[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] |
Although this subject is of major concern, it's surprising how little "relevant" discussion has been generated on this list about Wilhelm's latest test results under the section, "Desktop Inkjet Printers (newer products)": EPSON STYLUS 3000 PRINTER (4-ink Lysonic E Inks) Luminos Lumijet Premium DW Glossy (discon.) >120 years Luminos Lumijet Premium Tapestry X (tentative) >120 years Arches Cold Press Paper 50-55 years Somerset Velvet Paper >25 years UltraStable Canvas (glossy) >15 years Lysonic Standard Fine Art Paper 4-6 years Epson Photo Paper (1998 "Improved type) 4-5 years (years listed are before noticeable fading occurs) Lyson and Luminos had originally claimed that their Lysonic E and Platinum inks would give an estimated 65-75 years of fade-proof performance on traditional non-coated papers like Somerset Velvet or on their "matched" coated papers like Lysonic Standard Fine Art Paper or Lumijet's Classic Velour. These papers perform beautifully, so many of us didn't mind paying four times the cost of plain ol' Somerset Velvet if we could get richer blacks and more saturated colors. (Please remember that we are also talking about a "family" of watercolor papers -- these test results apply to all 3 of the Lysonic watercolor papers [Standard, Soft & Rough] and all 3 of the Lumijet watercolor papers [Classic Velour, Museum Parchment & Flaxen Weave] -- because all these papers are made from the same paper base, using the same coating.) Now Dr. Wilhelm is telling us that we're only going to get 4-6 years before noticeable fading (a performance that isn't much better than Epson's Photo Paper). Do you feel a little rip-off or betrayed? Are similar test results going to come back on the very popular, Somerset Photo Enhanced, 6 months from now? It could happen. You need to keep in mind that Lyson and Luminos did not just arbitrarily pick these estimated performances out of the air before releasing their products to the public. They took their products to several experts (including Dr. Wilhelm) to get these estimates before releasing the products. They then released their products in good faith with these estimated numbers. So why does there appear to be such a big discrepancy between their original estimates (65-75 years) and the current test results of 4-6 years? As a dealer for these products, I certainly wanted some answers, as I knew many of you would be asking me those same questions. The head people at Luminos and Lyson are quite concerned as you can imagine. I have been told that Dr. Wilhelm's latest tests were conducted using higher humidity percentages than his earlier tests, and that sets the "bar" at a higher level. (They point out that even Somerset Velvet and Arches ratings have fallen considerably compared to previous tests.) There is some talk that Henry's tests may not necessarily mimic real-world results. And although they do they plan to continue their testing with Dr. Wilhelm, they may also submit their products to other labs (like RIT) to help "vindicate" their original estimates. In all, they still feel that their inksets offer considerable fade-resistance over the current OEM inkset (and the great results on other papers would seem to confirm that belief). In defense of Dr. Wilhelm's most recent findings, they certainly would indicate that he tries to be a true scientist, that can't be bought -- otherwise he would not have published such potentially damaging results ("4-6 years" for the Lysonic Fine Art) for his paying clients! Will these fine art watercolor papers suffer the same fate as Liege did? Legion had high hopes for its Liege paper (which was originally a coated Somerset paper), only to learn that the paper produced color shifts after a few years -- relegating the paper to use as a great-looking "portfolio" paper, but losing its status as an archival fine art paper. Lyson had already been working on a reformulation for their watercolor papers, even before these latest test results. So you can expect to see some new watercolor papers, in addition to their current papers. These new watercolor papers are expected to be 100% rag papers (the current watercolor papers are wood pulp base). Everyone is clamoring to find archival solutions that will perform RIGHT NOW. We need to keep in mind that experimental solutions for "fine art printing from the desktop printer" have only been around for a little over a year. This industry is in its infancy, yet it is moving very quickly. This is an exciting time. When Graham Nash first started using the commercial Iris inkjet proofers to make "giclees" in about 1990, the current inkset were also only lasting 2-3 years. It took almost 5 years to get longevity up to about 10 years, yet we're all expecting 50+ years of longevity overnight for our desktop printers! It will happen, but it may take a little longer than some had hoped. In the end, Dr. Wilhelm's latest article, "The Intimate Relationships of Inks and Papers: You Can't Talk About the Permanence of One Without Considering the Other" does cause one to reflect on the importance of MATCHING papers and inks. One used to think that paper COATINGS could only LOWER an inkset's fade-resistance performance (like Liege's coating did for Somerset); however, Dr. Wilhelm's latest test results for Luminos Lumijet's two "Premium" (coated) papers, "DW Glossy" and "Tapestry X" seem to show that a coating may even ENHANCE the paper's longevity performance (with a test result of >120 years) with some inksets (Lysonic E)! Yes, there is hope.... Royce Bair royce@tssphoto.com http://www.inkjetart.com/ Inkjet Art Solutions - Turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for list instructions.