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Just as digital cameras have improved dramatically during the past ten years, so have inkjet printers, inks and paper. The color quality of early inkjet prints left much to be desired and the images deteriorated quickly. But steady and dramatic improvements in printers, inks and paper have combined so we can now make prints that will last for decades when stored and displayed properly. Here are some tips for getting the best performance from your inkjet printer and the prints it produces.
CARING FOR YOUR PRINTER— How do you turn off your printer? Epson says if you press the printers OFF button, you're doing it right. This allows the printer to shut down properly and park the heads in the right position so they don't dry out and become clogged. If you have your printer plugged in to a power strip, don't use the switch on the strip to turn off the printer, because the printer won’t have a chance to shut down correctly. When you use your printer daily, don’t bother to shut down your printer. It uses minimal power when in standby mode, so there is no advantage to shutting it down. But if you seldom use your printer, you should turn it on and make a few prints every 7-10 days anyway just to prevent ink clogs from forming.
WHAT AFFECTS PRINT LIFE— How you display and store your prints has an impact on how long the images will last before noticeable deterioration occurs. Here are the main hazards your prints face during display and storage.
LIGHT— UV light is notorious for causing dyes to fade and paper to yellow. Sunlight and fluorescent lights are rich in UV, so avoid displaying photos in areas illuminated by window light (especially direct sunlight). Areas with less ambient light and with incandescent light sources (rather than fluorescent) are better, just like you see in the display areas at museums.
HUMIDITY— Cool and dry is good, hot and humid is bad. According to the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, it’s best to store photos below 68 degrees F. with a relative humidity between 30% and 40%. When heat and humidity become elevated, mold growth and insect activity both increase and can cause damage. Fortunately, since inkjet prints don’t have gelatin emulsions like conventional silver halide prints, they aren’t as susceptible to damage from mold, heat and humidity. Avoid storing photos in your basement, attic or along the outside walls of a building, since these areas are notorious for extremes in heat and humidity.
AIRBORNE POLLUTION— Dust, smoke, ozone and other gases present in our environment can affect the display life of prints. Framing a photo creates a “microenvironment” that adds protection from these hazards. Using ultraviolet-absorbing plexiglass glazing in frames helps filter out damaging UV light, plus it is far less likely to break and cause print damage than glass.
NOT ALL PRINTER INKS ARE THE SAME— Inkjet printers use either dye-based ink or pigmented ink. Since the two ink types perform differently, a printer will accept one or the other, but not both ink types. Dye-based ink is the more common of the two. Dyes penetrate into the paper surface and preserve the surface characteristics of the paper, so a glossy-finished print looks glossy even in the dark areas where it was heavily inked. Many improvements have been made to dye-type inks, and some now approach pigmented inks in terms of color stability. Pigmented inks contain tiny particles of colorant that are more colorfast than most dyes. Only a few relatively expensive printers use pigmented inks. Since pigmented inks rest on the surface of the paper instead of penetrating into it, surface characteristics will change depending on inking levels.
THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN INKJET PAPERS, TOO— Inkjet photo papers generally fall into three categories: (1) resin-coated with a fast-dry coating; (2) resin-coated with an encapsulating coating and (3) uncoated, such as watercolor, fine art, canvas and matte heavyweight.
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The term “resin-coated” refers to a layer of plastic resin that separates the top coating from the paper fiber base. There is also a layer of plastic resin on the back side of the paper that gives the photo added durability and resistance to moisture. Fast-dry or instant-dry top coatings on some papers have tiny pores that increase the surface area so the dyes will dry faster. Ilford Gallerie Smooth Gloss and Pearl papers are examples of
instant-dry RC papers.
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Resin-coated papers with an encapsulating coating have a thick layer that swells to absorb ink dyes. This coating gradually shrinks as the ink dries and continues to give protection to the dyes from ozone and airborne pollution. This type of paper is the most permanent choice for dye-type inks, but it is not recommended for pigmented inks. Examples are Ilford Gallerie Classic Gloss and Pearl.
Uncoated papers have a much more natural “paper” feel since they don’t have the resin and other coating layers. Uncoated papers can be used with both pigment and dye-type inks.
AFTER YOU’VE MADE THE PRINTS---Inkjet prints (especially when made on RC photo paper) need to “cure” for at least 24 hours after being printed, before being framed, laminated or placed in plastic pages. While the print may feel dry to the touch soon after leaving the printer, it will continue to emit vapors from the ink solvents. Epson recommends placing a sheet of plain paper on top of the inkjet print 15 minutes after it is printed, and leaving it there for 24 hours. If you are making multiple prints, it’s OK to stack them with plain paper interleaves. The paper sheets will absorb the gases and accelerate the curing process. After 24 hours, if the plain paper is wavy, insert new clean sheets of paper and wait another 24 hours. If you frame or enclose an inkjet print immediately after it’s printed, a layer of haze will coat the inside of the frame. This is the ink solvent out-gassing. Remove the print, let it dry under a sheet of plain paper for 24 hours, clean the frame’s glass, then reframe. Properly curing prints first eliminates this problem.
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