Cleaning an inkjet print.

[Guest]

Am I asking the obvious, that it can not be done or is there a way.
I have some rolled up 20x 20 prints and two have what looks like mold on them.
Only thought I had was using regular water and some dishwashing liquid. Obviously alcohol is a no no, so anyone have a helping idea for me.
Cheers,
James.

 

[peterm1]

Sorry I thought this was about cleaning inkjet printer - only read the heading before rushing out the door. Now I cant work out how to delete my post

 

[gns]

I once soaked a couple of inkjet prints for 5-10 minutes in water just to see what happened. They seemed fine (One was on matte paper, the other on semi-gloss coated paper. Both with Epson K-3 inks).

I think the actual ink set and paper you used will be a factor, but I know that water-based, pigment inks tend to have pretty good moisture resistance, but will usually break down pretty quickly in any kind of detergent. Ethyl or isopropyl alcohol may be ok for a short duration and you may need something like that if the problem is mold.

My best advise is to get hold of an archivist for some real answers. There used to be a photo-archivist who posted here. I don't remember the name.

Here is something a quick google search turned up which might be helpful...
http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/4376

Good luck. let us know how it turns out.

 

[Bill Clark]

Are you in possession of the digital files?

If not, maybe take or have some one take a photograph of your prints and work on them with Photoshop.

Doesn't solve your situation wih your current prints. Just a thought to consider.