What is the longevity of Digital Prints?
This is one of the most volatile issues surrounding digital printmaking. While no one can say definitively exactly how long a particular print will last, a staggering amount of research has been done on the subject. RIT and Wilhelm Research Institute have both conducted independent studies on the lightfastness of various paper and ink combinations. RIT and Wilhelm Imaging Research both use high dosage fluorescent lighting to predict how long an ink might last in low doses of fluorescent lighting. Their tests however, do not give any indication of how an ink would perform when exposed to gallery lighting and ambient or direct sunlight. Xenon testing, while being much more expensive to use, represents more realistically the full spectrum of light that inks are exposed to such as sunlight, incandescent, and fluorescent. Their tests were made with full-spectrum Xenon light at 1000 hours to better imitate the conditions in which prints fade (high levels of illumination). The Carbon Pigment
