THE ARTCARE ARCHIVAL SYSTEM:

When you choose Nielsen Bainbridge Artcare matboard products, you give your customer's art far more protection than any other conservation product can. Artcare patented MicroChamber technology protects art from being aged, faded and deteriorated by harmful pollutants and acid by-products in the environment within the framed piece.

What does it do?

MicroChamber technology uses molecular traps or "zeolites" which are naturally occurring minute crystalline structures. They have an almost limitless capacity to absorb and are widely used today in anti-cancer drugs, water treatment, and air filtration to name just a few uses.

What is new now, is the incorporation of this technology into paper.

In the 1990's a chemist, Bill Holliger, patented the incorporation of these SPZ zeolite molecular traps in the fibres of paper. This created a unique and outstanding new product area; now for the first time, paper and board could be made that not only had no acid in it, but much more importantly, would trap and render harmless most of the acid gases in our environment.

Examples of ever-present harmful gases in our atmosphere include nitrogen dioxide (caused by car exhaust) and sulphur dioxide (caused by factory emissions), which are harmless to humans, but harmful and detrimental to the lifespan of a variety of photographic and paper-based artwork.

How do we know it works?

This new technology has changed best practice completely in the framing industry as Artcare matboard now has patented zeolite molecular traps in it's paper fibres.

With Artcare, framers now have matboard that will actively protect the artwork in the frame, and significantly extend the life of the artwork. The MicroChamber technology in Artcare matboards has been identified by world recognised research institutions such as the Getty Institute, etc, as the best method for protecting framed artwork.

Find some useful references which verify Artcare MicroChamber technology below:

• Library of Congress - Study proving the effectiveness of Artcare Technology

• Getty Study Validates Artcare Technology

• Library of Congress Research Results for the Effects of Zeolites

• Conservation Resources - MicroChamber Technology

• An introduction to Zeolites and Artcare

• Zeolite Molecular Traps And Their Use In Preventative Conservation, Western Association for Art Conservation

INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR MATBOARD: 

Tests have shown that these can contain up to 10 times more acid than the internationally accepted standards for conservation quality.

Unfortunately there is no single "universally accepted" industry standard for preservation quality matboard, however the most commonly referred to industry standards are outlined by the following organisations:

Library of Congress (US) - www.loc.gov

• Library of Congress - Study proving the effectiveness of Artcare Technology
• Library of Congress - Specifications for Mat/Mounting Board for Non-Photographic Material

FATG - Fine Art Trade Guild (UK) - www.fatg.co.uk

• FATG - Standards for Matboard

Bainbridge Artcare Matboard is the only brand of conservation quality matboard that both meets and exceeds all of these standards and requirements for the highest level of preservation matting.

The entire range of Bainbridge Artcare matboard is made from only the very best quality virgin alpha-cellulose pulp, which gives you a guarantee of an acid content below the maximum levels specified. Artcare matboard also features the industry's highest level of bleed and fade resistance in a matboard product.