How long will the prints of your digital photos last? This issue is vital if you want prints for display or to hand on to future generations because many paper manufacturers make claims about the longevity of prints on their media. Unfortunately, while most inkjet prints made with genuine media are much more durable than colour photo prints, some ink/ paper combinations are even more prone to discolouration than traditional photo prints.
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How long will the prints of your digital photos last? This issue is vital if you want prints for display or to hand on to future generations because many paper manufacturers make claims about the longevity of prints on their media. Unfortunately, while most inkjet prints made with genuine media are much more durable than colour photo prints, some ink/ paper combinations are even more prone to discolouration than traditional photo prints. In the past, the action of light on the chemical dyes that made up a photographic print was the main factor that caused them to fade. Today, the most common cause of colour changes in inkjet prints is a change in the dye chemistry due to oxidation. This is rare in prints made with pigment printers – but worthy of consideration for prints made with dye inks. Certain paper/ink combinations are highly sensitive to ozone, which is common at low-levels in urban environments and reaches high concentrations around devices like refrigerators and air conditioners. This is why you should never display unprotected inkjet prints on the fridge door. Light can cause differential fading, particularly with magenta dyes. Cyan dyes, on the other hand, are most susceptible to chemical contaminants and, as they fade, prints turn orange. To complicate matters, prints made on some papers can take several days to finally stabilise. This can lead to uncertainty about what the final print colour balance will be.  An original image, reproduced with the full colour and contrast range you would expect from a high-quality print.  A simulated view of the same image as it would appear if it had been printed with cheap inks and displayed on a refrigerator door for roughly six months. To obtain the maximum stability from your inkjet prints, give each print a minute or two to dry then cover it with a sheet of plain paper. Leave the covered print for at least 24 hours before framing it or storing it in an album. Inkjet prints last longest when framed behind glass or encapsulated in plastic (‘laminated’) to protect them against airborne pollutants. This is also a good way to protect traditional photos against light, dust and moisture – as well as airborne fungal spores. Don’t expect them to last as long if you stick them up on the fridge door – or in any other place where they may be exposed to ozone or other atmospheric pollutants. A wealth of information on print stability – along with results of tests of a wide range of printing media can be found at www. wilhelm-research.com. This site also offers a free download of a PDF-format book, The Permanence and Care of Colour Photographs, which covers traditional and digital prints, colour negatives, slides and motion pictures. It’s a 79.6MB file for the complete book – but individual chapters are available separately.  Detailed information on preserving all types of photographic images can be found in this free book, which can be downloaded from the Wilhelm Imaging Research website (www.wilhelm-research.com.)
This is an excerpt from Mastering Digital Photography Pocket Guide 2nd Edition.  Visit epson.com.au for the latest Epson printers.
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