Preserving Your Prints: Professional Tips for Handling, Displaying, and Storing Printed Materials

Printed materials—from business cards and brochures to posters and banners—are essential tools for building a brand and communicating your message. However, preserving their quality over time requires careful handling, thoughtful display, and proper storage. Here, we’ll provide you with essential tips to help ensure your print materials remain pristine and professional for as long as possible.

 

1. Handle Prints with Care

Proper handling is the first step in maintaining print quality. From fingerprints to accidental creasing, there are several ways printed materials can be damaged if not handled properly.

• Tip: Always handle prints by their edges, especially if they have a glossy or matte finish. This avoids smudges, fingerprints, and unwanted stains.
• Avoid: Handling prints with dirty or oily hands. For high-value prints, consider wearing gloves to prevent direct contact with the material’s surface.

2. Protect Prints During Transport

Transportation can be a significant source of wear and tear on printed materials. Whether you’re moving a batch of flyers to an event or delivering a poster to a client, protecting your materials during transit is crucial.

• Tip: Use protective folders, flat mailers, or rigid tubes for transportation. Adding a cardboard insert or bubble wrap provides extra cushioning for delicate or large items.
• Avoid: Stacking heavy objects on top of prints during transit, which can cause bending, creasing, or tearing.

3. Store Prints in a Cool, Dry Environment

The environment where you store your prints has a major impact on their longevity. Humidity, temperature, and sunlight all play roles in how well materials hold up over time.

• Tip: Store prints in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight, ideally in a climate-controlled space. High humidity can cause warping, while direct sunlight can lead to fading.
• Avoid: Keeping prints in areas prone to temperature fluctuations, such as basements, attics, or near windows. Exposure to heat or moisture can degrade the ink and paper quality.

4. Display Prints with UV Protection

For prints that will be displayed, especially in areas with lots of natural light, UV protection is essential. UV rays are one of the biggest causes of fading and discoloration.

• Tip: Frame prints with UV-protective glass or acrylic to shield them from harmful sunlight. If displaying posters without frames, try placing them in a location that receives minimal direct sunlight.
• Avoid: Hanging prints in direct sunlight without UV protection. Unprotected prints may fade and lose vibrancy over time.

5. Laminate or Coat for Extra Durability

For materials that will see frequent handling—such as menus, handouts, or reference materials—lamination or coating can add an extra layer of protection against wear and tear.

• Tip: Use matte or gloss lamination for added durability, making prints resistant to water, scratches, and frequent handling. Laminated items are easier to clean, too.
• Avoid: Using lamination for materials that need to remain flexible or foldable, as it may cause cracking or peeling along the folds over time.

6. Choose Appropriate Storage Containers

Storage containers play a key role in preserving print quality, especially for items you need to access periodically. Using the right containers can help prevent damage from dust, moisture, and accidental bending.

• Tip: Use acid-free storage boxes, portfolios, or folders to keep prints safe. Acid-free materials help prevent yellowing and deterioration over time, especially for archival materials.
• Avoid: Plastic containers that aren’t designed for print storage, as some plastics can emit chemicals that degrade paper quality. Be cautious with materials that may trap moisture inside.

7. Rotate Displayed Prints Periodically

If you have a rotating collection of displayed materials, consider swapping them out occasionally. This practice helps protect the prints from prolonged exposure to environmental factors, especially sunlight.

• Tip: Rotate prints seasonally or periodically to minimize exposure to environmental stress. Not only does this help preserve print quality, but it also keeps your display fresh and engaging.
• Avoid: Leaving the same prints on display in high-light or high-traffic areas for extended periods without protection, as this can lead to significant wear.

8. Keep a Digital Backup

Even with the best storage and display practices, prints can still be vulnerable to accidents. Having a digital backup allows you to reproduce the material in case of damage or loss.

• Tip: Store high-resolution digital versions of all critical prints on a secure drive or cloud storage. This backup can be invaluable if a reprint is ever needed.
• Avoid: Relying solely on physical copies without a backup. While it might not seem necessary initially, it can save time and effort in the future.