Help with fading photos

3dogs said:

I like this idea, if i understand what you are saying is a person could have a selection of papers, and a selection of ink, then using say a small brush simply create swatches without having to print at all.........brilliant!!

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This was done by Grandad35 several years ago. Someone may be able to give you the link to the thread. Good place to start before repeating what had been done. It was quite an interesting survey.

fotofreek said:

This was done by Grandad35 several years ago. Someone may be able to give you the link to the thread. Good place to start before repeating what had been done. It was quite an interesting survey.

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Thanks for that......will do

Smile said:

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Another very cool paper is HP PT-101 (Platinum Pro) it has this special layer that adds gloss like I never seen before, it's micro porous as if you touch it after printing no gelatin will stick to your finger etc.

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I know Canon PT-101 (Platinum Pro), indeed very good gloss with pigment and dye inkt.

If you want to read about previous results, I have summarized a good bit of what I know here:
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/surprising-fade-test-results.5746/
http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...l-ink-for-photosmart-premium.5614/#post-40693
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/inktec-system-for-hp564.5463/
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/any-recent-ink-fading-tests.5517/
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/why-ink-and-lighting-matter.9150/#post-71819
There should be a link somewhere to Granddad's results, among many others.

The results seem to be quite contradictory, for unknown reasons. I do note that (1) my results, which were obtained under a variety of conditions, and most of which I have not reported, are very consistent; (2) there are some credible but anecdotal reports that agree with mine; and (3) there are credible reports of very rapid fading of photos and other printed material under fluorescent lighting.

You all need to do your own tests. When you do, include unfiltered fluorescent light in the mix. Also remember that you need to compare two or more ink sets.

You should definitely read Mark McCormick's revealing words here (scroll down to his entry):
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3633678
Note, however, that he does not test with unfiltered fluorescent light.

The original tests by Renard DellaFave in DPReview are here:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/12198835
The images have disappeared from the site after only 9 years (and who knows if the inks are still the same), but here they are. This should give you an idea.


On card stock


On photo paper

Notice that the results are fairly consistent, although not completely consistent, on both media.

Here’s how I see the fade tests when using dye inks.

Both Renaed De La Fave and Mark Mc Cormick test don’t really mean anything because the media they used for their test gave that result but who is using that same media today.

This type of testing is only valid if we all use the same media to print upon but we don’t so if anyone does the same tests then they too would get a different result than the experts did.

It seems crazy to me to be using such expensive photo paper for your prints and then use third party inks without first testing their resistance to fading, because that’s the only sure way to find out. (Their livelihood or reputation may depend upon it)

It’s a two way split for photographers if they choose to use 3 party inks on one hand they can get great quality prints on expensive paper but lousy fade results but on a cheaper paper get poorer quality prints but great fade results.

The surface of expensive papers are made especially for OEM inks because they were tested upon them but unfortunately third party inks don't have that luxury so we have to do our own testing to find a suitable compromise or suffer the same fade results..

IMO those tests are helpful simply because the ink does matter.
So you can see that a particular ink will fade more while others will fade less - and that on several sorts of paper.

"I have previously offered folks on this forum [DPReview] who are using the PrecisionColor dyes in the Canon Pro-100 printer an opportunity to submit some samples for testing. It would have cost them nothing but their time and materials to make a couple of letter-size prints. No one was interested."

--Mark McCormick


Errata: I regret that I previously misspelled Renard DellaFave's name. I have since corrected it.