12 Month Pigment Ink Fade test...

oroblec said:

The hat what is glop and wich canon did you use for this test ???
Wich 3 part inks are you using ??

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@oroblec, I reckon @Ink stained Fingers, gave you an excellent definition of the meaning of “GO and Glop” in another thread, and the printer I used was a Canon Pro 9500 II, and the inks were the best quality 3rd party pigment..

I think it would be interesting to do the same images in order to evaluate various print barriers: Premier Art Shield, Lyson Print Guard, etc. I also think it would be interesting to encapsulate prints with pure archival polyester sheets with UV protection. The beauty of encapsulation is that like archival conservation framing the print is sealed and therefore protected from environment contaminants. Please point me to appropriate threads if this has already been done.

there would be myriads of combinations to be tested which is just not possible, but you might look to these web pages to start with - 2 groups testing extensively inkjet inks and papers for their fading characteristics, and even with their wast amount of test data you probably won't find exactly that ink, paper, shield combination you are looking for :
http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com/light-fade-test-results/ you need to register (for free) to access their data and
http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

you might look as well for a test by martin0reg here with Canon inks
https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/refilling-canon-with-oem-ink.10712/page-7#post-97382
and I'm currently running a test how and whether a gloss optimizer overprint on dye inks would slow down the fading https://www.printerknowledge.com/th...nd-fading-of-dye-inks.11608/page-2#post-97763
But whatever you can do to improve the life of dye ink prints pigment ink prints will last longer.

Ink fade testing is purely down to whatever the individual has available to them in inks and paper at that time, and no matter which combination is used the prints will fade, that’s for sure, but always remember cheapest fades fastest.

When you print with dye inks you must except the fact that they will fade in say less than a generation, and when pigment inks are used a much greater time period will pass before any visual effects are noticeable, but they will also fade.

Even the old film process had their fade problems, it all depended on how much care was taken in fixing and cleaning the prints afterwards, the beauty of today’s process is we can simply print and relive the photos once more, whereas the old film negatives got lost, never to be seen again.

The big question is not whether your prints are going to fade, and that doesn’t matter where you decide to store or hang them, but the material itself that these lovely photos are printed upon, it too will disintegrate given time, because we simply don’t know. (How long is a piece of string)

Only cave sketches and drawing have stood this test, but only the wise artists back then made sure to place their works in an area that would not be subjected to riggers of weather and time, so they were faced with a similar problem back then...

I agree with you. It is not about trying to stop time. Time will rule over all our prints. I just think about the role of my new dye printer as I contemplate the desire for future print sales. I suppose one way to think of it is to use my pro 100 for work prints and portfolio pieces and when there is a need for selling work needing longer print life move toward pigment by purchasing a printer or having it farmed out.

mortificatio said:

I contemplate the desire for future print sales

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The forum recommendation for commercial sales of dye-based ink prints is to use OEM Canon inks instead of third party due to the longevity factor. Generally speaking, pigment inks may be the best solution.

You should also consider printer profiling the specific ink, paper and printer combination if not using all Canon (or Epson) inks, papers and printer to obtain a printer ICC file to use when printing for best results. Each type of paper will need its own ICC file. (Don't forget monitor calibration, too.)

Thanks