Smartphones, Snapchat and Instagram may be
habituating the general public
to thinking of photography
as a disposable medium, but
advances in photo-printing
technology are radically
reshaping expectations for what
you can print on and how long
those prints can last.
“We tell our customers that they can expect
a print to last at least until their grandkids grow
up,” says Jonathan Penney, master printmaker
and owner of Jonathan Penney, Inc. in Center
Moriches, New York ( jonathanpenney.com).
It may not feel like it, but we’re living
in something of a golden age of photo
print technology, adds Henry Wilhelm,
print permanence expert and founder of
Wilhelm Imaging Research in Grinnell, Iowa
( wilhelm-research.com). In the span of the
last few months, Epson rolled out the most
fundamental revision of its ink chemistry in
a decade and Canon unveiled its own new
ink set that will trickle its way into a brand
new line of large-format inkjet printers. And
printing technologies, such as metallic heat
transfers and UV-curable inks that were initially
developed for other industries, have hit the
photo market in force, opening the doors to
exotic materials like metal and glass.
FROM PIXELS TO LASTING ART
According to Wilhelm, it’s useful to think of
output longevity, or how long a given print will
resist fading, along a continuum. Before we rank
them, however, keep the following in mind: First,
says Wilhelm, these lifespans are only obtained if
you or your lab is using the most up-to-date inks
and media. Second, these idealized lifespans
are for prints that are stored in moderate
environments and not subjected to prolonged
high humidity, high heat or exposure to direct
sunlight—all elements that accelerate fading and
other forms of deterioration.
The least stable prints Wilhelm has ever
tested were printed with third-party dye-based
inks, with some having WIR Display Permanence
Ratings of less than three months. Third-party
dye inks also typically have very poor ozone
resistance. For these reasons, Wilhelm advises
that third-party inks be strictly avoided.
Modern silver-halide prints made from
Kodak Endura, Kodak Edge and Fujifilm Crystal
Archive papers have very good dark storage
stability and ozone resistance, but when
exposed to light on display, their stability is
poor. The WIR Display Permanence Ratings
for Kodak Endura papers are generally less
than 20 years. Framing the prints under UV-absorbing glass or acrylic offers relatively little
protection for silver-halide color prints.
ChromaLuxe “metal prints” made with
the newest versions of Sawgrass 8-color and
Epson F-Series 4-color sublimation inks have
achieved WIR Display Permanence Ratings on
the order of 50 years—more than twice that
of Kodak and Fuji silver-halide color prints,
says Wilhelm. ChromaLuxe prints are also
extremely abrasion-resistant and are generally
displayed with neither glass nor acrylic glazing.
But not all metal prints are created equally,
Wilhelm cautions. To be sure you’re getting
one that will live up to its longevity potential,
he advises you make sure your lab is using
genuine ChromaLuxe panels.
ALL IN THE INK
Pigment inkjet prints using the newest
UltraChrome HD and HDX ink sets from
Epson have WIR Display Permanence Ratings
of up to 200 years, depending on the paper
used. Wilhelm rates black-and-white prints
for Epson’s UltraChrome HD and HDX inks
and select Epson papers at up to 400 years
(or, with some papers, significantly beyond
that). With these pigment inkjet prints—both
black-and-white and color—framing under UV-absorbing glass or acrylic can greatly extend
the life of displayed prints. (Wilhelm hasn’t
finished tests on Canon’s Lucia Pro inks.)
Wilhelm tells us that prints made with
the newest UV-curable inks also have the
potential for producing very long-lasting
images. Just how long depends upon both
the particular inkset and the materials they
are printed on. UV-curable printing traces
its lineage to, of all things, the paint used on
roadways to demarcate lanes and parking
spaces. UV-curable technology was built
from the ground up to absorb the worst
punishment nature can dish out but it’s
only recently been refined for the more
demanding color needs of the photography
and fine-art market. UV prints can be made
directly on a wide range of material, including
glass, metal and acrylic. (UV-curable output
can resist tough environmental conditions
better than many competing processes.)
As with ChromaLuxe metal prints, not all
UV printers can deliver the highest quality and
longevity—many are intended for commercial
signage applications. Wilhelm says that while
there are over 60 different models of UV
printers (with multiple ink systems available)
in circulation, only a small subset of these
can actually deliver top quality photo output.
He says that models from swissQprint, for
instance, deliver some of the best image
quality on the market. However, he cautions,
much more testing will be required to sort out
the best, longest-lasting systems, inks and the
very wide range of substrates that can be used.
Of course, creating a long-lasting print is
no guarantee it will last. “We always advise our
customers to treat their print as they would a
work of art," Penney says.
—Greg Scoblete
EVERLASTING
PRINTS
THE
PRESENTATION
ISSUE
As WPPI gears up to unveil its Power of Print program next month,
we present insight on longevity, framing options, paper selection
and working with a master printer.
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