It is about year ago when I last time wrote you about my prints I let made
in professional lab. I made those prints in early 2001 when I didn't have
my own way of printing my black and white photographs. That time I prepare
my pictures on CD and went to this lab and ask them to print them for me.
They use Fuji FDI machine and Fuji Chrystal archival paper. The prints
looks good, not perfect but good enough for used media. All and all, what I
like to say is: They use the same process as they do for you to print you
prints either from digital camera, or from negative. Difference was that
mine where black and white and I can compare with other prints done year
later with other technique.
What I have noticed already last year (four years after prints where made)
and what is clearly visible now (five years after) is that color shift on
these prints is enormous. They used to be black without nay tint, now they
kind of dark brown with little purple/magenta tint. Maybe you do not notice
it on your color prints as you have many colors and probably not really
anything to compare, but for me looking at these prints on my wall (no
direct sun) next to prints made by other technique, difference is huge.
They say in lab fifty years without change. Well I can tell you know it is
a non-sense. So please be aware, things are rather different than promised
as most of the time.
And when I am talking about the other technique I mean my ink jet prints
made by carbon pigment inks on Cotton Rag paper. They didn't change a bit.
I still have
my experiment made in 2003.
That time I put non archival papers with different inks directly behind
glass on south side for two weeks in summer. Well the results are still
the same after 2.5 years.
