How Long do Inkjet Prints Last?

These inkjet prints are 26 years old!

Also in this issue:

• Announcements
• Come join me on an African Photo Safari!  November, 2024
• The Amazing Mark Stewart

How Long do Inkjet Prints Last?

We all know the popularly-held wisdom: Inkjet prints will fade.  Maybe they'll last 5 years, whether behind glass or not.  The only way to get lasting inkjet print is to use pigment-based inks (along with special papers) which are quite expensive but can last up to 100 years.

That's conventional wisdom.  Now let me share with you my own data point: I have framed and displayed inkjet prints dating back from 1997, and their colors are still strong - I estimate they faded perhaps 3% over the years.

What ancient printer produced such astounding and expectation-busting results?  It was HP's very first photo printer, the PhotoSmart (tm).  HP was a pioneer in inkjet technology, coming out with the very first ThinkJet (THermal INKJET) printer in 1984 as a quiet, lightweight printing technology for their portable computers.  In 1997 they produced the first printer that could actually make images that looked and felt like real photos (right down to the glossy surface and the thick paper stock) for a whopping $500, cheap by high-end printer standards of the day.  And of course I bought one. 

Left: HP Inkjet print.  Right: Epson print

That first printer didn't make the splash in the world that it should have.  Nobody but me seemed to be excited by this new personal capability - in fact the printer itself seems to have been forgotten by the internet.  It probably would have made more of an impact had they marketed it to their actual demographic, the Apple Mac crowd since back in those days they perceived themselves as being more creative than us folks who loved to write scripts.  But in a move that will go down in Harvard Business School textbook history as one of the worst corporate mistakes ever (right next to General Motors' decision to sell the Chevy Nova in Mexico without even thinking about changing its name), HP simply looked at the single-digit market share of Mac owners and declared, "This tiny market is not worth the trouble."  

But the image quality was superb.  And just this week (as we continue to unpack - a year after moving in!!!) I was struck by how well these pioneering prints have held up.  26 years - that's longer than some of my conventionally-produced prints.  

Editor's note: I use Canon printers now.  They don't have the bloatware that HP now produces, and they don't hate their customers like Epson.  Anyone interested to learn more about inkjet longevity should visit http://wilhelm-research.com/ .

Announcements

The ebook on the Sony Alpha 6700 is finally out!  Get it in all formats here.

The Spanish translation of the A6700 is being worked on as I write this, and will be available soon.  Envíeme un correo electrónico (Gary de FriedmanArchives punto com) para incluirlo en la lista de notificaciones!

Ebook for A7C II and A7RC (one book for both - the cameras are quite similar other than sheer resolution) will be coming in early November.  Pre-order here at a discount.

One new feature in these cameras I noticed that nobody's talking about - You can now zoom in and scroll around in the menu screens!  Great for users that have vision problems but still love expressing themselves via image-making. 

African Safari Update

There was quite a bit of interest in the Photo Safari that I hinted at last month.  Now it's happening and I'm getting excited!  This is a photo expedition designed for the unique needs of photographers, and I'll be with you every step of the way!  It will be taking place in November 2024.  Here's the website which provides much more detail: https://wetu.com/Itinerary/Overview/dfb3dceb-bcdc-49f0-a2bc-fda4cdc93119   

I'm arranging this in conjunction of a friend who has been in the safari-conducting business for more than 20 years, so I'm confident this experience will be top-notch.

Let me know if you're interested - There is a limit of 12 people and 4 have already signed up.  I've compiled a list of frequently asked questions from last month's emails - email me at Gary at Friedman Archives dot com and I'll send it to you (along with the answers). :-)  

Mark Stewart's Musical Creations

This has nothing to do with photography, other than the whole reason we shoot images and video is to tell stories.  Last week Carol and I had the pleasure to spend some time with Mark Stewart, a talented musician who has played with Paul Simon, Steve Reich, Sting, Anthony Braxton, Bob Dylan, Wynton Marsalis, Meredith Monk, Stevie Wonder, Phillip Glass, Iva Bittova, Bruce Springsteen, Terry Riley, Ornette Coleman, Don Byron, Joan Baez, Hugh Masakela, Paul McCartney, Cecil Taylor, Bill Frisell, Jimmy Cliff, the Everly Brothers, Steve Gadd, John Adams, Fred Frith, Alison Krauss, David Krakauer, Bobby McFerrin, Patty Scialfa, David Byrne, James Taylor, The Roches, Aaron Neville, Bette Midler, and Marc Ribot.  Just to name a few.  :-)  He's also one of the best Xaphoon players I've ever met.

Most of the time, though, he creates all kinds of homemade instruments.  Mark brought us up to the attic in his barn where many of his creations are born.  I can't help but share this with you. :-)  

You can learn much more about Mark and his exploits at his website, https://SoundstewArt.com/ 

Enjoy! 

Next Month

Light travels forever unless impeded.  So how can the Inverse Square Law be a thing?

Until next time,

Yours Truly, Gary Friedman