The life and cost of inkjet prints compared with traditional photographic processes.

Abstract

Inkjet printers have evolved in recent years to the extent that many are capable of making prints of a quality closely approximating traditional colour photographs. These printers cost a fraction of the capital outlay needed to equip a traditional colour darkroom and have brought high quality colour printing within the reach of a broad spectrum of users. As they are capable of printing on a wide range of materials and print surfaces prints from inkjet printers are also in demand by fine artists and art collectors. Commercial printmakers, artists, photographers, and amateurs printing in their homes or offices use these printers. The convenience, ease, and quality of inkjet printing have made it a popular additional and alternative photographic printing technique. However, manufacturers seldom publish data regarding the expected life of the printer output. With traditional colour photographs end users expect some fading to take place with time and can normally have another print made from the original negative. Digital images rely on storage on compact disk or computer hard drive with potential long-term retrieval problems, and it is vital that important images be output in print form on the most stable materials. This study arose from the author’s concern about the archival qualities of photographs in general. In order to enable end users to make more informed choices about the most suitable printing medium, this study explored two aspects concerning traditional photographs and inkjet prints, namely cost and image permanence. The comparative costs were found by means of a questionnaire survey conducted among a representative sample of printmakers. The limits of image permanence were determined by subjecting sample prints to a high-intensity light source to accelerate the process of image fading over time to the point where the print becomes unacceptable. The investigation showed that inkjet prints are more expensive than traditional photographs, and that inkjet prints made with pigment inks can last twice as long as traditional photographs. Different inkjet papers were found to have no significant effect on the life of the print during the period of this test. Inkjet prints made with dyes were shown to have a short life before fading unacceptably. The study led to the recommendation that for the longest print life a print to be displayed should be printed on an inkjet paper with pigment inks.