Printed goods on delivery must be stored in an appropriate temperature and humidity controlled environment. Care must be taken to store books in a temperate environment, away from moisture and with an appropriate relative humidity. These are the requirements for storage:
- Temperature: 20-22 degrees Celsius
- Relative humidity (RH) : 40-50%.
Unsuitable for book storage – high span with no climate control.
RH is a derivative measure influenced by temperature, not an absolute measure of water in the air. The higher the temperature the higher the RH. In some instances a drop in storage temperature e.g. in a shed, can increase the water content of the air and lead to storage issues. This formula will help you calculate RH: Relative Humidity (%) = (Actual water vapour ÷ Maximum possible at that temperature) × 100
Moisture needs to be kept away from paper as a component of printed books. A symptom of books not stored in the correct temperature and humidity is warping of both covers and the book block. Covers can curl and interior pages can adopt a wavy appearance.
PUBLISHING TIP: Don’t store books in a steel shed or garage as the level of moisture condensation will be unacceptable in case of low temperatures (especially at night) and damp/rainy conditions outside. If the storage area has a high overhead span this may be more problematic than an area without a lot of headroom. It is not advised but cartons of books left in the back of a van (with a small air space or low overhead space) might fare better for short periods, than in a storage area with a large overhead space. This is because the volume of moisture containing air is less.
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