“Top loaders” are those hard clear plastic things that you often see at shows, and are designed to keep your photos safe from bending and creasing, but do they? Well, not exactly! They are not the ideal way to keep your photos safe for a couple of reasons. Firstly they can be tricky to get your photos into or out of, and can very easily cause those bends and creases that will only devalue your prize signed photo.

Possibly the worst thing about top loaders is that they can remove signatures that have been applied using paint pens or metallic markers. This is due to the plasticizer within the plastic, which is what makes the plastic flexible, but it can also affect those paint marker and metallic marker signatures as well, and if you leave then in a top loader too long they can remove the signature, so be warned!

If you are using these to store your signed photos then you should consider moving to some proper archival polyester sleeves, as these are far safer and much clearer as well. There are a number of places where you can buy these, and I would suggest you tried a company called Preservation Equipment which you will find by clicking here.

You will find that their website is large and it can take a while to find what you want, but if you want to store your 10 x 8 (20cm x 25cm) or A4 size photos, then we suggest you use the A4 size sleeves and store them in the clamshell 4 ring binder, it will be money well spent. Here are the numbers that you want.

565-1400 – (open at top) Stores 1 x photograph or document up to 9″ x 12″ or A4.

735 6529 – A4+ Ringbinder Box Int Size 335 x 320 x 55mm

Garry King.
Autographs.co.uk

Copyright Garry King and Collector Approved 2026.

Garry King is a long time collector and owner of Autografica.co.uk and has has been a full time buyer and seller of signed memorabilia for over 35 years. He has written many articles on autographs and has appeared on many TV and radio programs in the UK and featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles.