• FAQ's – Board and Paper

    Q: What’s the difference between the Museum Board and the Conservation Board? Both types of these boards are acid-free, lignin-free, buffered, and archival-quality, but they’re designed for different levels of preservation and use.
    • Museum Board from Archival Methods is made from 100% cotton fiber. It’s the highest-grade board they offer and is completely free of wood pulp, lignin, and impurities.
      • Museum Board is typically used for:
      • Framing valuable or irreplaceable artwork
      • Photographs, prints, and drawings intended for long-term display
      • Items that require the highest conservation standard
    • Conservation Board is also archival and acid-free, but it is made from purified wood pulp rather than 100% cotton. It still provides excellent protection at a lower cost.
      • Conservation Board is a good choice for:
      • Archival storage inside boxes or flat files
      • Supporting documents or artwork that won’t be framed
      • Collections where cost efficiency matters
      Choose Museum Board for premium framing and display, and Conservation Board for reliable archival support and storage.
    Q: Is interleaving paper better than tissue for separating prints? Our tissue and papers are all archival, but they serve slightly different purposes.
    • Interleaving Papers are heavier and more substantial than tissue. They provide added structure and protection, making them ideal when used to interleave prints.
      • Interleaving paper works best for:
      • Separating photographic prints stored in archival boxes
      • Separating documents or prints stored together in a folder
      • Situations where added rigidity helps protect the artwork
    • Archival Tissue is thinner and more flexible. It’s often used when wrapping items or padding folds, rather than creating rigid separation.
      • Tissue is great for:
      • Wrapping textiles and objects
      • Padding textiles or garments
      • Providing gentle cushioning without bulk
      • Interleaving vintage scrapbooks, photo albums, or illustrated book pages
      If your goal is to keep prints flat and separated inside a box, interleaving paper is usually the better choice. If you need a soft wrap or flexible layer, archival tissue is the right tool.
    Q: What’s the difference between buffered and unbuffered archival paper — and which one do I need? The difference comes down to whether the paper contains an alkaline buffer to help neutralize acids over time.
    • Buffered Paper (pH ~8.0–9.0) — Best for:
      • Artwork on paper
      • Most photographs in modern processes
      • Newspapers & acidic wood-pulp paper
      • Books & ephemera
    • Unbuffered Paper (pH ~6.5–7.5) — Best for:
      • Some early photographic processes, including:
        • Cyanotypes (blueprints)
        • Dye transfer prints
        • Albumen photographs
        • Certain historic silver gelatin prints (depending on treatment)
      • Textiles - plant-based fabric can be stored with either but animal-based textiles need unbuffered
      • Protein-based materials, including:
        • Leather, suede, silk, and wool
        • Vellum, parchment, and leather book covers
        • Feathers, bones, and natural history specimens

100% Cotton Mat Board

Conservation Mat Board

Paper & Tissue

Pre-Cut Window Mats

Custom Window Mats

Corners & Tape