How to Protect Your Dead by Daylight Artbook: Tips for Long-Term Preservation

Quick answer

Store your Dead by Daylight artbook upright in a rigid, acid-free box away from sunlight and damp walls, and handle it with clean, dry hands. For everyday browsing, keep it in a dust jacket or slipcase. This routine prevents the most common damage: bent corners, cracked spines, and yellowed pages.

Your Dead by Daylight artbook captures the game's concept art, sketches, and behind-the-scenes visuals in a physical format you can flip through anytime. Unlike a poster or a plush, it is a bound book with a spine, paper pages, and a cover that can warp or scuff if you leave it on a sunny shelf or stack heavy items on top.

The good news is that long-term preservation does not require a museum budget. A few deliberate habits, from how you pull it off the shelf to where you store it between reads, will keep the pages bright and the binding tight for years. The steps below walk through handling, storage, display, and the small checkpoints that tell you something needs adjusting.

Why the right storage matters more than you think

Paper and binding glue react to three things: light, moisture, and physical pressure. Direct sunlight fades inks and makes paper brittle, humidity encourages mold and wavy pages, and stacking heavy objects on a book flattens the spine and crushes corners. Even a short stint on a windowsill can leave a visible fade line on the cover.

A dedicated spot on a shelf, away from radiators and air vents, solves most of these problems at once. The goal is stable, moderate conditions rather than a perfect climate-controlled room. If you can keep the book out of direct sun, off a damp floor, and free from weight on top, you have already avoided the most common causes of damage.

• Avoid attics, basements, and garages, where temperature and humidity swing the most.
• Keep the artbook away from kitchen and bathroom areas that produce steam.

Everyday handling: small habits that prevent big damage

Most wear happens during reading, not storage. Pull the book by the spine with one hand supporting the bottom, never by the top corner of the cover. Open it gently and avoid pressing the pages flat, which stresses the glue and can crack the spine. Clean, dry hands matter too, because natural oils and food residue transfer to paper and attract dust.

If you like to keep the artbook open on a table while you sketch or play, use a book stand or a foam wedge rather than forcing it flat. A lightweight bookmark is safer than dog-earing a page. These habits take seconds but add years to the book's usable life.

• Do not use tape, rubber bands, or sticky notes directly on the pages; adhesives leave residue and can tear fibers.
• Turn pages from the top corner, not the bottom, to avoid creasing.

Choosing the right enclosure for long-term storage

For long-term storage, an acid-free archival box or a rigid slipcase protects against dust, light, and accidental bumps. If the artbook came with a dust jacket, keep it on; the jacket takes the scuffs so the cover does not. If you do not have a box, wrap the book in acid-free tissue paper and place it in a sturdy cardboard box, but avoid plastic bags that trap moisture.

Shelf position matters as much as the container. Store the book upright, supported by other books or bookends, so it does not lean. A leaning book puts uneven pressure on the spine and can cause it to warp over time. If the artbook is oversized, lay it flat on a clean shelf rather than forcing it upright.

• Label the storage box so you do not need to open it repeatedly to check what is inside.
• Check stored books twice a year for any signs of moisture or pests.

Displaying your artbook without risking it

Displaying an artbook open on a stand looks great, but light and gravity are working against you. Rotate the displayed page every few weeks to avoid a permanent fade line, and keep the stand out of direct sun. If you want a permanent display, consider framing a separate art print instead, which you can replace more easily than a bound book.

For a closed display, place the artbook on a shelf at eye level with a bookend for support. Avoid stacking other items on top. A little breathing room around the book also helps air circulate and prevents musty odors from settling in.

• Use UV-filtering glass if you frame anything, but never frame the artbook itself.
• Keep displayed books away from pets and high-traffic areas where they can be knocked over.

Your step-by-step artbook preservation routine

1. Clear a stable shelf spot: Choose a shelf away from direct sun, radiators, and damp walls. Make sure the book can stand upright with support from a bookend or neighboring books. Checkpoint: the shelf should feel dry and stay at room temperature all year.
2. Handle with clean, dry hands: Pull the book by the spine with one hand underneath. Open pages gently and never press them flat. Use a bookmark instead of folding corners. Mistake to avoid: grabbing the top cover corner, which bends it over time.
3. Add a protective enclosure: Keep the dust jacket on, or place the artbook in an acid-free box or slipcase. Avoid plastic bags that trap moisture. Checkpoint: the enclosure should be rigid enough to resist a light bump.
4. Control light and rotation: If displaying the book open, rotate the page every few weeks and keep it out of direct sun. For closed display, stand it upright with space around it. Mistake to avoid: leaving the same page open for months, which causes a permanent fade line.
5. Inspect twice a year: Look for wavy pages, musty smells, or small holes that signal moisture or pests. If you spot a problem, move the book to a drier spot and air it out. Next step: note the inspection date so you remember to check again in six months.

Related items that help with care and display

• Dead by Daylight Soundtrack Volume 2 (Black Splatter - USA Record Store Day Exclusive): This vinyl soundtrack is a separate collectible that ships from Canada and is fulfilled by Return to Analog Records. If you store your artbook and records together, keep them in the same stable, dry area, but store records upright and away from the book to avoid pressure and scratches.
• Dead by Daylight – Death is not an escape cap: This washed-out vintage dad hat has an embroidered tagline and an antique brass snap buckle, and no two are exactly alike. A cap is a wearable collectible, not a storage tool. Keep it on a hook or shelf rather than inside the same box as your artbook, where the buckle could scratch the cover.

Protecting your Dead by Daylight artbook comes down to stable storage, gentle handling, and a quick twice-a-year check. Set up one good shelf spot, keep the book enclosed when you are not reading it, and you will keep the art crisp for the long haul.