Faded photograph prints

Jenny Dawson <jenniferpdawson [at] yahoo__co__uk> writes

> .... One of my
>clients is a wildlife painter and photographer and has recently
>encountered the following problem:
>
>   "I have been printing photographic prints using an HP designjet
>    5500 printer with standard dye inks. I print onto Hahne Muhle
>    photorag paper. The prints are essentially tinted black and
>    white (sepia type)--printed in 4 colour CMYK. I started running
>    prints about 4 months ago. One of the first prints that I ran
>    has turned green. ...

His HP printer can use either dyes or pigments, and I'd suggest that
he use the latter in the future. Inkjet dyes are susceptible to a
variety of environmental factors which can make them unstable and
cause them to fade in the light. Once they leave your possession,
anything can happen including exposure to ozone, peroxide vapors,
high humidity, airborne chemicals, emissions from stains used in
wooden frames, freshly painted rooms, just to name a few. It's just
too hard to say exactly what caused it.

I had this exact same experience years ago and have not had a
problem since I converted to Epson pigments. I'll add that to this
day, all of the dye prints in my possession remain as colorful as
the day I made them but certain ones outside of my control faded
terribly. Suffice it to say that dyes are unpredictable and require
extraordinary care, but you already know that.

John Castronovo
Tech photo and imaging


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 20:32
                 Distributed: Sunday, December 17, 2006
                       Message Id: cdl-20-32-005
                                  ***