Paper testing – Permanent and archival paper (ISO 9706 and ISO 11108)
RISE tests paper for long-term storage in archives; permanent paper (ISO 9706) and archival paper (ISO 11108). Paper that meets the standards' requirements can be certified by RISE and be labeled with the mark "Svenskt arkiv". To create archival documents, permanent or archival paper is required along with permanent writing or printing (ISO 11798).
This service is also relevant in: Metrology
Service details
- Service
- Paper testing – Permanent paper (ISO 9706) and archival permanent and durable paper (ISO 1108)
- Standards
ISO 11108, Information and documentation - Archival paper - Requirements for permanence and durability
ISO 9706, Information and documentation - Paper for documents - Requirements for permanence
RA-FS 2006:4, Riksarkivets föreskrifter och allmänna råd om tekniska krav och certifiering
SPCR 004, Certification rules for archival materials
ISO 302, Pulps - Determination of Kappa number
ISO 536, Paper and board - Determination of grammage
ISO 1974, Paper - Determination of tearing resistance – Elmendorf method
ISO 5626, Paper - Determination of folding endurance
ISO 6588-1, Paper, board and pulps - Determination of pH of aqueous extracts - Part 1: Cold extraction
ISO 10716, Paper and board - Determination of alkali reserve
- Price
Contact us for price information. Please find contact information below
- Preparations
The customer prepares the test items unless otherwise agreed
Background
When talking about archival documents, we refer to documents that can be stored in protected environments for a long time, probably for hundreds of years. Paper that meets the requirements in ISO 9706 is referred to as permanent paper and ISO 11108 is referred to as archival paper (permanent and durable paper). According to the National Archives' technical regulations (RA-FS 2006:4), the paper for permanent documents can be of both types. Archival documents are produced by combining such paper with a permanent writing and printing. Permanent paper is often used as copying paper, while archival paper, which is stronger and made from rag pulp, is used for important documents such as diplomas and certificates. If the documents are expected to be handled in the future, archival paper should be chosen as it is more durable and withstands significantly more handling than permanent paper.
These two types of papers are distinguished from paper tested according to ISO 20494 where the paper stability is intended for general graphic applications. Such paper is not intended for archival storage, and does not have to be permanent, but rather to be durable during its use when used to produce newspapers, brochures etc.
Purpose
The standards are based on providing permanent paper that can be used in the production of archival documents (if the writing and printing is permanent according to ISO 11798)
Method
Permanent paper is evaluated according to ISO 9706 and archival paper (which is permanent and durable) is evaluated according to ISO 11108. RA-FS 2006:4 refers to these two standards for paper testing. The testing includes the following test procedures.
pH - cold water extract
Acidic paper deteriorates quickly, so pH is an important parameter to measure in paper. Electrolytes are extracted from the paper in a water solution, and the pH value is then measured on this cold water extract.
Alkali reserve
The formation of acids from air pollutants in the surrounding air or natural ageing is harmful to the paper. Therefore, such paper usually contains some alkaline filler (e.g., calcium carbonate) to prevent acid attacks and neutralize the harmful acids, i.e., the paper has an alkali reserve. The alkali reserve can be measured through a titration process.
Kappa number
The kappa number indicates the amount of oxidizable material, such as lignin, in the pulp. Since such material can discolor and decompose the paper, the aim is to keep the kappa number low. Accordingly, the paper should only contain a limited amount of oxidizable material. For chemical pulps, the kappa number usually ranges between 1 and 100.
Tear strength
Tear strength is a measure of the mechanical strength of the paper and indicates the force (mN) required to tear a piece of paper.
Folding strength
Folding strength is another measure of the mechanical strength of the paper and indicates the strength required to fold a paper strip in a paper folder until it breaks.
Requirements for permanent paper (ISO 9706):
- pH value: between 7.5 and 10.0
- Alkali reserve: at least equivalent to 0.4 mol of acid per kg of paper (at least 2% chalk or equivalent)
- Tear strength: at least 350 mN in the machine and cross direction of the paper
- Kappa number: less than 5
Requirements for archival paper (ISO 11108):
Archival paper must meet the requirements for permanent paper according to ISO 9706 and additionally;
- Manufacture: must consist of cotton, hemp, or linen but may contain a small amount of bleached chemical pulp
- Grammage: at least 70 g/m²
- Folding strength: at least 2.18 in the machine and cross direction of the paper
Accreditation
The testing activities for permnent and archival paper maintain high quality through accreditation according to SS-EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018.
Certification
Certification of durable paper in accordance with RISE certification rules (SPCR 004).
Deliveries
A test report from an accredited laboratory and statement on whether the test results meet the requirements of ISO 9706/ISO 11108 or not.