ARCHIVAL PAPER
Enduro Archival Papers or Lynx archival quality papers for county recording. Available in a variety of sizes and green edging.
Enduro / 100% Cotton Paper – This paper is a high quality archival paper for record keeping supplies that will be just as easy to read in 200 years as it is today. We offer this paper in a variety of sizes that can be punched with rectangular or round holes and green edged. This product is available in 28# or 32#.
Enduro / 25% Cotton Paper – We do offer a 25% cotton paper however we recommend the 100% cotton paper as our first choice for archival record keeping due to the fact that is has proven itself to us over time. Due to increased budget restraints and today’s technology we realize the need to offer this paper to you in a 25% cotton. It still falls with in all archival properties for today’s standards.
Lynx Paper – This paper is available in 28# and 32#. It is an acid free paper but has no cotton content. It comes in letter and legal sizes and can be punched with rectangular or round holes and green edges.
The Importance of Using Archival Paper
- What makes paper archival? Archival qualities are a function of two properties: the strength and durability of the cotton fiber and the chemical stability provided by an acid free sheet (ph. of 7.5 – 9.5). In the case of Enduro Linen Ledgers, an additional buffer (2% CaCO2) is added to ensure that it remains acid free after many years.
- Why is 100% Cotton content important? The Cotton fiber is made up of pure alpha cellulose. Wood fibers have many impurities as well as the cellulose fiber. These impurities include tar, pitch and lignin among others. The chemical and mechanical processes that remove these impurities leave the wood fiber damaged and weak. These impurities, once removed are a hazardous sludge that must be carefully disposed of. Cotton is processed using only pure artesian well water and produces no toxic sludge. The cotton fiber, which needs no harsh processing, remains long, supple and very durable.
- What about Acid Free Papers? Acid is the enemy of paper. It breaks down the molecular bonds between the fibers in a process scientists have called “Slow Fire”. Acid free indicates that the ph of the sheet is between 7.5 and 9.5. Paper made with this alkaline chemistry will last longer.
- Why does Enduro make its sheet both 100% Cotton and Acid Free? The 100% cotton will make a sheet durable enough to handle the abuses of handling by attorneys and title searchers, it is tough enough that it will not tear out or abrade. The Acid Free Properties provides the permanence.
Cotton Fibers = Durability
Acid Free Chemistry = Permanence
Permanence + Durability = Archival Quality
Paper vs. Electronic Records
If public officials have been listening to the people during the 2006 election, they have heard about the importance of paper ballots. Diverse news outlets from NPR to CNN, HBO and Rolling Stone devoted significant resources to the various voting method in use. One common theme was the trust that voters had in paper ballots. Whether the equipment was optical scan or touch screen systems, the presence of a paper ballot to fall back on provided a great deal of security. The same is true for land records. Whatever method used to create a land record, the only secure way to archive it is on 100% cotton fiber papers. Modern information technology provides unprecedented ability to index and manipulate data. Unfortunately, electronic media such as CDs and floppy disks do not have a long life span before data can be corrupted. The marriage of digital data and cotton fiber papers provides security for our land records for the future.