Recommended Portfolio Boxes

A few suggestions for print storage boxes:

My personal favorites are Century Archival boxes. These are simple, sturdy, plain boxes but much more elegant than single-wall board boxes such as metal-edge boxes.

"Slimline" (shallow depth) Century Archival box

I prefer the ones that aren't too deep because once they're full of prints you can store them vertically on bookshelves. Of course that works better for the smaller print sizes. I particularly like the elegant 11x14x1 size, which fit on the same bookshelves I keep my photo books on.

8x10-inch Century Archival box

11x14-inch Century Archival box (1 inch deep, B&H; 2 inches deep, B&H; 1 inch deep, Amazon; 2 inches deep, Amazon.)

14x18-inch Century Archival box (B&H Photo, Amazon)

13x19-inch Century Archival box (1.5 inches deep, B&H Photo, Amazon)

16x20-inch Century Archival box

(For larger sizes, museum cases are sturdier. Read on.)

Solander cases
If you have the luxury of storing boxes flat, you're in luck these days. When fine, thick-walled archival Solander cases were made by American and British bookbinders, they cost so much that the market for them gradually withered away. I have an old Spink and Gabor (formerly "Gaborc") Solander case with a leather handle that is gorgeous. But now, China to the rescue!

Actually I don't know where these are made. China's just a guess.

Museum cases

The classic drop-back design was invented by the Swedish botanist Daniel Solander (1733-1782) while working for the British Museum

Anyway, offshore (shall we say) fabrication has made Solander cases accessible again. Here are two brands that are beautiful but aren't too expensive:

Archival Methods 14x18x2.5" Solander Museum Case (see the dropdown menu at the web page for other sizes)

Print File 14x18 Solander case (search the website for other sizes)

Note that the Print File cases are special-order products and can take a while to arrive.

For plain out-of-sight storage, search the term "metal edge box" at B&H Photo, Amazon, or other sources.

Plain ol' utilitarian metal edge boxes are acid-free and
will not rot your photographs

If you need a full-line archival museum supplies company, try Conservation Resources International in Oxford, UK, and Virginia, USA. Be aware that such businesses in general sometimes have a wait time before shipping product. CRI is better than some others.

Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Kenneth Tanaka: "I second Mike’s endorsement of the Century brand clamshell print storage boxes. They are rather pricey but they are quite robust. One key distinction they have over less expensive boxes is that the ends are robust enough to remain at 90 degrees rather than beginning to poke-out over time. I would also caution people to strongly consider whether or not they really need “museum cases”. Having spent much time in museum vaults handling museum cases my warning is that they are heavy. Darn heavy!. Their frames are made of wood and the panels must be made of lead (at least they feel that way by the end of a day schlepping them). If you go with simple archival metal-edged boxes (which are also just fine) be sure to get ones that feature drop-front bottoms. It makes removal of prints so much easier than simple closed-in edges."

Peter Komar (partial comment): "Wow, I actually own all three types of these cases, they all work quite nicely. My favorite is the hinged type with the carry handle but I only have one of that style. The others work just fine and I consider the last one for work-in-progress prints that have not yet been matted for presentation."

Rodger P. Kingston: "My biggest problem with portfolio boxes is that so few of them are available in digital print sizes: 8.5x11, 13x19, and 17x22 for example. If all us digital photographers can get used to these new sizes, you'd think that the box manufacturers could adapt as well. I'm forced to use the rather flimsy boxes and envelopes that printing papers come in (they don't look too impressive when you're showing work to a curator or gallery director). Does anybody out there know if any of these boxes mentioned above also come in the digital sizes? Or know of any other brands that do?"

Mike replies: Mark Hobson, who visited here a few days ago, told a funny story about using paper boxes for prints. He had a presentation to make at Kodak some years ago. He was careful to print the pictures for the proposal on Kodak paper—anything else was considered a major faux pas—but when he was in the elevator heading to the meeting at Kodak headquarters, he suddenly realized he'd had a major brain fart and was carrying the prints in an Agfa box! With no way to change at that point, he just soldiered through the presentation. He was lucky—it didn't turn out to be his last job for Kodak.

It's really strange that after a great many years with standardized photo paper sizes, we somehow decided to switch to completely different sizes for digital inkjet paper. It makes no sense, and furthermore I don't know by what odd mechanism the new consensus was reached. It seems to have to come about by some type of black magic or mass delusion. However it happened, it's pointless, needless, and confusing.

JOHN GILLOOLY: "I've been following these posts with particular interest. My personal experience is that when I use boxes, I seem to never actually open them! The prints seem to go in and never surface again. I have settled on a hybrid of your suggestions. I have settled upon 8.5x11-inch stock and I print various image sizes on that canvas. But I have decided to use the Itoya Art Profolio products. Most of my printing consist of 6x9 on 8.5x11 stock. Usually Epson Premium Luster or Portfolio Rag. Most of these prints are of family and I have been making a concerted effort to write the appropriate info on the back of each print. For these family images, I have been using the thicker volume book which has 90 pages for a 180 print book. For "art" prints, I do have some in the archival boxes but also mostly use these same Itoya products for that as well. I often pick through those books and send prints to a client for some occasion. But I love the idea that was mentioned of the 'wine party.'"

AN: "Regarding the change in standard photo paper sizes, I imagine it's due to copier/printer manufacturers (and copier/printer paper manufacturers) sticking with the ANSI standards they were already using before they all got into the photo printing market. Epsons and HPs and Canons and Ricohs were all primarily printing text documents before dabbling in graphics...and then better graphics...and then 'photo quality' graphics...and before you know it, there's a photo printer designed for standard document-size paper, and a bunch of paper options that have crept along the same development path in parallel. The fact that ANSI sizes are all a bit bigger than the closest classic photo print sizes (and therefore can be cut down, if desired) would just ease any friction in the transition."

Comments

[Richard Barbour]

Maybe I'm naive about this, but what's wrong with using the original boxes that the paper came in? I've been doing this for a while (15 years or so) and no noticeable deterioration. No additional cost, always a box available, they even give you a plastic bag to put them in, and obviously no problem fitting prints to box.

[Tex Andrews]

And then there's these: https://www.google.com/search?q=flat+files&client=firefox-b-1&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj59um_r7XcAhWwmOAKHef7D2AQsxgIKA&biw=1184&bih=578

[Mim]

So Mike I'm just embarking on trying to GROW my "pile of prints" - having not printed much in the last decade or so, and am thinking about how to store them once I get up to speed again.

I was planning to use screwpost portfolios, rather than boxes, and using one per year (or whatever time period seems reasonable).

My thinking is that I prefer to have my prints bound in some fashion (but easily un-doable), rather than loose in a box. Is there a downside to this that I'm not seeing, or is loose in a box just your personal preference?

[Rusty]

Library supply firms such as Gaylord http://www.gaylord.com/ (no association) also supply a variety of archival products and have helpful info on their website. I bought stuff from them for many years as a post secondary institutional purchaser

[Stephen Scharf]

I'm fully on-board with ya, Mike, that print boxes are the way to go to store, archive, and review prints. I've also been doing this for years. Nice thing is they, can be organized by project.

But, I'm having a bit of a dèjá vu, here, all over again.

Wasn't there a (nearly identical) article about this on TOP a coupla three years or so ago? ;-)

Cheers.

[Christer]

I recommend the yellow boxes Kodak used for selling enlarger papers in packs of 100 sheets . Also good are the Agfa boxes, but they are reddish. If you like blue, then go for Foma. Ilford is greyish.

Hahnemühle and Canson boxes have the advantage that they are available for 25 sheets. Good for horizontal storing.

I have dozens upon dozens of these. They age well, i.e not at all.

[Stan B.]

Remember feeling very adult and professional when I got my first Spink and Gaborc- and they hammered the handle in for you in person when requested and picked up.

[Richard Newman]

Clearly your budget is much bigger than mine. Your cases would bankrupt me. I juse 3 ring binders with archival sleeves for my mostly 8x10 or smaller prints.

[Peter Komar]

Wow, I actually own all three types of these cases, they all work quite nicely. My favorite is the hinged type with the carry handle but I only have one of that style. The others work just fine and I consider the last one for WIP prints that have not yet been matted for presentation. Matting is also another topic for discussion, perhaps other comments may dive into matting preferences such as the Matt covering just a bit of the image or the print showing a slight gap on all edges before the Matt opening ? I'm not sure what that style is called, a floating Matt ?

[Jim Meeks]

When I worked at an art museum, we made a practice of interleaving archival tissue between works, even those that were matted, just so there was no chance of abrading the surface during handling and storage. I think you have mentioned Ken Tanaka being involved with the Art Institute of Chicago, I wonder if he could check on current best practices for storage of photographic prints? We also ordered materials from Gaylord Brothers, University Products, Light Impressions, Talas and others.

[Patrick Medd]

In the UK Silverprint (www.silverprint.co.uk) do a good line in portfolio boxes which I have used and can recommend.

[Michael Perini]

All fine options, but you only need them if you, ... well, print. ;-))
I hope all the previous discussions helped in that regard.
Remember, think more about what you Get, and less about what you have to give.
Someday , your Prints will come....

[Phil Stiles]

So this is the answer to the "pile of prints" problem? Put them into boxes!

[Ken]

Those storage boxes are great: they can banish the pile o' prints problem right to the back of the storage closet!

[cdembrey]

Mike said: It's really strange that after a great many years with standardized photo paper sizes, ... it's pointless, needless, and confusing.

At the start of the digital-age most people, not Very Serious Photographers, use Costco or other Big Box stores for their printing. These BBStores use Fujifilm or Norita printers that make laser prints on 12x18 photo paper, not 8x10 or 11x14.

One LaserJet lab's standard sizes are 8 x 6, 10 x 8, 12 x 8, 15 x 10, 20 x 16 , 24 x 20 , 30 x 24, 36 x 24 , 48 x 36 and 55 x 40—but no 12x18 8-)

Now-a-days inexpensive cameras, like Canon's Rebel SL2, shoot in 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1. So don't expect things to improve.

BTW I use a 13x19 Itoya Art Profolio, for about a dozen prints.

[David Francis]

I prefer viewing photographs as prints, but I don't have the wall space for large images or the equipment or skill to produce "fine art" prints. My compromise is to produce photo books, printing on double-sided matte paper or printing single-sided on glossy or higher quality papers and then spiral binding the pages between heavier weight covers. There's obviously a limit to the size of image you can present this way, and there is also a need to "frame" the image with generous margins to make it look right in this format, but the result is something that is easy to browse through and that can sit on your coffee table and discreetly attract attention. Of course, you can do much the same thing more easily and cheaply through Blurb or some other book production service, although I find the do-it-yourself approach more satisfying.

I also like to print on cards. It's a nice way of personalizing your messages and a good way of inflicting your pictures on friends.

David Francis

[Hugh]

Heretical thoughts here...

...if you get your printing technique nailed down correctly... then you just rip up the print, and you can reprint an identical one five years into the future if you want it again.

...if it's a limited edition, you rip it up, and keep the bit with the signature, and you resign the new copy.

It makes dealing with the expense of getting prints returned after a distant exhibition much simpler and more economical... just ask the gallery to rip them up and post you the sections with the signatures.

[Keith]

I've given up on standard sizes; besides, by the time you add a 1" or 2" border around an 8x10 or 11x14 print it's no longer standard anyway. The real fun begins when someone asks for an 8x10 print of a 3:1 panorama, and doesn't understand why it can't be done. But thanks for this article and links, it's timely for me as I'm starting to accumulate enough prints to officially have my first pile.

[Fred]

Archival Methods offers clamshell boxes in digital paper sizes.
https://www.archivalmethods.com/product/2-onyx-portfolio