{"product_id":"papel-secante","title":"Lascaux Blotting Paper — sheet 61 × 86 cm, 315 gsm","description":"\u003ch2\u003eLascaux blotting paper — the unbuffered one, for when the alkali is the problem\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSwiss blotting board, \u003cstrong\u003eunsized\u003c\/strong\u003e, in 61 × 86 cm sheets at 315 gsm. What sets it apart from almost every blotter on the market is what it \u003cem\u003edoesn't\u003c\/em\u003e carry: it is \u003cstrong\u003eunbuffered\u003c\/strong\u003e, meaning it holds no alkaline reserve — the carbonate load other papers add to neutralise acidity. When you are working on something that doesn't tolerate alkali, that load stops being a virtue and becomes the problem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is it used for?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDrying and flattening works on paper\u003c\/strong\u003e after washing or an aqueous bath, stacked and under weight.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSupport for washing\u003c\/strong\u003e paper, and \u003cstrong\u003eseparator between boards\u003c\/strong\u003e within the drying stack itself.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInterleaving\u003c\/strong\u003e in folded material and in temporary storage during treatment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMoisture reservoir\u003c\/strong\u003e in humidification chambers and membrane packs: you dampen the blotter and the work takes up vapour without touching liquid water.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDrying and pressing stacks in photograph conservation\u003c\/strong\u003e, and moisture absorption in textile treatment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy choose this blotter?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIt rules out the three additives that migrate.\u003c\/strong\u003e The manufacturer declares it \u003cstrong\u003eunsized\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003efree of optical brighteners\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eacid-free and wood-free\u003c\/strong\u003e. Those are precisely the three routes by which a blotter can transfer something to the work once wet.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWhite, undyed.\u003c\/strong\u003e None of the colourant found in pink printers' blotters.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnbuffered — a choice, not a shortcoming.\u003c\/strong\u003e The NEDCC (Northeast Document Conservation Center) recommends \u003cstrong\u003eunbuffered\u003c\/strong\u003e material for \u003cstrong\u003ecolour photographs, cyanotypes and albumen prints\u003c\/strong\u003e. And the AIC (American Institute for Conservation) documents that, in blotter washing with hot water, a \u003cem\u003ebuffered\u003c\/em\u003e blotter may release enough calcium carbonate to damage \u003cstrong\u003ePrussian blue\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLong, tough fibre\u003c\/strong\u003e, with very good wet strength and a long service life, as declared by the manufacturer.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFormat and storage\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSheet \u003cstrong\u003e61 × 86 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e · \u003cstrong\u003e315 gsm\u003c\/strong\u003e · sold \u003cstrong\u003eas single sheets\u003c\/strong\u003e, no minimum pack.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLascaux Colours \u0026amp; Restauro (Switzerland) · art. \u003cstrong\u003e4550\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWood-free cellulose, unsized. The manufacturer describes it as \u003cstrong\u003eextremely absorbent\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStore \u003cstrong\u003eflat, dry and away from light\u003c\/strong\u003e. A sheet stored curled or damp arrives at the bench deformed.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReuse it \u003cstrong\u003efor as long as it keeps its handle and its flatness\u003c\/strong\u003e. Within the stack, blotters are changed as they saturate: a soaked one stops absorbing and gives moisture back.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe limits, stated\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWe do not promise it leaves nothing behind.\u003c\/strong\u003e We can tell you what the paper does not contain — it is listed above — but \u003cstrong\u003enobody declares that it sheds no fibre\u003c\/strong\u003e, neither the manufacturer nor the literature. Listing what it lacks is not the same as guaranteeing it leaves no residue.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOn delicate work it goes with a separating web.\u003c\/strong\u003e Standard practice interleaves a polyester non-woven — Hollytex, Reemay or similar — between blotter and object. A blotter can \u003cstrong\u003emark the work\u003c\/strong\u003e, which is why it is not laid directly against it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e«Very good wet strength» is the manufacturer's declaration, not a guarantee.\u003c\/strong\u003e The literature records blotters that began breaking apart after a single use and ended up creasing the prints. Check the sheet before each cycle.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIt is not archival paper, and it cannot be.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eISO 9706\u003c\/strong\u003e — the paper permanence standard — \u003cstrong\u003erequires\u003c\/strong\u003e an alkaline reserve. This paper deliberately carries none: they are incompatible axes, not a lower grade.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFor treatment, not for storage.\u003c\/strong\u003e The advantage of being unbuffered holds in \u003cstrong\u003edamp, temporary contact\u003c\/strong\u003e. For \u003cstrong\u003elong-term storage\u003c\/strong\u003e, ISO 18902 recommends the opposite: buffered material. If storage is what you need, this is not your paper.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWood-free is not 100 % cotton.\u003c\/strong\u003e Lascaux declares the former and not the latter, and we are not going to write the latter.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq\"\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\u003csummary\u003eWhat exactly does «unbuffered» mean?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq__a\"\u003eThat it carries no \u003cstrong\u003ealkaline reserve\u003c\/strong\u003e: the calcium carbonate load many conservation papers include to neutralise the acidity they generate over the years. Useful in storage, and a drawback when the work does not tolerate alkali. This sheet carries none.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\u003csummary\u003eSo is it worse than a buffered blotter?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq__a\"\u003eIt is a different thing, not a lower grade. They are \u003cstrong\u003etwo separate references\u003c\/strong\u003e and manufacturers sell them apart precisely because they solve opposite cases. For \u003cstrong\u003edamp treatment\u003c\/strong\u003e on alkali-sensitive material, this one; for \u003cstrong\u003elong-term storage\u003c\/strong\u003e, a buffered one.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\u003csummary\u003eCan I lay it directly on the object?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq__a\"\u003eOn delicate work, no: a \u003cstrong\u003epolyester web\u003c\/strong\u003e goes in between (Hollytex, Reemay or similar). A blotter can leave an impression, and texture transfers under weight. On robust paper and in routine work, using it directly is common practice.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\u003csummary\u003eHow many times can it be reused?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq__a\"\u003eFor as long as it keeps its \u003cstrong\u003ehandle and flatness\u003c\/strong\u003e. There is no number: it depends on what it has absorbed and how many cycles it has seen. A sheet that has lost body, cockles or starts to fray is retired.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\u003csummary\u003eIs it suitable for photographs?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq__a\"\u003eIts use in photograph conservation is documented, and being unbuffered works in its favour for \u003cstrong\u003ecolour photographs, cyanotypes and albumen prints\u003c\/strong\u003e. What it does not hold is \u003cstrong\u003ephotographic grade\u003c\/strong\u003e to standard, which is a specific specification with its own testing: it serves, but we do not certify it.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\u003csummary\u003eCan it be cut?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq__a\"\u003eYes. The 61 × 86 cm sheet cuts to whatever size suits you — squares to hold work down under weight, strips for localised absorption, or to the dimensions of your press.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\u003csummary\u003eDoes it have a safety data sheet?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"innv-faq__a\"\u003eNo, and it is not required to. It is an \u003cstrong\u003earticle\u003c\/strong\u003e of paper with no hazard classification; Article 31 of the REACH Regulation — the European regulation on chemical substances — only requires a safety data sheet for hazardous substances and mixtures. No pictograms, no hazard statements.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAny questions?\u003c\/strong\u003e Message us on \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/34614504565\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eWhatsApp\u003c\/a\u003e, visit \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/innovart.art\/en\"\u003einnovart.art\u003c\/a\u003e or write to \u003ca href=\"mailto:info@innovart.art\"\u003einfo@innovart.art\u003c\/a\u003e and we will advise you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cstyle\u003e.innv-faq{margin-top:8px;}.innv-faq details{border:1px solid #e5e2dc;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff;}.innv-faq summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;padding:14px 46px 14px 16px;position:relative;font-weight:700;}.innv-faq summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none;}.innv-faq summary::after{content:'+';position:absolute;right:16px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.4em;line-height:1;color:#00494f;}.innv-faq details[open] summary::after{content:'\\2013';}.innv-faq details[open] summary{border-bottom:1px solid #efece6;}.innv-faq summary:hover{background:#faf8f5;}.innv-faq__a{padding:12px 16px 16px;margin:0;}\u003c\/style\u003e","brand":"Lascaux","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51220606583131,"sku":"LAS-4550","price":11.86,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0954\/8441\/2251\/files\/papel-secante.png?v=1780324359","url":"https:\/\/innovart.art\/en\/products\/papel-secante","provider":"Innovart","version":"1.0","type":"link"}