, leaflets, ticket stubs, postcards, flyers, posters) will be unlikely to be acid-free or lignin-free - they will yellow before your papers will. Tea-dyed? Tea is also acidic - up to pH4.9.

If your journals are intended to be handed down as heirlooms, then I would think about using acid and lignin free materials. If they are memories for yourself only, then they should see you out as they are!

You can get an inexpensive pH tester pen if you want to go down the heirloom route: https://www.scrapbook.com/store/ac-1204-1.html

Have fun!

I buy cans of "Make it Acid Free" spray for my scrapbook memorabilia and lightly spray - both sides if possible. Some of things got glued in before I discovered the product so I couldn't only spray one side.

I can't stand the yellowing and fading - really drives me crazy so I do treat it first. I did books in 1969 when my husband and I were dating and I finally threw them all away and took out the best photos and paid a lot to have them recolored. The pages were just too ruined and yellowed.

For brochures and things, I also color copied many of them on good paper, but I'm not sure if the ink was archival safe - probably not.

I order several cans of Make it Acid Free at a time about once every 3-4 years.