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Manufacturers use standard tests to make an educated guess at the life of inkjet prints. These scientifically controlled tests use constant levels of light, temperature and humidity over a set period to give a measure of print stability. To me this is looking for the best case figure. The figures they publish are how long they think a print will last in ideal conditions. What we all really need to know is how long they’ll last in the real world, where temperature and humidity and light levels constantly vary. What I want to know is the worst case figure. So my test is to subject prints to the worst possible conditions. I want to know what will happen if a customer ignores all advice and hangs a print in direct sunlight. So I mount the prints where they will be in direct sunlight for hours every day, where it will be cold at night and warm during the day. And if it rains the air will be damp and at night it will freeze. An early inkjet print’s life could be measured in days in these conditions - After 3 months, even now, most show serious amounts of color change and loss of density - They fade. I’ve just completed a new round of 3 month fade tests with 20 combinations of paper / ink using a composite image printed twice on one sheet of A4 paper. One half of each sheet has been stored in the dark, one half in direct sunlight.
Photo Paper Fade Tests 2006
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