The Post-Processing Effects due to Pulsed Laser Ablation of Paper

For contemporary samples the effect of pulsed laser ablation applied at wavelengths selected from the range UV — near IR of 266, 355, 532 and 1064 nm were investigated. All the samples were made by the same method and of the same material, i.e. mixture of pure cotton cellulose and wood-pulp. Results of the colorimetric measurements indicate the most effective surface cleaning at 532 nm for the artificially soiled samples. An artificial aging resulted in neglectable changes in lightness and yellowness of the laser cleaned laboratory soiled samples but influenced the changes in non soiled samples. Marked changes were noticed due to 266 nm, 355 nm and 1064 nm irradiation and were ascribed to the photochemical damage of the cellulose fibres and to enhanced absorption of the laser radiation by the soil particles.