Digital BW, The Print

Clayton,

The latest Wilhelm data indicate a rating of >150 years for B&W prints 
made with the UC inks (Epson 4000) on EEM (bare bulb un-framed) and 
over 200 years if framed with UV inhibiting glass.

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/epson_sp4000.html

Carl

On Wednesday, April 21, 2004, at 12:30  PM, Clayton Jones wrote:

> Hello Chip,
>
>> That's a bit scary -- a Septone print showing signs of fading at 125
>> days?  (Yes, I understand that,  as you said, this is not the kind of
>> test that simulates "real world" conditions, but geez...).  Could
>> you define exactly what signs of fading you're seeing?  A general
>> fade in density of the whole image?  Blacks getting weaker?
>
> The test print was sent to me by Septone as part of the review I did
> last summer for the Technical Print Exchange.  Along with several
> samples on EEM, they sent one on PhotoRag, and the ink mixture was 25%
> warm/75% cool.  The print consists of 5 separate images, one being
> Paul's enhanced wedge, which is the part I used for the test.
>
> I taped a 5/8" strip of 4-ply matt board over the middle of the wedge,
> for its entire length, partly over the smooth ramp and partly over the
> steps.
>
> I put it on my front windowsill.  The large picture window faces south
> and has an awning, so the sill gets bright daylight all day but is
> protected from direct sunlight for most of the day.  The print gets a
> little bit of direct sunlight early in the morning and late in the
> afternoon when the sun peeks in under the edges of the awning.  The
> room is A/C during hot weather (South Florida) and no A/C in winter,
> so the humidity and temperature vary quite a bit.
>
> I wrote the beginning date on the print and peeked under the matt
> board strip every now and then.  At 125 days I first noticed some
> fading.  The fading is visible from 7% to 98% on the wedge.  Visually
> it is less dense and warmer.
>
> The beginning date was August 28, so it has been over 7 months now.
> I am looking at it now as I write this.  I don't have a densitomer so
> I can't give any numbers, but my impression is that the fading is
> worse now than it was when I first noticed it.  So it apparently is
> worsening.
>
> The Eboni BO print (oops, it's on EAM, not PhotoRag) is dated November
> 5th, over 160 days now, and shows no signs of fading.
>
> I also have an UltraChrome print on EAM (grayscale print using Epson
> 2200 driver - Cyan/Magenta dots visible, with MK) that is dated
> September 17, over 200 days, that shows no signs of fading or color
> shifting.
>
> The UC color pigments are holding up like the Eboni so far.  This
> leads me to conclude that
>
> 1) The UC color pigments are very resiliant
>
> 2) The Septone inks must be using some dyes or poor quality pigments
> to do the toning
>
> Bob at MIS said their inks use tiny amounts of pigments in the carbon
> grayscale inks, so I expect to get good results when I test UT7.
>
> I'll continue to monitor the UC print but I still am uncomfortable
> about those color dots.  Maybe they'll last for years, but if
> Wilhelm's tests show that carbon inks outlast the pigments, do they
> still rate as "archival"?  Is there a strict definition of that term?
>  Can a RIP print be called archival if it shows color shifting at 70
> years and a pure carbon ink print lasts 100 or more?
>
>
> Regards,
> Clayton
>
>
> Info on black and white digital printing at
> http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm
>
>
>
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