How long do inkjet prints really last?

[ob1canob]

Really want to find out from your experiences how long do your inkject prints really last despite the claims from epson, canon, hp & etc. I would also like to how durable our those special inks which they claim to last much longer. Will only the ink matter or also dependent on paper? What ink is best with which paper for longer durability? How can one make inkjet prints on canvas paper last longer? Sorry for all these questions but I think it's worth to find out from your experiences so that we can ensure longer lasting prints. Anyone?

[sectional86]

sepoms ink cannot last... it faded aft 2 mths... and guess wad, its printed on its own brand of sepoms photo paper.

[slaam]

Hmmm you have to see how you take care of it..
mine faded after two years.. but it was donkey ages ago (7 yrs print)
so quality not as good..
if you put it where sun shines on it.. prep to see it gone in two months

[ob1canob]

Originally Posted by slaam Hmmm you have to see how you take care of it.. mine faded after two years.. but it was donkey ages ago (7 yrs print) so quality not as good.. if you put it where sun shines on it.. prep to see it gone in two months

What's your printer, ink and paper you used? I had my epson printer (photo printer) with genuine epson ink (non-durabrite) on epson glossy photo paper; the image started fading within 2 weeks eventhough it doesn't directly get the sun. Also tried 3rd party ink, inkstation, on some 3rd party paper but didn't last either (also averages maybe around 2 weeks before you see signs of degradation in the colors). Currently trying the same 3rd party ink on a glossy (water-proof) mitsubitshi paper but have yet to see any degradation even after 4 months. I couldn't do this with original epson ink on the same mitsubitshi paper (bought it to experiment) because the paper doesn't seem to absorb the epson ink very well.
For once I'm seeing something better with the 3rd party ink; more paper-friendly that is.

Have also tried both original ink and 3rd party ink on a german brand (can't remember the paper name) canvas paper. Both printed well but smeared when touches water; also became faint after sometime even with fluorescent lights.

[solarii]

There are a few factor which determine how long your print will last:
1) paper quality
2) ink quality
3) storage conditions

Over time the print will definitely fade, colours on the paper will bleed etc. All these will cause the image to deteriorate no matter how well you keep your shot.

Generally original inks are more vibrant and are good for many years provided they are printed on good quality paper and stored properly.

Some 4R shot i printed on photo paper lasted 6 yrs without too much deterioration when stored in an album. Ok, so 6 yrs isn't that long but photo printing didn't become mainstream till a few yrs back anyway!

[ob1canob]

Originally Posted by solarii There are a few factor which determine how long your print will last: 1) paper quality 2) ink quality 3) storage conditions Over time the print will definitely fade, colours on the paper will bleed etc. All these will cause the image to deteriorate no matter how well you keep your shot. Generally original inks are more vibrant and are good for many years provided they are printed on good quality paper and stored properly. Some 4R shot i printed on photo paper lasted 6 yrs without too much deterioration when stored in an album. Ok, so 6 yrs isn't that long but photo printing didn't become mainstream till a few yrs back anyway!

Are there any combination that can perhaps last for at least 2 years without any hints of degradation for photos put on display e.g. on a photo-frame but out of direct sunlight? I guess 2 years is probably what I hope to achieve at least before the displayed photo needed to be replaced.

[taiwanapurasteve]

Hello Ob1canob,

Here's a site that has massive amounts of information about the lifespans of different inkjet prints. There's a host of different articles they have compiled about inks and papers. I hope there is some useful information for you here. Wilhelm Imaging Research

[ob1canob]

Originally Posted by singapurasteve Hello Ob1canob, Here's a site that has massive amounts of information about the lifespans of different inkjet prints. There's a host of different articles they have compiled about inks and papers. I hope there is some useful information for you here. Wilhelm Imaging Research

Wow! Thanks. What can I say.

[di0nysus]

Originally Posted by ob1canob had my epson printer (photo printer) with genuine epson ink (non-durabrite) on epson glossy photo paper; the image started fading within 2 weeks eventhough it doesn't directly get the sun. :

May I know which printer u used? wonder if pigment ink + original paper is better than dye inks

[ob1canob]

Originally Posted by di0nysus May I know which printer u used? wonder if pigment ink + original paper is better than dye inks

This result was from a very old printer i.e. the very first Epson Photo Printer (recently died probably due to some parts blown in the supply). Perhaps some 8 years ago model .

From the report in www.wilhelm-research.com, the reports seems to indicate pigment ink have longer permanence than dye inks.

[munwei]

My personal experience:

Epson 870 + original ink + original paper = More than 2 years in air-con, prints without glass frame.

Canon i950 + original ink + Photo Paper Pro = Less than 1 year in air-con, prints without glass frame. But for prints behind glass frame, more than 2 years. For non air-con, prints behind glass frame, very slight fading after 2 years.

Canon CP710 (dye sub portable printer), prints placed in album sleeves looking okay after 2 mths (that's how new the printer is).

In a nutshell, I think ink jet prints cannot last long if placed unprotected in the open, because of our hot & humid weather. So if it's mission critical (e.g. wedding photos), ask for traditional lab prints or at least get your inket prints laminated (I bought an A4 laminating machine from Popular for $100+ -- a worthwhile investment).

Cheers!

MW

[ob1canob]

Originally Posted by munwei My personal experience: Epson 870 + original ink + original paper = More than 2 years in air-con, prints without glass frame. Canon i950 + original ink + Photo Paper Pro = Less than 1 year in air-con, prints without glass frame. But for prints behind glass frame, more than 2 years. For non air-con, prints behind glass frame, very slight fading after 2 years. Canon CP710 (dye sub portable printer), prints placed in album sleeves looking okay after 2 mths (that's how new the printer is). In a nutshell, I think ink jet prints cannot last long if placed unprotected in the open, because of our hot & humid weather. So if it's mission critical (e.g. wedding photos), ask for traditional lab prints or at least get your inket prints laminated (I bought an A4 laminating machine from Popular for $100+ -- a worthwhile investment). Cheers! MW

But for laminated prints, they will fade too because of UV right? At the same time won't it look odd to have laminated prints be mounted on a frame. I'm hoping to find the longest lasting inkjet print combination in order to mount my photos on frames to be hung on the wall. Of course, traditional lab prints would be the better option but was thinking if I can do this cheaply by myself (I can at least control the color the way I want it) would be better; well, at least if the prints can last at least 2 years without noticeable degradation would be good enough. Also thinking of printing on canvas for mounting, i.e. if they can last long enough.

I want to thank you all for sharing your experience and opinions in this thread. Really appreciate the all feedbacks and suggestions.

[munwei]

Personally, I like canvas prints.

I did a 24" x 30" canvas print of a family portrait (shot using my S2pro at 12MP, and then upsized to 300 dpi). Costs me (if I recall correctly) about $100+ at Colour Lab (at Adelphi).

It's mounted professionally without glass -- the colours still look great after 1.5 yrs.

MW

[ob1canob]

Originally Posted by munwei Personally, I like canvas prints. I did a 24" x 30" canvas print of a family portrait (shot using my S2pro at 12MP, and then upsized to 300 dpi). Costs me (if I recall correctly) about $100+ at Colour Lab (at Adelphi). It's mounted professionally without glass -- the colours still look great after 1.5 yrs. MW

Is this inkjet print of traditional lab print? I supposed it's the later considering the price. 24" x 30" is really quite large (I'm thinking at least 1 of this size too). Is this price with the mount? If not how much does the mounting cost and what kind of frame did you go for? For canvas print and of this size do you really need 300 dpi or would 150 dpi do? I only have 8MP and I'm wondering if I can get at about this size.

Thanks MunWei for sharing your experience with me.

[Watcher]

Originally Posted by di0nysus May I know which printer u used? wonder if pigment ink + original paper is better than dye inks

Definately. Only HP using Vivera inks and paper can last as long as pigment with proper paper. However, the Vivera combo is very sensitive to water. Some had streaks when it was accidentally sneezed on!

Paper plays a very important part together with the inks. Papers that are acid-free, buffered, OBA-free, made with rag instead of celluose would last the longest.

Someone had done a real-world test here. See it for yourself.

[madmacs]

i think a lot depends on environment also...

i have some pics printed on canon and konica paper which i display in office..have not faded for quite long already. on the other hand, pics i printed on konica paper which i display at home on top of my speakers and tv faded within months... is it cos of heat?

[Watcher]

Originally Posted by madmacs i think a lot depends on environment also... i have some pics printed on canon and konica paper which i display in office..have not faded for quite long already. on the other hand, pics i printed on konica paper which i display at home on top of my speakers and tv faded within months... is it cos of heat?

It is the environment causing it to fade. The main three causes are: light/UV, outgassing and contaminants...

[slaam]

hmmm sounds interesting! tell me more about the canvas print thing? din't know there's this option.. what's the smallest size avail?
how much is the framing?

Originally Posted by munwei Personally, I like canvas prints. I did a 24" x 30" canvas print of a family portrait (shot using my S2pro at 12MP, and then upsized to 300 dpi). Costs me (if I recall correctly) about $100+ at Colour Lab (at Adelphi). It's mounted professionally without glass -- the colours still look great after 1.5 yrs. MW

[munwei]

Hi,

Yes, traditional lab print, not inkjet print. I've checked the jpeg image -- it's actually 20" x 16". Printing cost = $35. Canvas = $58, so total was $93. (The prices here were a year ago. Colourlab might have revised their prices). ColourLab was quite nice as they gave me a 4R test print FOC for me to see the colours first. Also, when the print was ready, I went down to look at the colours before they converted it to canvas.

Mounting was another $90 or so -- I brought to a framing shop in Ghim Moh. What they did was to stretch the canvas over a piece of plywood and then mounted the frame. There was no glass, so that the canvas print would stand out more.

The image was 20" x 16" at 300dpi, i.e. 6000 x 4800 pixels. The original image was 4256 x 2848 (it's an odd number because of the S2's diagonal Super CCD structure). After cropping and editing in Photoshop, I interpolated the image incrementally by 10% for several iterations to get the final 6000 x 4800 resolution. Alternatively, there're tools out there using fractal geometry to carry out the interpolation. 300dpi is the recommended resolution for the Fuji commercial printing machines.

Hope this helps!

MW

[alwayschampion]

Printouts from Epson 830 printers colours still good and last 2 years..