Old diplomas and official certificates present a particular problem in family archives: they are often large, printed on relatively heavy paper, and were framed and displayed under glass for years before being removed and stored. Display exposes them to light and to the acid in paper mats and backing boards. When they come out of the frame, they frequently bear the yellowed ghost of a mat line across the face of the document.
Sorting: what to preserve and what to copy
Before storing diplomas and certificates, decide what information needs to be preserved and in what form. The text content of most official certificates is standard — the significant element is the combination of the recipient’s name, the date, and the issuing authority’s signature or seal. A high-resolution scan captures all of this. The original document adds the physical evidence of the paper quality and official ink.
Sort by type: educational diplomas, professional certificates and licences, public recognition awards, and civic or military certificates. Note any that have been framed and have acid mat damage, and any that are rolled rather than flat — rolled certificates need a different treatment from flat ones.
Environmental threats to official documents
Diplomas and official certificates are vulnerable to fading ink, particularly on typewritten copies where the ribbon was old or the ink transfer thin. High humidity causes the paper to cockle and warp, often irreversibly. Light fades both the paper and any coloured seals, ribbons, or decorative borders. Iron gall ink on signatures — common on documents before the mid-twentieth century — can eventually corrode the paper in humid conditions.
Display under glass is often more damaging than storage, because glass creates a small enclosed environment where humidity fluctuates with room temperature and condensation can form on the back of the certificate. If a diploma is still displayed, consider having it re-framed behind UV-filtering acrylic, which reduces light damage while maintaining the display function.
Removing from frames safely
Before removing a diploma from a frame, photograph the full framed display and then the reverse of the frame, noting how the certificate was mounted. Use a screwdriver to remove the backing board, then take out the certificate with both hands, supporting it fully. If it is adhered to the mat or backing board — a common result of humidity over years — do not pull it free. Place it face-up on a clean table and consult a conservator. Attempting to separate stuck paper can cause tearing that destroys the document.
The frame hardware, mat, and glass are not archival and do not need to be kept unless the frame has its own significance. The certificate should go directly into an acid-free sleeve or folder after removal.
Archival storage for flat documents
Store diplomas and certificates flat in acid-free folders inside a flat archival box. For documents larger than letter size, use folders designed for legal, A2, or A1 documents. Interleave each document with a sheet of acid-free tissue. Do not roll documents that are currently flat — rolling creates a new stress pattern in the paper fibers.
If a certificate is already rolled and cannot be safely unrolled without cracking, store it in an archival tube rather than forcing it flat. The tube should be larger in diameter than the rolled certificate so it can be extracted and re-inserted without abrasion. Cap both ends with acid-free caps and label the tube on the outside.
Digitising diplomas and certificates
Scan at 400 dpi minimum for standard text documents and 600 dpi for documents with fine engraving, decorative seals, or faint typewritten text. Save master files as TIFF. For very large documents, use a camera on a copy stand rather than a flatbed scanner — forcing a large, stiff document onto a scanner platen can cause damage at the edges.
When scanning a document with an embossed seal, photograph it separately under raking light (a light source at a low angle to the surface) to capture the raised detail. The embossed impression is often invisible in a direct scan but fully legible in a raking-light photograph.
Labelling and organisation
Label each folder with the document recipient’s name, the type of certificate, and the issuing institution and date. On the outside of the archival box, write the family name and the date range covered. Inside, keep a folder list that includes each document type and its digital filename. For large family archives with many official documents, a simple database or spreadsheet tracks the physical location alongside the digital copy.
Certificates from the same person — school awards, professional licences, university degrees — can be stored together in a single labelled folder if their sizes are compatible. Different sizes should be kept in separate folders to avoid smaller items sliding behind larger ones and becoming lost.
Display copies and originals
If a diploma or certificate is displayed, display a copy rather than the original. Have a high-quality photographic print made on archival paper and frame that instead. Store the original in archival housing. This is a common practice in institutional and museum collections and adds almost nothing to the cost of framing.
When donating certificates to an archive or educational institution, provide the institution with a brief note on the significance of the item and a digital copy. Some educational institutions maintain alumni archives and will catalogue a historical diploma as a record of the institution’s history as well as the individual graduate’s.
Worth remembering: Remove diplomas and official certificates from acidic frames, store them flat in acid-free folders, and scan at 400–600 dpi. Display copies rather than originals, and label storage boxes with the recipient’s name, document type, and date to make retrieval straightforward.
Common questions
What format or settings should I use?
Scan at 400 dpi for standard text documents and 600 dpi for fine engraving or faint typewritten text. Photograph embossed seals separately under raking light. Save master files as TIFF and create JPEG copies for everyday reference.
How should I label the files or items?
Label folders with the recipient’s name, document type, and issuing institution and date. Name digital files to match — for example ‘Smith_John_TeachersCertificate_1952.tif’. Keep a folder list inside the storage box.
How many backup copies should I keep?
Two digital copies in separate locations — one external drive, one cloud service. If the diploma has professional or legal significance, consider a certified copy from the issuing institution as a third backup.