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Re: Dyesub Permanence -- ALPS USERS NEED TO READ THIS!
Katharine Thayer wrote:
> Sil Horwitz wrote:
> >
> >To get permanence in computer printers you
> > need dye-sub, or the dye-sub mode in the ALPS printers, and even >then the
> litefastness is perhaps 20 yrs or so.
>
> This is contrary to my personal experience with dye-sub prints. I got
> rid of my dye-sub printer after finding to my horror that the prints
> were fading and color-shifting markedly within just a few months in
> indirect daylight.
OK, Katharine remember the discussions earlier about computers and early
adopters? Well, until very recently anyone buying a consumer level dye-sub would
have had to be considered an early adopter. They suffered from the problems
described.. In fact, early printers images' didn't just fade, the sublimation
that occurred at printing would continue in reverse, after printing... Your image
just essentially could evaporate, or more accurately sublimate, right of the page
over time...
However, the ALPS printers in particular, run in dye sub mode do have the
permanence that Sil mentioned... In fact, if you add a UV screening laminate to
the image, the damn things will last and last and last, even in direct
sunlight.. The ALPS inks are the secret to this success, as are to a much
smaller extent changes in the receiving substrate....
However, the printer works interminably slow, up to 15 minutes for an 8X10 print
- so for the average consumer, the speed of an ink-jet is much preferred..
Remember, this is the era of instant gratification and equally instant
disposability, the vast majority of those prints won't be kept for long, and
besides "why not just print another one? You still have the file right?"
Although, for me, a true very near photo-quality print in that time is worth the
wait. As a direct result of the poor sales compared to inkjets, ALPS has just
admitted they are ending the sales of their printers outside of Japan.. For
those who are interested, an article confirming that is available on the net at:
http://crn.com/dailies/digest/breakingnews.asp?ArticleID=14607
For those of you using an ALPS printer, I strongly suggest you take a look at
this reporter's piece... Let's just say that news on this was filtering out as
much as three months back with ALPS denying it all the way, until this reporter
asked them the straight direct questions..
This takes us back to the issue of how the tech industry views products - all our
discussions of film, computers and refrigerators... The stark reality, as many
have pointed out is that if product A does not make as high a percentage for a
manufacturer as product B, product A gets axed. With the huge capitalization of
these firms, a percentage of return on cost based system is an unfortunate
reality of rapid sector growth in a capitalist market economy... And strangely,
or understandably, it doesn't matter why the product does not do well - either
flaws or bad marketing. The ALPS printers sell fine in Japan, but are canceled
in the US for poor sales... The reasons don't really matter. In fact money
drives the process so intensely that the manufacturer is under pressure to
maintain the value of on-hand inventory, by denying they have any intention of
ending a particular line...
An industry whose environment is characterized by these realities will never be
as stable in its availability as the alt processes that are primarily discussed
in this group... So, for art, it's probably a better bet to stick with gum...
At least you can make your own sensitized gum form readily available
components.. Try finding a cartridge for a discontinued printer...
Keith Krebs
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