Humidity & prints

[botoz]

Hi fellow photo lovers,

Have been following this forum for some time but this is my first post, so hello to all.

I am living in Europe but will be coming to live in S'pore in the fall so have many questions to ask. I have read alot re dry cabinets etc. What about the effect of humidity on actual prints - either inkjet or thermal? do you have to protect your prints in a glass frame, or ok to leave them in the open?

Thanks for your feedback!

YKF

 

[sammy888]

Hi fellow photo lovers,

Have been following this forum for some time but this is my first post, so hello to all.

I am living in Europe but will be coming to live in S'pore in the fall so have many questions to ask. I have read alot re dry cabinets etc. What about the effect of humidity on actual prints - either inkjet or thermal? do you have to protect your prints in a glass frame, or ok to leave them in the open?

Thanks for your feedback!

YKF

Hi....an advance Hello to you before you step down to Singapore.

A short answer would be...it depends on the type of printing paper you use. For it to last you need to get better paper or card type media for your printing. They call them archival paper. I use Epson Archival Matte Paper and will simply frame them up to give away..etc. But I have also just print a A4 sheet for example and then use blue tack and stick it to my wall and it has been on my wall for more then 2 years and they are still fine. So the right kind of paper makes a difference. There is also the printing ink used. I use Epson printers for all my printing at home and office and it uses the DURAbrite Ultra ink which is suppose to last 100 yrs and the ink is finely sprayed, not smugde and it waterproof too. I don't usually use Thermal ink printers so I am not 100% sure but I do notice that with thermal you can see under directonal lighting that you can see certain colour patch is more shiny then another part of it. Not sure how to explain this but I guess it will last and if you frame it with a glass it should look fine..as for how long it will last...it is claimed to last a pretty long time though. You can fine out more details when you go to the various websites of printer brands. For thermal I think Tektronix is one of the best out there but it is a pricey.

In any case if you really have some wonderful shots that you have taken or will take more in the future...you can alway have those choosen one be sent to a lab to have them process it onto film prints so it will last as long as conventional photo prints.

 

[botoz]

Hi Sammy - thanks for your detailed feedback and advices, much appreciated. I have an old Epson 1270 A3 inkjet with some prints using the Archival Matte Paper. The printer is very old now and unbearably slow so I will probably buy a new printer when I'm in S'pore. Or perhaps a digital photo frame that seems pretty fun, though still rather expensive I find. Or just stick with my small Samsung thermal printer which gives good results...

Cheers!

 

[nsng]

Hi fellow photo lovers,

Have been following this forum for some time but this is my first post, so hello to all.

I am living in Europe but will be coming to live in S'pore in the fall so have many questions to ask. I have read alot re dry cabinets etc. What about the effect of humidity on actual prints - either inkjet or thermal? do you have to protect your prints in a glass frame, or ok to leave them in the open?

Thanks for your feedback!

YKF

Hi,

The humidity here is not that bad to affect the dye inks. I have the 1290 for many years and the prints are fine. But be certain not to expose these dye-based prints to strong sunlight or halogen light. I have just moved to the Epson 3850 (aka Epson 3800 in Europe) with the Ultrachrome K3 inks and longevity shouldn't not be an issue with these pigment-based inks.

Is the Samsung a dye-sub printer? In this case, this is not an issue as well. I have a Kodak dye-sub printer. Usually there is a final layer of clear coat to protect the dye on the paper. This is water proof.

You will still need a dry cabinet to store your cameras and lenses as the humidity is still high enough to cause fungus to grow rapidly. Do not use silica gel or other dessicant materials. In the long run they are a pain to use.

Enjoy your stay in Singapore.

N.S.