Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 24 minutes ago
Polyester encapsulation is a safe and economical way to house historic documents. It provides a lightweight enclosure that allows you to view and handle objects without touching them directly. This helps keep the documents or photographs soil-free and prevents the transfer of fingerprints that can discolor your material and cause photographic images to fade.
Encapsulation requires the use of two sheets of archival quality polyester film, Melinex 516 or Mylar D, which are ultrasonically welded around the perimeter of the object. This differs greatly from the lamination process where the plastic film directly adheres to the artifact. An encapsulated object can be extracted from its enclosure at any time simply by breaking the weld and removing it from the polyester sleeve. The object does not adhere to the polyester film. Plastic films that are safe to use with objects of historic value are polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Polyester is the most stable of the three. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics are unstable and should never be used. Encapsulation is not appropriate for objects with friable media such as pastels or charcoal drawings.
Polyester encapsulation is a safe and economical way to house historic documents. It provides a lightweight enclosure that allows you to view and handle objects without touching them directly. This helps keep the documents or photographs soil-free and prevents the transfer of fingerprints that can discolor your material and cause photographic images to fade.
Encapsulation requires the use of two sheets of archival quality polyester film, Melinex 516 or Mylar D, which are ultrasonically welded around the perimeter of the object. This differs greatly from the lamination process where the plastic film directly adheres to the artifact. An encapsulated object can be extracted from its enclosure at any time simply by breaking the weld and removing it from the polyester sleeve. The object does not adhere to the polyester film. Plastic films that are safe to use with objects of historic value are polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Polyester is the most stable of the three. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics are unstable and should never be used. Encapsulation is not appropriate for objects with friable media such as pastels or charcoal drawings.
