About Time Capsule Preservation

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About Preservation

Preservation when it is applied to time capsules simply means making sure the items inside of the time capsule are properly protected over time. While an airtight time capsule that does not leak is the most important, item preservation should also be considered. When things lie next to each other for many years, and some of them deteriorate, this degradation can spread to the other items.

7 Time Capsule Preservation Secrets Revealed

Posted by J Reinhold on 4/6/2018 to Preservation Secrets

7 Preservation Secrets

Do you really need to preserve things in your time capsule? Use these 7 Time Capsule Preservation Secrets to get a good start on taking care that the gifts you are sending into the future survive. Handy tips you may not already know, about paper, photos & more. Some info is from our Preservation Hints leaflet, included with all time capsules.

Paper Secrets: What is the Best Paper for Long Term Storage?

Posted by J Reinhold on 1/17/2018 to Preservation Secrets

The Best Paper for Time Capsules & Long Term Storage

What is the best paper? Which ones should you use inside of time capsules and for important papers that you will have in long term storage, such as wills and other legal documents?

Here we discuss various papers available today, which ones are best and which to avoid, and why. Some are best to use on a daily basis, others are more expensive but have cotton content and therefore will last longer and stay in good condition a long time.

Paper or Digital? Choosing a Format for Time Capsule Items

Posted by J Reinhold on 10/8/2015 to Preservation Secrets

Preparing Photos – Digital vs Paper Formats

Q. What about preparing time capsule photos? Can we just put in a CD/DVD or a thumb drive, or do we need to print them out, too? And, if we print them out, what paper do we use? What ink?

When preparing time capsule photos, provide paper versions of your digital formats. It's natural to want to include digital versions of everything - they are small and cheap. But paper versions are better, because those who open the capsule in the future need no separate or special device to read them. Our current media reading devices are likely to change within just a few years (remember VHS tapes?). To preserve either paper or digital items, see our archival supplies and preservation kits.