Serious question, does anyone else think we overuse acid-free paper?

I was binding a personal journal in my home studio last spring, using some regular drawing paper I had. Everyone online says you must use acid-free, but I wanted to see what would happen. After about 4 months, the pages started to get that slight tan color, but honestly, I like it. It gives the book a warm, lived-in feel right away. Has anyone else used non-archival paper on purpose for a certain look?

2 comments

2 Comments

mia72710d ago

That tan color would drive me nuts after a year.

faith1210d ago

My old family photo album from the 70s is full of yellowed pages. That's the real acid test. For a personal journal, that warm tone tells its own story over time. @mia727 has a point about it getting too dark, but you can pick papers with just a little lignin to age slowly. It's about choosing the right paper for the feeling you want, not just following a rule. Archival is for things that need to last forever, not for every single project.