Archival or Conservation Framing is a way of both presenting and preserving works of art on paper. The highest level of archival framing, sometimes referred to as Museum Framing, meets standards set by the Library of Congress.

Archival framing is more costly than regular framing due to the higher quality materials used and the labor-intensive processes – part of the investment in a fine work of art.

Since paper is subject to deterioration from acids, humidity, ultraviolet light, dust, glue, and insects, the idea of archival framing is to ensure that artwork on paper is protected at all points from these damaging elements.

In archival framing, any surface coming into contact with the art itself must be acid free/pH neutral. It also needs to be made of chemically inert material free from fillers or lignin (that’s what makes newspapers turn brown and brittle) -- the higher the rag content of the paper or board, the more archival it is.