Lightfast or archival?

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From: KEMAL DELIC (deli@swipnet.se)
Date: 02/11/01-02:47:53 PM Z


Many of the list friends are concerned about stability of inkjet prints and
try
to find the best combinations of papers and inks. Also, many companies
are advertising their inks and papers as more or less "archival". We hang
our
prints on the wall and think, because the inks are pigmented or archival,
the
image shouldnīt fade very much. I think this is a misconception.

Archival means good resistance to fading in dark.
Lightfast means good resistance to fading in light.

So, by torturing the prints in strong light may or may not prove that the
inks
are archival. Many of us heard about Kodachromes from forties which didnīt
change very much. My Kodachrome slides from 1963 are in mint condition.
I kept them in the dark and I donīt think I projected them more than 20
times.
My Ektachromes from 1970 changed a little bit. I kept them in the same files
together with the Kodachromes. Kodak recommended Ektachromes for
projection because they were more lightfast, but less archival then
Kodachromes.

My Piezo prints I printed eight months ago turned brown in dark. Can we call
that archival?

I red on Winsor & Newton site the following:

Q: Whatīs the difference between a dye and a pigment?

".....There's been a common misconception the all pigments are lightfast and
dyes are not. Not so. Lightfastness has little or nothing to do with whether
or
not a compound works as a dye or as a pigment .... "
Copy and paste:
www.winsornewton.com/Main/Sitesections/technicalqaUS.html#q6

I have seen beautyful color inkjet prints in professional photo shop. They
were
printed with dye inks. Thatīs the way I would like to go for my color
printing,
great gamut and no cloggs. As amateur photographer I donīt need to print for
harsh display condition and if some of my prints find the way to the museum,
they know there how to handle them.

I want the inks with longevity of Kodachrome dyes or Dye Transfer dyes.
Do Ilford inks (Archiva, XG) have the same qualities or they are better?

Best,

Kemal, Sweden


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