Re: Lightfast Inkjet Ink (was bullshit)

FotoDave@aol.com
Sat, 12 Jul 1997 12:21:32 -0400 (EDT)

First of all, I changed the subject line so that it is more related to the
subject to prevent the thread to be deleted before being read even by
interested people. Secondly, all message will eventually go to the archive,
so it is good to provide useful subject line for future search.

In a message dated 97-07-11 01:03:25 EDT, sillage@magic.fr (Marc Bruhat)
writes:

<< Lightfast Inkjet Ink From Ilford Archiva inkjet ink from Ilford is a
dye-based ink thatoffers excellent colors a offers excellent colors and
longer life. In tests conducted by Ilford, the light stability of Archiva
inks used with Ilfojet Glossy Media is 20 times that of leading dye-based ink
and media combinations. The ink is designed for Nin 500 ml bottles. >>

I wouldn't call it bullshit or balony. They must have some test data to
support it, otherwise it would be illegal to advertise that way. However, we
need to read advertisement (or news release) carefully:

1. Note it is dye-based, so it will fade eventually.
2. Note that it offers longer life (not necessarily long life although it can
be).
3. Note that the test for this Ilford product is conducted by Ilford.
4. Note that it is 20 times more stable than that of leading dye-based ink.
This is a general statement, so we don't know which one it is referring to.

Basically I think we need to clearly know what application we are talking
about. Inkjet printer with its low resolution is mainly for advertising use.
Sometimes the prints are displayed in store front or window front. Some
dye-based inks can last 2 years in storage, and 1-2 months under sunlight. 20
times of that can last 40 years in storage, or 3-6 years under sunlight. This
is obviously a GREAT GREAT improvement for advertising because seldom will
you need a poster to display for 3 years without changing the content. But if
we are talking about the above product for photography, it is hardly usable
at all.

But of course I am not saying that the Ilford product can last this long or
that long because we don't know what "leading dye-based ink" they are
comparing to. Once you noticed it, you will conciously notice that all these
advertisements on permanent or archival inks are vaguely clear, or clearly
vague. The best thing is to call them and ask, and I can almost guarantee
that you won't get a clear answer, but if in fact you cannot get a clear
answer, it means that it is not archival as you would like it to be.

When I started doing digital imaging with color photographic materials, I
once had to call KODAK asking for the permanancyy of a color photos if
displayed outside. I told them I didn't need completely archival (I knew that
color papers were not), but I just needed some idea before I prepare my
poster. After repeated calls to different customer support, I still get the
same vague answers.

Note that archival, permanent, and these kind of words have lots of different
meaning depending on the context. In many situation, permanent ink might mean
non water soluble although the color might fade. We just have to find out
what exactly the term(s) mean.