Digital BW, The Print

Andre, why not do your own fade tests?  I have been using a simple, comparative fade 
testing method for several years.  I run a set of direct sunlight fade tests in the spring, one 
in the summer and another in the fall.  I always test several different types of prints 
together, including both traditional and inkjet processes.  I cut all of the samples in half 
and put one half in a light tight drawer.  The other half of each sample is taped up in a 
south facing window on the second story of a commercial building in Central California 
with unobstructed sunlight during daylight hours.  I usually leave them up for eight weeks.  
Then I take them down and pair them with their other halves to see what visible fading or 
color shift has occurred.

These are not scientific tests and I do not presume to predict display life in years (I am 
also highly skeptical that Wilhelm's methods are any better than mine in terms of making 
the kinds of predictions that he makes, given the nature of the reciprocity problem 
involved).  I only care about fading that I can see and how the samples perform relative to 
one another.  It is well established that a selenium toned silver print is the most 
permanent photographic process to date.  So I always include one in my tests.  I have also 
included non-toned silver prints and RC silver prints in some tests to get an idea of 
relative performance. 

So far the top performers in my tests have been selenium toned silver prints and quad 
tone prints made with Cone Editions quad inks and Museum Black on Hahnemuhle Photo 
Rag paper.  Neither of those two print types has ever shown any visible fading in my tests.  
Virtually every other type of print that I have tested has shown either fading, color shift or 
both.  This includes untoned silver fibre prints, RC silver prints, Platinum/Paladium prints,  
Fuji Crystal Archive type C prints, Ultrachrome color, Ultrachrome B&W, Lyson dye-based 
quad tones, Lyson Daylight Darkroom, Media Street Generations G-Chrome, Cone Editions 
quad inks with Portfolio Black, Epson consumer desktop six-color and more.  The amount 
of fading or color shift varied from very slight to substantial.

Good luck.
Joel