How Permanent are Your Prints

'Blue Boy' 2.5 x 3.5 inches

Mixed Media on paper.

When I started producing my own prints I was very concerned about their longevity.

I bought a printer that uses Epson UltraChrome K3 pigmented inks and I always use an archival paper but I still had no definitive figures on permanence.

However I have now discovered that Henry Wilhelm has researched the longevity of different inks and surfaces.

The website is an absolute mine of information for anyone wanting to find out how permanent combinations of ink and surface are.

The website is http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

There are different ratings depending on how the prints are stored, for example:-

Prints framed under glass

Printsframed with a UV filter

Displayed prints not framed

Album/Dark storage

Tests have also been done on the following:-

Unprotected resistance to ozone

Resistance to high humidity

Resistance to water

Are optical brightners present

There is a lot of information how the tests were carried out and a note that in some cases they are ongoing.

The pdf file for my printer was 9 pages long.

I'm pleased to say that it very much looks like my prints will not fade for very many years however they are stored.