| Acid free | Acid causes paper and photos to disintegrate over time. The aging process of the paper and photos are slowed when acid is removed from the paper during the manufacturing process. Acid is used in paper manufacturing to break apart the wood fibbers and the lignin that holds them together. If acid remains in the materials used for photo albums, the acid can react chemically with photographs and cause their deterioration. Not all scrapbooking materials are photo-safe, so be sure your paper, glue and markers are labelled acid-free or archival-quality before you purchase them. Acid Free items have a pH (a measure or acidity or alkalinity) of 7.0 or higher. It is imperative that all materials (glue, pens, paper, etc.) used in scrapbooking albums or anything you want to archive be acid-free. |
| Adhesive | A material that causes two surfaces to adhere to each other. Adhesives used in picture frames include pressure sensitive tapes, cooked starch paste and polyvinyl acetate. |
| Alkaline | A chemical substance that has a pH greater than 7.0. It can be added to materials containing acid to neutralize the acid or act as a reserve for the purpose of counteracting acids that it may come into contact with in the future. |
| APS | A new standard in photography based on a new film format and innovative camera and photofinishing technologies. Advances Photo System (APS) camera capture "panoramic" images comparable to, or greater than, that of the human eyes (170°). The actual size of the photograph is 10x18 or 10x25 cm. |
| Archival quality | This is a term used to indicate that the acidic content of materials is within safe levels. |
The Album Workshop 
