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Acid-Free Packaging

Definition

Paper folders or envelopes manufactured without acidic buffers, used for long-term storage of questioned documents to prevent acid-catalysed paper and ink degradation.

Related terms

Chain of Custody
The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, transferred, and examined a piece of evidence. For digital evidence, chain of custody includes...
ESDA (Electrostatic Detection Apparatus)
A non-destructive technique for detecting indented impressions on paper caused by writing pressure. A physical ink signature on paper produces detectable ESDA...
IR Luminescence
Emission of near-infrared radiation by ink dye molecules when excited by visible light; different ink formulations luminesce at different intensities, allowing differentiation...
IR Reflectance
Imaging under near-infrared illumination (715-1000 nm) to differentiate inks by their IR absorption: carbon-based inks remain dark, many synthetic dye inks become...
Mylar (Polyester) Sleeve
A chemically inert, optically clear polyester film sleeve used to protect questioned documents during examination and archival storage without introducing chemical contaminants...
Oblique Illumination
Lighting applied at a very low angle to the document surface (below 10 degrees from horizontal) to reveal topographic features: writing indentations,...
Transmitted Illumination
Lighting passed through the document from the back face to reveal paper-body features invisible from the surface: watermarks, security threads, and paper-thickness...
UV Fluorescence Examination
Examination under 365 nm or 254 nm ultraviolet light to reveal optical brightener fluorescence in paper, ink luminescence, and areas of altered...
Video Spectral Comparator (VSC)
A multispectral imaging instrument combining UV, visible, and near-infrared illumination with selectable emission filters and a calibrated digital camera; the primary bench...

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