The Creative Memories Technology Centre strives to keep Consultants and customers informed and educated on all photo-safety issues. The ISO 18902 standard reflects our ongoing commitment to photo-safe, quality products. Beginning this year, Creative Memories is including information on ISO 18902 compliance directly on product packaging.

What is ISO 18902?
ISO 18902 is the International Organisation for Standardisation’s basic photo-safety requirements for adhesives, plastics, pens, and album materials. The standard provides a detailed guide for photo-safe product development.

It was developed through a consensus of industry, government and other experts from various organisations, including the National Archives, the Image Permanence Institute, Hewlett Packard, Kodak, and Creative Memories.

What does it mean when I see ISO 18902 on a package?
Creative Memories uses the ISO 18902 standard on its packaging to make clear to customers that the product meets or exceeds photo-safety specifications. For example, if a product is not bleed-resistant, we won’t label it photo-safe. This is because ISO guidelines require all photo-safe products to be bleed-resistant.

Similarly, we require all photo-safe paper, including vellum, to be buffered, because ISO guidelines indicate that buffered paper is best for long-term photo preservation.

The ISO 18902 standard acts as an umbrella that encompasses a variety of tests (such as acid-free and buffered). When consumers see the ISO 18902 label, they know that the product has been tested and meets or exceeds all photo-safety elements required by this standard.

Upholding quality
ISO 18902 is more than just a part of our packaging. It represents our commitment to providing information, products and customer service to ensure that your memories will be preserved for future generations.

We are the only album manufacturer that we know of that complies with ISO 18902 – the industry’s gold standard for photo-safe album-making supplies. So when you see ISO 18902 on one our products, you can be assured you are getting the best possible photo-safe products. Even better, you’ll know that your albums will safely preserve the weddings, the parties, the rain showers, the messes, and the tears that make up life.