Inkjet colors fade because of drying?

[macattack]

I did the same inkjet internet art print on the same 20lbs multiuse paper about 2 days apart, and noticed that the 2 day old print's colors look a little less vibrant than the new print. I also put the 2 day old print on the wall in a somewhat dim room. Is the reason why the old print's colors look lighter / less dark is because the new print is still 'wet' somewhat, and it will take a while for it to fully dry, or do the Epson 512 inks in my ET-7750 fade that fast?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

'mulituse' paper - that's plain copy paper ? that needs a while until colors stabiliize - overnight is a good schedule

 

[macattack]

'mulituse' paper - that's plain copy paper ? that needs a while until colors stabiliize - overnight is a good schedule

Yup thats right. 20 lbs, letter sized with 94 brightness. I also got this accent 80lbs super smooth cover paper w/ 97 brightness and the colors definitely look more vibrant. I'm guessing it will also take a day for the colors to stabilize on them too.

 

[PeterBJ]

Is multi use paper a budget photo paper? A couple of years ago I bought 2 packs of Netbit photo paper from Aldi or Lidl. Before that I had bought Sihl paper from them and liked it very much. I made a test print on the Netbit paper and was surprised by a strong magenta cast and thought I had just wasted my money, But as the paper dried the magenta cast disappeared and I think the paper actually is very good.

I understand why hours or even days of drying time is recommended if you are going to profile the paper.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Copy paper does not deliver you any good color saturation since a significant part of the dye molecules move into the fibrous paper with the solvent. You need inkjet coated material - matte or glossy or anything in between , a wide range of papers incl. double sided versions is available on the market.

 

[stratman]

My nonspecific 2 cents...

Is the reason why the old print's colors look lighter / less dark is because the new print is still 'wet' somewhat, and it will take a while for it to fully dry, or do the Epson 512 inks in my ET-7750 fade that fast?

Yes to wet. No to fading.

No matter what commercial paper and ink you use, the image should not, in the traditional sense, fade in 2 days given the conditions the print was subjected to in your post.

Fade resistance depends on the combination of ink and paper used and the environmental conditions the print is subjected.

Chemicals in the paper and the physical composition of the paper effect not only fade resistance but also drying times and appearance of the inks to your eye. Also, different inks have different resistance to fading.

 

[macattack]

Is multi use paper a budget photo paper?

Nope, it was literally just very cheap copy paper.

 

[PeterBJ]

OK. Thanks.