Editing Printmaking (section)

== Print preservation ==
[[File:Revenge (Revanche) MET DP838006.jpg|thumb|Bad [[foxing]] (brown spots) in an anti-German [[lithograph]] of 1895 by [[Adolphe Willette]]]] 
Modern prints on paper protected from the sun and moisture will last for centuries. Works on paper are highly sensitive to environmental factors and handling, making them susceptible to various condition issues.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Condition Guide to Works on Paper |url=https://geistmc.com/articles/a-condition-guide-to-works-on-paper/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Geist |language=en}}</ref> Prints made using newer alkaline and [[acid-free paper]] have a life expectancy of over 1,000 years for the best paper and 500 years for average grades. When it comes to older prints, the condition of a print largely depends on the technique used to make the paper. Prints that are several hundred years old may be in better condition than prints that are less than 50 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Deterioration and Preservation of Paper: Some Essential Facts - Collections Care - Resources (Preservation, Library of Congress)|url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/deterioratebrochure.html|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.loc.gov}}</ref>  Many older prints will yellow or brown over time owing to acids in the paper and any [[Mat (picture framing)|matting]] or backing papers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Condition Guide to Works on Paper |url=https://geistmc.com/articles/a-condition-guide-to-works-on-paper/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Geist |language=en}}</ref> 

[[Foxing]] is the appearance of brown spots or blotches in the paper, caused either by mold or chemical reactions. To preserve/restore older prints, washing, deacidification and treatment with stain reducing agents may be in order.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marianne|date=2017-12-16|title=Cleaning Stained and Yellowed Works of Art On Paper|url=http://mariannekelsey.com/2017/12/16/cleaning-stained-yellowed-works-art-paper/|access-date=2021-01-03|website=Marianne Kelsey Book and Paper Conservator Professional|language=en-US}}</ref> Prints in color are especially susceptible to damage from excessive light. Further, if the print is framed, ''archival'' or ''conservation'' grade picture mats are essential since acids within older or inexpensive matting will attack a print even if the print was produced using acid-free paper. Color prints can be susceptible to [[fading]] depending on the type of inks used. Lighting of sensitive prints should be limited to 50 [[lux]] (5 [[foot-candle]]s) or less and artificial lights can be equipped with [[UV filter|UV-filtering]] sleeves or tubes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Philadelphia Museum of Art - Research : Conservation|url=https://www.philamuseum.org/conservation/10.html?page=2|access-date=2021-01-04|website=www.philamuseum.org}}</ref>

Prints onto animal skins ([[vellum]]) should also be maintained at a [[Humidity control|humidity]] level between 25% and 40%.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marianne|date=2020-01-10|title=How to Care For Vellum and Parchment Documents|url=http://mariannekelsey.com/2020/01/10/how-to-care-for-vellum-and-parchment-documents/|access-date=2021-01-06|website=Marianne Kelsey Book and Paper Conservator Professional|language=en-US}}</ref> Prints onto silk are particularly sensitive to any light including camera flashes.<ref>{{cite web|date=2013-08-19|title=How do you preserve a 100-year-old piece of silk and woman suffrage history?|url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/08/how-do-you-preserve-a-100-year-old-piece-of-silk-and-woman-suffrage-history.html|access-date=2021-01-06|website=National Museum of American History}}</ref>

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