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Apparently, my (acid-free) paper (from 'SoHo Studio'; shown below) is yellowing, I have Krylon Workable Fixatif Spray Coating.

Obviously, fixatives prevent this issue to happen, what should I do? Is there anything special I should do to my paper? I don't think you can see the yellowing, but just trust me, it is yellow😅

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  • cool drawing isn't it?😘
    – Isaac750
    Feb 25, 2021 at 4:19
  • I've never had/heard issues with Krylon. Wondering maybe if it is an aging issue related to the age of the can itself. With quality control, and Walmart, it is hard to say how long an item was sitting on the shelf.
    – Lyssagal
    Feb 25, 2021 at 4:39
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    The fixative, itself, isn't supposed to yellow, but it doesn't prevent the paper from yellowing.
    – fixer1234 ♦
    Feb 25, 2021 at 7:37
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    @Isaac750, that isn't the purpose of a fixative. There are some treatments that are supposed to minimize the oxidation of the paper to slow or stop it from yellowing. The fixative is only supposed to not yellow, itself, or add acidity that would accelerate the paper's yellowing. The fixative's purpose is to help bond stuff to the paper.
    – fixer1234 ♦
    Feb 25, 2021 at 17:54
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    @Isaac750, that's the opposite of what fixer1234 said. The fixative does nothing for yellowing one way or the other.
    – Allison C
    Feb 26, 2021 at 14:47

1 Answer 1

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Paper will yellow over time because of lignin in the pulped wood.

Choosing an archival, acid-free fixative means that the fixative itself should not yellow over time. Unfortunately, the primary purpose of the fixative is to prevent smudging of the media that is on your paper. While it can slow down paper yellowing over time (by reducing the surface area of the paper that is exposed to air), it doesn't neutralize those oxidizing chemicals.

There are ways to treat the paper to prevent the yellowing from getting worse, and you can also put it behind UV-blocking glass to protect it from further oxidization due to air and light. However, the current yellowing may not be reversible.

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  • It was the sunlight then 😰
    – Isaac750
    Feb 26, 2021 at 2:27
  • BUMP. It could also be what the paper is mounted on/adjacent to or even what is floating in the air (cigarette smoke for example).
    – rebusB
    Nov 29 at 18:37

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