Apogee Photo - Home

Ink Jet Printing 101: 
Luminos Archival Papers

By Michael Fulks

Many people are surprised to learn that images printed out on ink jet printers, using OEM papers and inks, will last only eighteen months on average before showing noticeable fading. After our review of the Epson 1200 last summer, many readers wrote in for clarification. Did they read the longevity figures wrong? Were they a misprint? "Could it be true?"

I’m afraid so. At that time, according to Wilhelm Imaging Research, Epson inks on Epson paper--when hung "as is" indoors--showed noticeable fading within .9 years. When the images were covered with glass, the life span jumped to 1.2 years. Other papers fared much worse--including Kodak Photo Quality Paper, which showed fading within .7 years. In 1998, Epson introduced their new Photo paper. This "improved" type--which is now available--has increased its longevity to a mere two years. (Note: Be careful to look for the "improved" on the box. Many places are still selling the old style paper.)

Other manufacturers do no better. Lexmark and Canon printers, using their photo inks and photo paper, fade within a year or less. HP is the best among ink jet photo printers using the PhotoSmart system on PhotoSmart Glossy paper with a life span of six to eight years. The reason for this poor showing in the longevity department is an issue of both inks and paper coatings. When developing their inks and papers, all manufacturers aimed for true color representation in their computer images. This is no small feat. The CMYK color scheme normally has a much smaller color gamut than a monitor’s RGB. To have inks and papers match what you see on the screen is really amazing, and, in itself, a worthwhile goal.

Unfortunately, developing inks to last longer involves using materials that, by their nature, are unable to produce such vibrant colors. When we investigate inks later in this series, you'll see that--on the whole--the better the ink is at resisting fading, the smaller its color gamut and the more tinkering you'll have to do to achieve acceptable colors. At that time, we'll also discuss how to use Monaco EZ Color software to help you.

Papers, on the other hand, can contribute to the problem of fading through the materials used to coat the paper. This coating keeps the ink from wicking or spreading along the paper's fibers, resulting in brighter colors and tighter, sharper dots. However, if the coating is acidic, it will interact with the inks to begin breaking them down. This deterioration is the problem with many of the OEM papers. The acidic coating will break down even an "archival" ink. The solution is to find materials for coatings that are neutral in pH, yet retard wicking and maintain bright colors. Again, we'll show you how to use Monaco EZ Color to help you calibrate your printer, as we've found that each type of coating shifts colors slightly. We found big differences, for example, in testing between Ilford, Kodak, and Epson papers.

The problem of longevity has plagued artists using inkjets printers since inkjets were first introduced as an alternative to other printing methods, especially among artists who produced their images with the assistance of computers. When I first began using IRIS printers in 1993, it was understood that the resulting prints could not be called "long-lasting." In fact, having the images last wasn't the original intent of the makers of the machine, who had intended it to be used to prepare printer proofs. In that application, the print needed to last only long enough for the printer and his customer to confer about a particular four-color printing job. What impressed artists, however, was the resolution of the prints. With an apparent resolution of 1800 to 2400 dpi, the images were almost photographic in quality.

The rush was on to find ways to keep the prints from fading within a year. My first IRIS prints were coated with a thick UV inhibiting spray that looked and smelled a lot like rubber cement. That spray must have worked, because I have many prints that have been hanging for seven years now that show no noticeable fading. In addition, in the last few years, we've seen the introduction of new inks and papers that promise to last as long or longer than the best photographic prints.

IRIS printers were and still are very expensive. Prints done on them will cost you considerably more than a photographic print of comparable size. So, when Epson and HP and others began to produce ink jet printers under $500 that appeared to have a resolution close to the IRIS, artists and photographers like me were very interested!

As you will see from my review of the Epson 1200, at the time of the article, I did not consider it a viable competitor to the IRIS because of what appeared to be the lack of archival media for it. In fact, there are still reviewers of digital photography and printers who bemoan the "fact" that digital photographs are not permanent and are, thus, not a true alternative to traditional photographic prints. For me, enlightenment came quickly after the review was published, and Luminos sent me a sample pack of their papers to try on the ink jet. (If you've been around photography for a while, you'll recognize the name Luminos. They have been producing fine quality photo papers for over 50 years. Their inkjet papers and ink go under the name of Lumijet.) The papers are divided into two classes.

Lumijet Premium Photograde Print Media

What I immediately like about Lumijet papers is that they match the color of Epson papers. Having tried other papers, as mentioned above, I noted a great difference in color reproduction from one manufacturer to the next. I was happy to see that the color profiles I created for the Epson were useable with Lumijet papers. Sample packs are available, and I urge you to take advantage of this offering in order to find the papers that best fit your artistic tastes. For example, the Glossy and Pearl RC look a lot like photo paper and may become your papers of choice, if you're going to use your ink jet printer to print portraits, passport pictures, or proofs. The Clear Overhead transparency/negative film can be used to produce large B/W negatives for use with alternative photographic processes such as palladium printing, without having to use the darkroom. I found the textures on the canvas and linen papers to be a bit much for me, but you may find they meet your needs exactly. Two of this class of papers (DW Glossy and Tapestry X) were tested by Wilhelm, and when used with Lysonic inks (which, rumor has it, are the same formulation as Lumijet Platinum inks), yielded an impressive 120+ years before fading. (To find out how testing is done, see www.wilhelm-research.com). Luminos indicates that all of its papers should do as well.

Lumijet Fine Art Preservation Series Print Media

These are the papers that really impressed me. These are really fine papers coated with Lumijet coatings just like the papers above. (Luminos indicates that they are even more archival than the standard series.) The difference is the look and feel of the papers. Gallery Gloss is a photo paper; Soft Suede is a super white matte bond paper. The remaining three are very fine watercolor papers. I have chosen the Classic Velour for most of my work. It has a smooth surface, with no distracting texture to get in the way of fine detail. The paper produces beautiful blacks and colors. In fact, the blacks are as good or better than in the best photo paper you've ever seen. Flaxen Weave has a textile type texture to it that is, nonetheless, subtle. Museum Parchment is a super-white paper with a parchment-like texture that is both visible and apparent to the touch.

Museum Parchment is a super-white paper with a parchment-like texture	Classic Velour has a relatively smooth surface	Flaxen Weave has a textile type texture

Because neither Lyson nor Luminos has produced their inks in cartridges for the 1200, I've been using MIS archival color and Quadtone inks (www.missupply.com) to test these papers as well as the others to follow in this series. The results have been amazing! I've been producing artwork from pencil and sketch to acrylics with this combination, as well as my photography, and people are floored by the results. The Velour allows the details of even the finest brush or pencil stroke to show up. And the colors are awesome! With Quadtone Inks (actually Sixtone Inks), black and white images have all of the subtle gradations of any fine B/W print!

Again, because MIS inks have a slightly smaller color gamut than OEM inks, I used Monaco EZ Color to create a printer profile. As a result, I can't tell the difference between OEM inks and the archival inks. This profiling has allowed me to work with both Epson papers and Luminos to minimize my costs in the following way:

The Velour paper runs about $2.50 U.S. per 8.5 X 11 sheet. And, although my printer and paper profiles produce prints that match the screen, when I have the prints in my hands, I often find that I've sharpened them too much--or not enough, that they might look better warmer--or cooler, or that the colors could be more--or less saturated. For me, the process of adjustment is much like being in the darkroom where I make many test prints before I crank out the final prints. Because the Epson prints are only $.50 U.S. per sheet, and they match the colors of the Velour exactly, I use Epson papers to make all of my test prints. When I finally get them the way I want, I begin printing on the Velour.

The Lumijet papers are available from many mail order sources. To find a resource near you, check out http://www.lumijet.com/dlrmainframe.htm. Also, while you're on the website, make sure you read all about the papers and ink. In addition, there are color profiles available that have already been made up for the papers and ink. You can download them right from the site. ( http://www.lumijet.com/profilelin.htm )

Next, we'll give you the scoop on Red River Papers!

Visit this sponsor for more papers and inks

to the previous page.  Back to the Apogee Photo Home Page

Apogee Photo and Apogee Photo Magazine are trademarks of Apogee Photo, Inc. Copyright © 1995-2007. Apogee Photo, Inc. All Rights Reserved.