Protective Mylar Poster Print Handbill Sleeves

Please scroll to the bottom of the page for ordering, this part is information on why these are the best mylar sleeves.

Archival Grade Mylar D Sleeves

How does Mylar, which is biaxially extruded polyester film, afford more protection? The poly-bags that most everyone sells are "blown" films, affording very low density and dimensional stability. Mylar is an extruded film that is simultaneously stretched in two directions to give it maximum strength. In fact, it resists penetration by gases, such as oxygen, 300 TIMES more than the poly-bags. As for strength and stability: it is also several hundred times stronger and more stable. Keep in mind, that we are not talking about 4 or 5 times better as compared to their price; we are talking about offering the kind of protection for 100 years which poly-bags cannot offer for even one year.

Mylar-D is a storage material specifically developed for the long-term storage of historically important documents. It is the same archival material in which the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta are stored and is used by leading museums worldwide. Are the Mylars better to use than the cheaper poly-bags? Poly-bags are acceptable for short term storage while the comics are for sale as noted earlier. But if the storage period is longer and you do not switch to Mylar, then you qualify as DIRECTLY proportional.

Advantages of Mylar® Type D Compared to Commonly Used Plastics: Resistance to diffusion of gases like oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, etc. is 350 times greater than polyethylene. Permanence. There is no noticeable change in storage-100 years when compared to 2 to 5 years for others. Resistance to moisture, insect attack, fungus, mold, mildew, acid, oils, grease, and solvents is "excellent" compared to "fair" for others. Strength and creep resistance is 10 times that of polyethylene, one-third the strength of steel. Volatile Additions--Mylar® contains no dangerous plasticizers, slip additives, surface coatings, antioxidants, acid-hydrolysis compared to other commonly used plastics.

Mylar History: Since Mylar was first introduced about 40 years ago, the knowledge of its benefits over other common plastics was not widespread and the practice of using Mylar was even less widespread. First, the country's leading authorities on preservation, such as the National Archives and the Library of Congress, established that Mylar was, by far, the best plastic. In fact, they have made it a requirement and do not allow any deviation from their specifications. The most knowledgeable collectors have switched to Mylar. Slowly, museums, archival institutions and those in the collecting areas of currency and stamps have switched to Mylar. Comic collectors have been among the most knowledgeable and have been switching for years. Poster and art collectors have joined others to insure their investment remains in perfect condition. However, we won't rest until there's a Mylar on every collectible.

Is light bad for our posters? Enough cannot be said about this topic. We would appreciate your support in teaching the collecting public that accumulated light eventually fades printed material. You cannot see it fade, just as you cannot see a tree grow, but go away and come back in 10 years and you will be surprised by how much that tree grew. The same thing applies to any printed material. Leave a poster displayed in your home and a couple of years later compare it to an identical poster stored in the dark. WOW! Unfortunately, at this point, it's too late for that poster; the damage is irreversible.

Ultra-Violet Light - UV All plastics and glass stop some UV light, so many advertise that their "Protector" blocks UV. The truth Is that they stop only some of the damaging rays. Even Mylar will not stop all UV. Our specially Impregnated Mylar D stops 99% of the UV light. Mylar D is accepted as photo safe to direct contact and is used internationally by archives and museums. Yes, it costs 8 times more than standard Mylar, but it blocks UV hundreds of times more than other plastics.

What about Air and Oxygen? Do these elements damage comics? Isn't it bad to completely seal off the comics and make them airtight? The reality is that an airtight environment is the proper environment and by far the best one for preservation. By keeping out the oxygen, moisture and insects, and by keeping the temperature reasonably low, you can provide an environment in which your posters will become "Golden." For example, go to any library that has older volumes. Open any book and figure out why the pages are always browner at the edges and get lighter and whiter as you move towards the middle of the page. The inside of that book has not been in contact with any moisture, fresh re-circulating oxygen or light.

Poly-Bags: Poly-bags will not destroy your posters. We do not preach fire and brimstone. The fact is, polypropylene and polyethylene are stable enough for the short term storage of collectibles. If I wanted to keep oily fingers off my wares and valued collection, I would definitely put my prized posters into poly-bags, but only for a short term, say a couple of months. But if I wanted them to look their best, I would use Mylar. No piece of art looks better than one displayed in a Mylar 4 Mil Sleeve. I would think the extra minimal cost is worth the expense to preserve the cherished piece of art. Poly-bags will not actually destroy your poster. They will simply afford a lot less protection against the elements.

All of these Mylar D Sleeves are all 4 Mil thick

Here is a list of organizations that use the very same Mylar Sleeves on sale here

  • Library of Congress-Preservation Dept.
  • The National Archives IBM Corp.
  • Archives Hallmark
  • Archives Diamond Comic Distributors
  • Joseph J. Marotti Company, Inc.
  • Conservation Laboratory
  • Libraries and museums around the world Collectors around the world

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