Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "john dean" 
<deanwork2003@y...> wrote:
> What we did with everything ( including Eugene Smiths black 
cardborad drymounted, 
> bleached silver prints ) was overmatt the prints with 4 ply rag 
board and rag mount. Then 
> the prints were stored in a humidity and temperature controlled 
room in sealed boxes 
> made by Spik and Gobork.

Sure.  But you're talking about valuable prints with great historical 
significance.

The darkroom BW prints I made in the 1960's and 1970's have never 
been  babied.  They're sat around in cardboard boxes and envelopes 
and in  boxes and attics and ridden around in the trunk of my car and 
all of  them are fine.   Likewise I have lots of Kodak and drugstore 
prints  from the 1970's and 1980's that have been treated with 
similar nonchalance and don't seem any worse for wear.   

So my point is that photographic prints are usually very durable.   I 
have NEVER opend an envelope of 6 month or 1 or 2 year old 
photographic prints, color or black and white, Kodak, or pro lab or 
my darkroom, and discovered that they had suddenly gone technicolor 
on me.

But that sort of thing happens with disturbing frequency to inkjet 
prints, and numerous accounts on the web will tell you.     

And for us BW photographers it's an even bigger deal.   People who 
use RIPs are counting on the software to VERY CAREFULLY balance 6 or 
7 ink colors into neutral balance.   If, after a year or two, even 
ONE of those colors shifts or fades even slightly the whole balancing 
act is thrown off, whereas with a color print tiny effects like that 
would be swamped by the other colors.    That's a good argument for 
BO or quad/hex -tone carbon inks over RIPs.