Digital BW, The Print

Howdy, it seems that the entire issue of the archival nature of the 
current state of black and white digital printing is up in the air. 
I've been following the discussions of some of the more knowledgeble 
on this forum lately and have to admit that i am becoming more and 
more concerned about whether digital black and white printing can 
honestly be associated with the word "archival".  Maybe we need 
another few years for things to shake out. But this is not good! I 
have packed up my darkroom and have gone 100% digital printing and 
LOVE IT!! The results i'm getting with MIS VM inks are fabulous.  
Framed and behind glass i cannot tell the difference from my old 
ilford fiber prints. I've been selling at a few shows over the past 
year and not one person, I mean NOT ONE, has been able to tell that 
my prints are digitally printed (i do tell them eventually). BUT this 
begs the question, what can i honestly tell the people that want to 
buy my prints??? I print on EEM and am beginning to wonder if i am 
printing on an inferior paper.  I've been telling people that the 
images should not fade up for 50-75 years. I think i was overly 
optimistic. Maybe i should be saying 30 years... For most people that 
buy my work 30 years is plenty, but i am not going to attract any 
serious collectors or galleries with prints with a life of 30 years! 
I don't want to be getting phones calls 30 years from now saying my 
prints have disintegrated and that they want their money back because 
i uttered the word "ARCHIVAL".

So what are some general feelings on this issue of Archivalness? 
Should i be using Brightcube Eclipse Satin or Hahnenuhle Photo Rag, 
Dmax be dammned? I need to honestly let my customers know what i am 
selling.  What do people tell their customers when they sell?

I need to go into suspended animation for 5 years and then start 
printing my works all over (for the umpteenth time).

Cheers, Peter
http://www.pixelmapper.com

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>What do people tell their customers when they sell?
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Hi Peter.

How refreshing, a thread that is not a rant!  I think Paul Roark already 
answered many of your questions.  In answer to your question above, my 
work comes with a warranty that, as long as I am still in business, I 
will re-print if it fades, provided the collector displayed it under 
reasonable conditions (low humidity, acid free framing, under glazing, 
moderate light levels and no direct sunlight).  

I come from a traditional b/w wet-lab.  At first I too was conflicted 
about archival issues associated with inkjet prints, but the technology 
has advanced so quickly, that I couldn't resist using it.  The bottom 
line for me is that there is more to gain from this technology, than 
there is to lose from it.  I don't have time to wait for it to mature. 
 On this experimental road I have gone through three 2000P printers, two 
1270, two 1160 w/ piezography, and am now printing on an Ultrachrome 
9600.  Yes, I am somewhat nervous about Epson's and Wilhelms' usual 
sequence of claims and retractions, but with the warranty I issue, I 
feel I'm covered.  

On the up-side, and perhaps more importantly, I am making more images 
with this new technology, than with the old technology.  I experiment 
more, and I get to work more of my ideas more thoroughly, because inkjet 
technology makes it easy for me to do so.  Staying up all night in my 
well ventilated (but still stinky and dark) wet-lab has lost it's allure 
for me, and is just not conducive to playing or experimenting.  

I figure that the ideas I have not acted upon have an even shorter 
shelf-life than the papers and inks I am using.  I vote for the 
exploration of ideas over becoming paralyzed over archival issues.   

My two cents.

Philipp

Philipp Scholz Rittermann Photography
4894 Ronson Court, Suite C
San Diego, CA 92111-1807
Tel: 858-278-7500
Fax: 858-278-9293
Cel: 619-997-9293
email: info@...
web: www.rittermann.com
Member APA / ASMP