What is archival printing and why should you care?
Printers and arts alike throw around the term “archival.” But it does have a meaning in the image-production world – and it is important.
Did you ever print your photos on that photo paper you can get at the business supply store? And a few months later, your photos fade? Or worse, are unrecognizable? That’s because your printer ink – and that special paper – is crap.
I said it.
Crap.
And crap ink and crap paper reacts to the prime image killer: Light. Think about your visits to museums – and how the light is controlled. Because light causes art to fade.
We also worry about the oils on skin, humidity, dust…it’s like the planet is entropy happy! (Which it is…just sayin’. Physics. Arrow of Time. Whatever. I’m a nerd and an academic…)
So, pro-printers use archival inks and papers. And recommend archival storage methods. Archival refers to non-degradable and ultra-resistant pigment particles are used to produce an image resistant to environmental factors.
Which means when you obtain your prints through me and my pro-lab, your images will last a lifetime (about 100 years).
