Help with digital printing needed!

[Rob]

I'm printing more and more stuff digitally these days and just had my first disaster!

A model I did a shoot for has come back saying her portfolio is disappearing - which it indeed is. This is after only one year and it was printed on "archival" paper using an HP Photosmart with the special grey and colour photo cartridges. I had my copies of the work which were archived in perfect conditions, and these had also faded with time - they'd been exposed to indoor light for a mere couple of hours before being put in a light tight folder in a consistent atmosphere.

I can't have this kind of nonsense happen to me as it makes me look terrible - vanishing photos - whoever heard the like? It's gonna cost me another set of 12 A4 colour prints as well to recreate, which those of you who do home printing will know is about £25 of ink & paper.

So.... anyone have any experience of digital printing technology which won't bloody vanish? I hear people mention archive inks and permanence and stuff, but can anyone actually recommend a printer which will do it and that I can get consumables for?

Thanks for bothering to read all this nonsense.

Rob

 

[Marctwo]

Epson prints are supposed to last for 25 yrs. I've only been able to find standard ink cart's in the UK, though.

I just got an R220 so ask me in 25 yrs.

 

[Rob]

I just got an R220 so ask me in 25 yrs.

Dude this is totally the problem. However clever the boffins get, the proof is in the pudding - it's impossible to prove! :mrgreen:

 

[terri]

Well, you certainly did right by printing on the most archival paper you could find - but as you've learned, you desperately need those archival inks. I use an Epson 2200, and they've also come out with a new model that's about half the price of that one - but uses the same inks. They have a great reputation, and everything I've printed 3 years ago looks absolutely the same. (That's not much of a test, granted, but beats what you're seeing in front of you.)

Invest in a high quality photo printer that takes these pigment-based inks, and plan on replacing them regularly. It isn't cheap. You'll also do well to explore the beautiful inkjet papers that are out these days - some of them are of amazing quality. It's not cheap, either.

However, output like that is the associated cost of digital imaging and, when done well, you'll have a product that will still look great in 20 years.

 

['Daniel']

Dude this is totally the problem. However clever the boffins get, the proof is in the pudding - it's impossible to prove! :mrgreen:

Actually I think they just increase the intensity of conditions to equate to 25 years in much less time.

I have heard epson are the best at not fading under light but use 7 or 8 cartrdiges for CMYKRGB or something like that and doesn't last very long. But they give really good prints. As to this dissapearing thing try using different papers before you change printer.

 

[Rob]

Thanks Terri,

That model doesn't seem available here, what do you think of this one?

http://www.inmac.co.uk/catalogue/item/EPSR2400

Cheers,

Rob

 

[Rob]

Actually I think they just increase the intensity of conditions to equate to 25 years in much less time.

I have heard epson are the best at not fading under light but use 7 or 8 cartrdiges for CMYKRGB or something like that and doesn't last very long. But they give really good prints. As to this dissapearing thing try using different papers before you change printer.

Indeed, but the problem is that these faded on their own in a cupboard, light and heat presumably are secondary to some kind of chemical bleaching effect.

I get what you're saying, and changing the paper sounds an easy idea, but it costs so much to buy a whole packet of each of the leading brands and then print loads of tests, wait six months.... by which time the damn paper is discontinued. Grrr.

I hate things that don't work as I want them!

Rob

 

[SLOShooter]

You get have them printed at ofoto or some other pro-lab and then if they start fading you can ***** at them. The prices are probably on par with what you pay for printing at home.

I suppose you don't have total control though.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

I use a Canon S960 printer with just their standard 5 colour and black cartridges.
I've had some prints from it done on glossy photopaper up on my wall for over 2 years now with no fading (I've got a post-it note covering a section and I lift it once or twice a year to check for fade). They are not in full sun but they face a window and it is quite bright.
I'm seeing how they compare to colour photos and so far it's looking good.

 

[terri]

Thanks Terri,

That model doesn't seem available here, what do you think of this one?

http://www.inmac.co.uk/catalogue/item/EPSR2400

Cheers,

Rob

Actually, Rob, I think that's the one I was thinking of -it's about half the price of the 2200, and those inks are amazing. You won't believe the quality you get, especially on Epson papers (shocker, eh?). But I would urge you to try every single high-quality inkjet paper you can, and compare results. Buy a few of those inexpensive samplers that manufacturers love to put out - it can really be an eye-opener.

 

[Willc73]

That has always been a huge problem with inks. Over the last year much more advancements have been made with archival inks. Unfortunately archival paper won't mean squat if the inks aren't any good. If you insist on using the older printer, you can try a spray coating to protect it from UV's.

 

[Willc73]

Also, if you are looking for a new printer, the epson 2700 or whatever is the latest is the best deal. They are under 1k and work for a long time. If you need larger format, consider the 7600 or 9600.

 

[jstuedle]

I have used an Epson 2200 since their introduction, almost 4 years ago if memory serves. I have prints from it that have been displayed loose on a cocktail table in my office. Other than having corners of the prints dog-eared, and having the typical coffee spills and child slobber cleaned from their surface, they have survived in excellent color and unscathed. These prints are printed on Epson Premium Glossy Photo paper and the normal 7 print carts that Epson supplies.
I have a print done on a vendors HP 36" carriage printer that is 2 years old. It is print of one of my Blue and Gold Macaw images printed at 36" X 54". At about 9 months I had to take it down from my office wall as it has turned almost a solid baby-poop-yellow color. Not very pleasing or saleable.
The new version of my Epson printer is the 2400. It adds a third black ink for better (outstanding) B&W prints. Sometime after the holidays, I will be upgrading to the 2400, in my mind Epson is the only way to go.

 

[jadin]

With the cost of a printer - ink - paper, I find it cheaper to just order from an online lab. They're not due to fade for 50+ years.

 

[AIRIC]

I still take all my work to the lab and get them on tried and true photo paper. I have had photos hanging in businesses and museums for years without fading.

I would really like to know where she has kept the portfolio for the past year, in the car subjected to heat and humidity? It sounds like they may have been through some extreme storage conditions or something.