We're sometimes asked, with good reason, if our albums will damage photographs. The answer is no (but don't forget that your album, too, needs looking after - as explained above).

Our primary purpose is to ensure that our albums both protect and enhance your photography. All the paper products, adhesive films etc that we use are neutral pH. Our albums will not harm your photos.

Several other factors influence the lasting qualities of your photos as much as - often more than - the album. These include the storage environment and the way they were handled during processing and album assembly. The most significant factors are the quality of the original processing and the intensity of any exposure to ultraviolet light.

To protect your photographs, the most effective precautions are the simplest. Ensure that only the highest quality processing is used in the production of your negatives and prints. After processing, keep them in a safe, clean, dry environment away from light. An album is ideal, but even a box is better than nothing.

A box, however, won’t protect your prints from loss, dispersal - "Who did I give that picture to?" - or damage in handling. Along with exposure to UV light, these are probably the main threats your pictures face.

For the ultimate protection, keep a second set of prints (or even better, the original negatives - and these days, the original digital files) in a separate, secure location. Obviously this is the best way to protect the images against loss, fire, theft, flood and so on.

Don’t use albums with plastic or "cling" pages unless you’re absolutely sure that the plastic is genuinely photo safe. Some are, most are not.