Does paper get "bad" in time?

Hi,

I am printing some cyanotypes tests right now on left-over pieces of Simili Japon. These pieces are at least 2 years old, and have been stored in an ordinary enveloppe on different locations. I notice that these pieces are affected by something. The coating looks normal, but after exposure especially the edges look mottled, and when washed you see that at the edges the blue colour comes through the paper (when looking at the back of the paper). It's as if the sizing has affected over time. I also can make out the shape of the piece which was on top (in the storage enveloppe)of the test piece, this shape prints darker. The affected edges do not clear well, and stay greenish. I have also seen this with Canson Fonteney?

Have other people observed this, and how should you properly store paper?

Thanks,

Best,

Cor
Received on Mon Mar 14 09:18:44 2005