Do photos printed at home fade faster than those from the labs?

red_ryder · 16th July 2007

I'm using a cheap 3-in-1 multi-function inkjet printer, and the photos printed out fade very quickly, within 3 months all the color leaches out and it becomes sepia-toned. And this is using photo paper, not normal paper. Since I have not owned a dedicated photo printer before, I would like to ask the members here if the same thing happens with dedicated photo printers? What about dye-sub?

Obviously no photo lasts forever, but are there photo printers that are as lasting as those from the commercial labs? The main reason I would consider buying a home photo printer is for control over cropping of the photos, freedom of print size and convenience. Its probably going to cost more per print than doing it at the shop though, so the question of longevity is critical for me.

leekch · 16th July 2007

Me got this experience after a small little trial.

I printed several photos onto different photo papers of different brands using the same printer, using original ink. After several months of exposing the photo prints to the air (no direct sunlight), these photos were either faded or severaly discoloured; much like sepia or very reddish. However, prints using thermal transfer retains much of the colours.

hazmee · 16th July 2007

My take on home printing: Use cheap ink and papers, get poor results. Simple as that.

You can read more about ink longevity and print permanence here: http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

megascriler · 18th July 2007

Inkjet prints these days can have very long print permanance, even lasting more than a 100 years under display conditions(not sunlight). Just use the choice paper of the same printer brand as well as genuine ink.

nsng · 19th July 2007

Hi,

Are you prints being exposed to strong sunlight? This will cause the colours to fade. Is your printer using dye based inks? Dye based inks tend to fade faster than pigment based inks. Even though you might be using photo paper, this might be acidic and certainly contain optical brighteners. Unfortunately, this combination of dye inks, acidic paper and optical brighteners are not archival. For best results, choose a pigment based ink, such as the Epson Ultrachrome K3 and use acid free or archival photo papers with no optical brighteners.

Thermal or dye-sub prints are more stable because the final layer is a protective clear coat. But the usual dye-sub printer is post card size only and I find that the colours are somewhat muted in comparison to ink-jet prints.

N.S.

alwayschampion · 20th July 2007

Which ink are you using ?

16th July 2007	#1
red_ryder Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 298	Do photos printed at home fade faster than those from the labs? I'm using a cheap 3-in-1 multi-function inkjet printer, and the photos printed out fade very quickly, within 3 months all the color leaches out and it becomes sepia-toned. And this is using photo paper, not normal paper. Since I have not owned a dedicated photo printer before, I would like to ask the members here if the same thing happens with dedicated photo printers? What about dye-sub? Obviously no photo lasts forever, but are there photo printers that are as lasting as those from the commercial labs? The main reason I would consider buying a home photo printer is for control over cropping of the photos, freedom of print size and convenience. Its probably going to cost more per print than doing it at the shop though, so the question of longevity is critical for me.

16th July 2007	#2
leekch New Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bt Merah Posts: 40	Re: Do photos printed at home fade faster than those from the labs? Me got this experience after a small little trial. I printed several photos onto different photo papers of different brands using the same printer, using original ink. After several months of exposing the photo prints to the air (no direct sunlight), these photos were either faded or severaly discoloured; much like sepia or very reddish. However, prints using thermal transfer retains much of the colours.

16th July 2007	#3
hazmee Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Teban Gardens Posts: 2,609	Re: Do photos printed at home fade faster than those from the labs? My take on home printing: Use cheap ink and papers, get poor results. Simple as that. You can read more about ink longevity and print permanence here: http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ __________________ The hideout // My flickr page

18th July 2007	#4
megascriler Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 385	Re: Do photos printed at home fade faster than those from the labs? Inkjet prints these days can have very long print permanance, even lasting more than a 100 years under display conditions(not sunlight). Just use the choice paper of the same printer brand as well as genuine ink.

19th July 2007	#5
nsng Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 189	Re: Do photos printed at home fade faster than those from the labs? Hi, Are you prints being exposed to strong sunlight? This will cause the colours to fade. Is your printer using dye based inks? Dye based inks tend to fade faster than pigment based inks. Even though you might be using photo paper, this might be acidic and certainly contain optical brighteners. Unfortunately, this combination of dye inks, acidic paper and optical brighteners are not archival. For best results, choose a pigment based ink, such as the Epson Ultrachrome K3 and use acid free or archival photo papers with no optical brighteners. Thermal or dye-sub prints are more stable because the final layer is a protective clear coat. But the usual dye-sub printer is post card size only and I find that the colours are somewhat muted in comparison to ink-jet prints. N.S.

20th July 2007	#6
alwayschampion Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 486	Re: Do photos printed at home fade faster than those from the labs? Which ink are you using ? __________________ Singapore Youth Group since 2002 Singapore Poly Student/Alumni