ChromaLife 100 vs. ChromaLife 100+ Fade Test

[Paul Verizzo]

What I did:

Using a sheet of Ilford Smooth Pearl, I printed an image with a Canon Pro9000 MK II using all (almost all?) OEM ChromaLife 100 inks. Mostly green and red to the eye, but a color histogram shows that there is actually a lot of blue within.

I then flipped it and ran it through a Canon PRO-100 with OEM ChromaLife 100+ inks.

I placed a black opaque heavy paper barrier down the middle, held in place by clear packaging tape at four end points. Presumably PET Mylar. Also two middle points with Scotch cello tape. No further protection was given.

Placed it on my SW window getting about eight hours a day of bright Florida winter light. Mostly direct sunlight, some cloudy weather here or there.

After a month, the difference between the two inks is obvious. I’d rate the “+” about twice as light and gas fast as the original. Ball park eyeball.

I cut the paper in two, flipped one end to match the other, and scanned it. I marked where the opaque mask was and the clear tapes.

What was very interesting is that the image portions under the mylar tape faded far less than the open areas! Unless the cello tape is very gas porous, this would indicate that the mylar has some significant degree of UV filtering. I removed some of the adhesive which got left behind and it did not change the coloring.

I am also seeing something like this, even more so with an image under regular Saran type food wrap, which is LDPE.

(Ignore the light pink stipe on the right side. Scanner defect.)

OK, how do I get an image inserted and displayed? I put the image URL in the little box that pops up when I select "Image," this is all I get.

 

[black1soarer]

 

[stratman]

@black1soarer

Nice example of the fade resistance of the CLI-42 Chromalife 100+ versus the CLI-8 Chromalife 100 inksets.

Which inkset do you think gave the best reproduction of the plants as you recall them in nature?

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Well done! And this was only a month! Frightening.

It's also a little bit surprising that even the opaque mask did not give much protection. I have to suspect therefore that UV is the main culprit, and that the paper is UV-translucent. Or it could be heat. I suggest that you use aluminum foil in the future, which should eliminate UV and greatly reduce heat. Or consider storing a copy in the dark.

I also suggest using a test target that shows each ink color separately, plus a gray scale. You can usually see more that way than with a photo. Some people like to use a test target with many composite colors.

For comparison of inks you can tell a LOT just from a smear of ink. That way you don't have to have cartridges loaded with each ink, and you don't have to purge the printer multiple times. It's a good idea to get as uniform a smear as you can. A glass slide is useful for this, although it may not work well with photo paper.

I found some useful info about UV from Dupont: http://usa.dupontteijinfilms.com/informationcenter/downloads/Optical_Properties.pdf . I doubt that Mylar by itself would have much effect, but you never know about the adhesive.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

OK, I'm stupid. How do I do that? Thanks!

 

[Paul Verizzo]

OK, I'm stupid. How do I do that? Thanks!

I think they were identical. I think Canon is pretty smart in attaining such consistency.

In fact as the years go by, and I better understand a lot of things inkjet, I'm just totally amazed how "they" do this whole technology. As one example among many, I can print on a huge range of papers and with some reasonable selection of Canon profiles, almost always find either Nirvana or its waiting room.

 

[black1soarer]

Chromalife 100 is just marketing. Real fading is hidden in the name of inks. Visible on the paper only. 100+ much better. Reprinting images is the goal of this marketing. Sadly we used chr100 for years.

Opened your link, open original, copy link, Image button here, paste link. (Chrome)

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Well done! And this was only a month! Frightening.

It's also a little bit surprising that even the opaque mask did not give much protection. I have to suspect therefore that UV is the main culprit, and that the paper is UV-translucent. Or it could be heat. I suggest that you use aluminum foil in the future, which should eliminate UV and greatly reduce heat. Or consider storing a copy in the dark.

I also suggest using a test target that shows each ink color separately, plus a gray scale. You can usually see more that way than with a photo. Some people like to use a test target with many composite colors.

For comparison of inks you can tell a LOT just from a smear of ink. That way you don't have to have cartridges loaded with each ink, and you don't have to purge the printer multiple times. It's a good idea to get as uniform a smear as you can. A glass slide is useful for this, although it may not work well with photo paper.

I found some useful info about UV from Dupont: http://usa.dupontteijinfilms.com/informationcenter/downloads/Optical_Properties.pdf . I doubt that Mylar by itself would have much effect, but you never know about the adhesive.

The "opaque mask" I used was taking manilla folder stock and spray painting it black on both sides. Surely that's opaque to some very tiny percentage at worst. The difference between that and foil would be minimal to none, I'm sure.

Whether the reason for the better fade resistance is the mylar or the adhesive will be checked out soon. The fact that my other weird test with LDPE food wrap displays the same benefits. I used spray rubber cement type adhesive there. I'll have to put some panels up with the food wrap and no adhesive just to help my curiosity.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Chromalife 100 is just marketing. Real fading is hidden in the name of inks. Visible on the paper only. 100+ much better. Reprinting images is the goal of this marketing. Sadly we used chr100 for years.

Opened your link, open original, copy link, Image button here, paste link. (Chrome)

Don't know what you mean by "Just marketing." A new name for the BCI-6 inks? Maybe.

I do find it odd that HP has had dye inks out that last like pigment inks, give or take, for years. And yet Canon can't do the same?

 

[mikling]

Pigment ink. There is no substitute. Check Hat's test out.