Permanent paper is the paper that during long term storage in libraries, archives and other protected environments will undergo little or no change in properties that affect use.
ISO 9706 discusses standards for permanent paper used for documents. ISO 9706 specifies the requirements for permanent paper intended for documents. ISO 9706 is applicable to unprinted papers. ISO 9706 is intended for writing and printing papers and also reprographic printing papers.
ISO 9706 is based on a limited number of quantitative tests. For each test, limiting values have been laid down. A paper, to be classified in accordance with ISO 9706 as being suitable for long life documents, records and publications must show test values within the limits given for all the tests prescribed.
Note: ISO 9706 is not applicable to boards.
ISO 9706 on standards for permanent paper is useful for:
Librarians and archivists have found that paper documents made as recently as 50 years ago are beginning to show serious deterioration under the typical library and archive storage conditions. Permanent paper is made using materials and techniques, such as those specified in the standard permanence of paper for publications and documents in libraries and archives, to minimize the introduction of chemical impurities and to resist the effects of chemical impurities in the environment.
The purpose of ISO 9706 is to provide a means of specifying and identifying paper that, according to the present state of knowledge, has a high degree of permanence and is likely to undergo little or no change in properties that influence readability and handling when stored in a protected environment for long periods of time.
Papers for sale that need to comply with the requirements in ISO 9706 and documents produced on such papers may be identified by a symbol and a statement of compliance. This symbol and statement are described in ISO 9706. ISO 9706 guidelines help you to produce high-quality permanent paper from which long-life documents, records, and publications can be made.