Bright white paper is the fastest way to make a junk journal page look modern. Ageing it takes minutes and costs almost nothing. Here are five methods, cheapest and easiest first.
1. Tea
Brew two or three black tea bags strong, let it cool, then either brush it on or dunk the sheet in a tray for ten seconds. Blot with a towel and dry flat.
Gives a warm brown tone. Cheap, forgiving, and the tea bag itself can be dabbed on afterwards for darker spots. Downside: it makes paper wavy, so weigh it down under a book while it dries.
2. Coffee
Same method, stronger colour, slightly more red in the tone. Instant coffee dissolved in a little hot water gives you control over the strength, and the undissolved granules leave speckles that look like foxing.
3. Distress ink and a sponge
The neatest option. Rub a sponge or blending tool over a brown ink pad and work it in from the edges towards the middle. Nothing gets wet, so nothing warps, and you can build the colour up slowly.
This is the method to use on anything already printed - it will not run the ink like tea will.
4. Burnt or torn edges
Tear rather than cut, pulling the paper towards you so the torn edge shows the pale fibres underneath. Then run a brown ink pad along the torn edge to darken it.
If you singe edges with a flame, do it over a sink, one sheet at a time, and never leave it unattended.
5. Print it aged instead
The methods above age the paper. They do not add printing marks - foxing spots, faded ink, a colour layer slightly out of register. Those are what actually make paper read as old, and they have to be in the design.
This is why a printed aged paper often looks more convincing than a tea-stained white sheet: the ageing is in the print, not just the tone. Printing on cream stock and then adding a touch of distress ink at the edges gives you both.
What to age and what to leave
Age backgrounds, tags, and anything you cut out. Do not age everything on a spread - a page where every single element is the same shade of brown goes flat. Leave one or two lighter pieces so the eye has somewhere to rest.
If you want papers that already carry the printing marks, there is a free set of 12 here: FREE Vintage Digital Papers.
MORE GUIDES
How to print junk journal papers at home