A happy long life

[Oren Grad]

I based my comments on my art school training. The worst color for fading is red. I was taught that carbon based pigments are really the only permanent color.

I see the term "Archival Pigment Prints" being used (perhaps overused), and they do not distinguish between color and B&W. From my training color prints are not and cannot be as long lasting as B&W prints due to fading. They lack permanence.

The issue is that the "inks" used by photo inkjet printers have more ingredients than just the color pigments on the one hand or pure carbon on the other. There's sophisticated chemistry and nanoparticle engineering going on to make something that can be squirted through the microscopic channels without clogging, and that will cure properly and not react adversely with the various paper coatings and bases that it will land on. So the general principle "carbon is more stable than color pigments" does not, by itself, tell you which inkset will be more stable in the real world of inkjet photo printing, even if the particular concern is stability of monochrome prints and the comparison is between one inkset that makes some use of color pigments and another that doesn't. If long-term stability is a major concern, there's no substitute for comparative testing of actual ink and paper combinations.

I agree that the term "archival" is way overused, and abused.

 

[Calzone]

Cal - My understanding (actually lifted from Henry Wilhelm's website) is that the 4 black inks in the Epson 3880 are carbon based. This would certainly account for the increased permanence of the b&w prints over the color in his studies.

Bill thanks for the confirmation.

I was not sure if any color was used say in perhaps "splitoning."

If any color inks are use there is a vulnerability to fading. Perhaps "B&W" only does not allow for "splitoning."

Interesting to note that on last night's "Antique Roadshow" they had a Picasso "dry-point" print where an etching plate is engraved dirctly, inked and then printed. This was an early work and displayed some of the anylitic Cubism that would follow. Only about 100 prints were made and it was signed in pencil.

The worth was only about $8K-$10K because of staining and fading. The print dated from about 1909 and showed fading from a previous mat, and there was staining from direct sunlight. This print did a lot of traveling also and had been displayed where it got illuminated by the sun.

If restored by a conservationist the value was estimated to be $40K.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

The issue is that the "inks" used by photo inkjet printers have more ingredients than just the color pigments on the one hand or pure carbon on the other. There's sophisticated chemistry and nanoparticle engineering going on to make something that can be squirted through the microscopic channels without clogging, and that will cure properly and not react adversely with the various paper coatings and bases that it will land on. So the general principle "carbon is more stable than color pigments" does not, by itself, tell you which inkset will be more stable in the real world of inkjet photo printing, even if the particular concern is stability of monochrome prints and the comparison is between one inkset that makes some use of color pigments and another that doesn't. If long-term stability is a major concern, there's no substitute for comparative testing of actual ink and paper combinations.

I agree that the term "archival" is way overused, and abused.

Oren,

You bring up a strong point that there is a lot of chemistry also going on and that paper and ink combinations makes everything very-very complicated.

Ink alone is only one consideration.

Cal

 

[kbb]

I've never seen a straight B&W dupe from transparency films such as Kodachrome, Ektachrome, and Fujichrome that looked right.
But that doesn't mean it can't be done.
I imagine heavy retouching and tonal manipulation would be required to give them 'normal' B&W film tonality, or to make them look like straight color documentary photos once they have suffered fading.