I have a scrapbook which contains clippings from the 1940s. Obviously they are yellowed and brittle. Is there a way to restore the clippngs or am I better off photocopying them for the scrapbook? I read that standard photocopy paper is acid free. Is that true?
Depends. What is your purpose? To simply preserve the information, or to preserve the actual artifact, for value as a collectible or because the actual clipping enhances the sentimental value?
This seems like reasonable advice:
you might scan them on a page scanner. you might make the text easier to read using photo retouching software. then print a paper copy if you want. save the scans to a CD/DVD.
this is time consuming. if still readable then a photocopy is quicker.
I would not assume that standard photocopier paper is acid free. The cheapest stuff almost certainly isn’t.
You can Google for acid free paper. It’s not that expensive, say $6-8, for a ream (500 sheets). But that’s about twice what you’d pay for the cheapest everyday stuff.
If they are yellow and brittle you can carefully remove the clipping or the clipping page from the scrapbook with the clipping and scan it. If you want to preserve the clipping, carefully remove it from the scrapbook, put it on wax paper, mix Elmer’s Glue half and half with water, apply it to one side of the clipping with fingertip or brush, let dry then apply to other side. This will both remove brittleness and preserve the original clipping.
Looking around it seems that while there are means to prevent newsprint from yellowing, there aren’t any reliable methods of reversing the yellowing once it’s occurred.