ProfHankD wrote:
D Cox wrote:
I can't see any reason why a carbon based archival inkjet black ink shouldn't last just as long as silver, or perhaps longer. Colour inks can be labelled as archival, but who knows how long they will last ? Colour laser prints can fade quite rapidly.
The big line in permanence of inkjet prints is dye vs. pigment -- pigment is more permanent. As I understand it, the problem with pigments is metamerism -- they change apparent color depending on the lighting and/or viewing angle. I agree that carbon black should be very permanent, which I guess leaves it down to how permanent the binders/sealers/paper is? There are some papers that help that, using things like nano-ceramic surfaces (e.g., Ilford Galerie ).
Honestly, I don't know why Cibachrome went away. I suppose it's the inconvenience of wet processing? Still, I always liked the Ilford papers better than Kodak and other alternatives, and I feel the same way about their inkjet photo paper.
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It is much easier to develop and make prints from black-and-white film than from colour, so I suggest starting with that. You can develop your film without a darkroom, using a black "changing bag" for loading the film into a developing tank. There are a number of dealers who sell everything needed.
Yup. Lots of intro photography courses still teach B&W film processing. Enlargers and other darkroom goodies are fairly available, but some equipment has an unfortunate value-to-bulk ratio, e.g., shipping an enlarger from a random eBay seller can get pricey.
You can also scan your films to get a digital version which can be printed using the usual inkjet printers.
Yup. You'll see various things on how to digitize them in this very forum....
Aardenburg-Imaging.com tests tell a lot about respective stabilities in time for photo print technologies but the mechanical problems like abrasion etc. The bond of the ink to the paper/paper-coating and the bond of the coating to the paper base may be the weakest part of today's inkjet prints. Thin protective spray caotings help somewhat.
Carbon pigments for black/grey inkjet inks are by nature a bit warm in color. Depending on particle size and their production method. The HP Vivera pigment ink has quite stable blue colorants bound to the photo black and grey ink pigment particles for neutrality but not on the matte black ink particles. A slightly more neutral matte black ink with even more color stability in time is the latest version of the MIS Eboni, the source of the ink components changed I think 3 years ago.
If you aim for the most permanent B&W print with inkjet and can live with loss in resolution, dynamic range, then printing on uncoated cotton papers like some Arches graphic arts qualities is the best thing to do. Quad inkjet inks build with only carbon pigments + stable color pigments to create neutral B&W prints. See Paul Roark's web pages for that. There is an Italian who does a similar process but more elaborate.
On gloss papers , both bronzing by angle of light and color inconstancy due to changing viewing light spectrum happened with dye and pigment inks in the past. It is greatly reduced in most ink sets. Paper coatings and OBA content in papers influence that behaviour too. Gloss enhancer ink in some printers reduce the gloss differences between different ink lay downs but not always the bronzing. The last is an effect comparable with lens coating refraction. Matte papers do not have that issue, OBA content in them can however still create color inconstancy in changing light conditions.
OBA in papers are destructed by UV, visible light and gasses like Ozon. So part of the color shift can be caused by the paper itself. It can become worse in some OBA papers when they discolor beyond the natural paper color, the OBA chemicals themselves producing a stain.
Silver Halide B&W prints have still the best fade properties. Mechanical strength is also good, the "pigment" is embedded in gelatine or pva so oxidation is reduced. Much depends on the development process being properly done. Some archival processes help, some did not. OBA content in most silver halide papers is creating the same color inconstancy as in inkjet papers. Many SH papers have an RC paper base which can delaminate, the same is possible in many inkjet photo papers. Papers without resin or PE layers are preferred though RC paper quality improved a lot since it was introduced in the 1950's.
Of the chromogenic color processes the Fuji Crystal Archive papers showed actually better color fading resistance than Cibachrom/Ilfochrome. Still way less than the best inkjet pigment color inks make possible. The Fuji papers are easier to produce in existing printers whether slides, negatives or digital data are supplied. Ilford has gone through several insolvencies so that did not help either. Coating facilities in Switzerland disappeared and Harman technologies in England (former UK plant of Ilford) no longer makes color film/paper at all I think. They still produce the Ilford B&W films and papers and some scientific emulsions etc. Inkjet color dye inks of the more stable variety on dye compatible inkjet papers have roughly a similar fading resistance the chromogenic color prints of today show. Epson Claria, HP Vivera dye inks, etc.
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
No photographer's gear list is complete without the printer mentioned !
