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Epson "Photo Paper" Longevity Test
This page shows that Epson Photo Paper was improved with greater
lightfastness in Spring 1999.
Epson makes a thick (about 9mil) "Photo Paper" product that simulates the look of a real photographic glossy print (Epson calls it "Photo Lab Quality"). The product is #SO41141 in the 8.5" x 11" size and #SO41156 in the 11" x 17" ledger or "B" size. (This thick, glossy paper should not be confused with Epson's thinner, "Photo Quality Glossy Paper" [#SO41124 in the 8.5" x 11"], which is also made in 11" x 17", 13" x 19", and the large A2 or 16.5" x 23.4" size.)
The Epson papers have been rated by Henry Wilhelm as having only a 1 - 3 year life before noticeable fading occurs. In fact, exposure to air (after the package is open) causes the bright white paper to stain or yellow within just a few months. These longevity problems are not surprising since Epson's original goal was to produce a paper that was very accurate in its color gamut and tonal range, and archival results were not their first priority. They have been very successful with their present ink and paper combinations in achieving accurate colors and smooth tones. However, to reach this first goal, most of their original paper coatings had an acidic pH of 5.8, and their inks were very subject to fading.
A New and Improved Epson "Photo Paper"
It was with considerable interest that members of the Epson-Inkjet mail list received this message on 24 Dec 1998 by Richard Earney about Epson's efforts to bring out a new and improved "Photo Paper."
New "Longer Life" Epson Photo Paper Arrives In Stores.
On 27 Dec 1998, William Robinson announces that the new Epson "Photo Paper" has hit the stores, and explains how to identify it (since it has the same catalog number as its predecessor)
Buyers should be aware that there my be some stores that have the old paper (which has the same product number), and may be offering it at a discount as Louis J. Brazil mentions in his 27 Dec 1999 post:
Maybe this explains why Costco/Price Club (in northern California) had the 'original' Epson Photo Paper (S041141) for $7.49 a pack.
But Is It Really "Longer Lasting"?
Yes it is! Our controlled testing shows that the "Improved" Photo Paper does fade considerably less than the older product. However, the beautiful Epson inks are still the "weak link" in the quest for greater archival permeance. This weak link is particularly true in the case of the light magenta dye used in the 5-color cartridge (#SO20110) used in the 6-color Epson Color Stylus Photo 700 and the Photo EX printers. The regular magenta dye (used in the 4-color Epson printers) is the most susceptible to fading of the all the 4-color inks, but the light magenta appears to be even worse according to our controlled tests.
How Our Tests Were Conducted
Test prints were made that included a short gray scale, pure primary and secondary colors, plus various shades and tints of these colors.
These test prints were cut in half lengthwise. The right half was placed in dark storage, while the left half was placed in a light chamber that exposed it to a full spectrum, daylight balanced light (5000K). This is an accelerated testing chamber, where the light reaching the test prints has a level of about 51,200 lux. This level is about 114 times greater than the intensity used in a typical indoor display condition of about 450 lux. (24 hours in this accelerated testing chamber is equivalent to about 6 hours of direct, mid-day sunlight on a summer day.)
Test prints were made using:
- Epson Color Stylus Photo 700 printer, using Epson OEM inks (Black #SO20093 and the 5-color (#SO20110) on the "old" Epson Photo Paper.
- Epson Color Stylus Photo 700 printer, using Epson OEM inks (Black #SO20093 and the 5-color (#SO20110) on the new "Longer Lasting" Epson Photo Paper.
- Epson Color Stylus 3000, using Epson OEM inks (these 4-color inks are the same for models 600, 800, 1520 and 3000) on the "old" Epson Photo Paper.
- Epson Color Stylus 3000, using Epson OEM inks (these 4-color inks are the same for models 600, 800, 1520 and 3000) on the new "Longer Lasting" Epson Photo Paper.
The left half of each test print was placed in the accelerated light testing chamber, and given a 192-hour exposure that simulates 5 years of typical interior wall display under 450 lux for 12 hours per day.
The Test Results
Here are the test results (see for yourself). We've placed the two halves of the test prints back together, scanned them, and placed them here for your inspection:
1. Epson OEM 6-color inks on
Epson's "old" Photo Paper | 2. Epson OEM 6-color inks on
Epson's "Improved" Photo Paper |  |  |
Compare the two "Exposed" halves ("old" and "Improved") side-by-side.
| 3. Epson OEM 4-color inks on
Epson's "old" Photo Paper | 4. Epson OEM 4-color inks on
Epson's "Improved" Photo Paper |  |  | | Compare the two "Exposed" halves ("old" and "Improved") side-by-side. |
You'll notice that the two gray patches (made up of all 4 or 6 colors), quickly reveals which ink color is the most vulnerable to fading. Because the magenta dyes fade the quickest, the gray patches fade to a green color (showing a loss of magenta). You'll notice that the 4-color ink prints fade less than the 6-color prints. The faster fading in the 6-color ink prints appears to be caused by the lighter magenta dye.
Densitometer readings show these 5-year (simulated) density losses (percent of color density loss as compared to the unexposed control group):
| Epson Ink | Paper | Cyan | Magenta | Yellow | Black | Total |
| 6-color | "old" | -2% | -14.0% | -5.0% | n/a* | -21.0% |
| 6-color | "improved" | -0%** | - 5.7% | -1.7% | n/a* | -10.9% |
| 4-color | "old" | -1% | - 6.3% | -2.0% | n/a* | - 9.3% |
| 4-color | "improved" | -1% | - 3.0% | -2.0% | n/a* | - 6.0% |
*We did not run "black ink only tests" in this experiment, and because of this our densitometer readings could have some error in the CMY readings, as the black ink will have some affect on those readings.
**This reading was less than 1%, and was closer to "0".
Our Conclusions: The new "Improved" and "longer Lasting" Epson Photo Paper appeared to significantly reduce the magenta dye fading. Magenta dye fading for the 6-color inks was reduced to almost 1/3 the fade level of its predecessor, and overall (for all three color inks) fading was reduce to almost 1/2. When using the 4-color inks, the improvement was less dramatic (probably because of a lack of the less stable light magenta dye). But even here the magenta fading was reduced by more than 1/2; and overall, fading was reduced by about 1/3. We did not conclude in this accelerated experiment whether there remained a "yellowing" problem (the coated white base turning yellow after prolong exposure to the air) in the "improved" version.
Side NOTE: The Epson 6-color inks appear to be much less stable than the Epson 4-color inks (black and 3-colors). The "weak link" in the 6-color inks appears to be the light magenta dye.
This is not an independent lab test. The Stock Solution is not an independent testing lab. We are, however, dedicated to finding "archival solutions for inkjet printing"; and we feel our tests are carefully controlled experiments to achieve truthful results. Many of the things that have been used to make Iris "Giclee" prints more archival (i.e. Lysonic inks, specially treated watercolor papers, the UltraStable canvas, and top coatings) are being used to do achieve similar results for desktop inkjet prints. We also carry the fine line of Weber-Valentine papers that have been specially coated to produce photo-realistic results. We are doing similar longevity tests on all of these papers, and we plan to publish those results in the near future.
We think the new "improved" and "longer lasting" Epson Photo Paper is a great improvement. You can purchase this product from us, as well as genuine Epson OEM inks. While these Epson products are not as archival as some third party products, the Epson products are very accurate in color and tones, and produce great product prints, portfolio prints and other advertising pieces. Some artists, for instance, like to print their promotional pieces with products that have a short display life, so as not to compete with their final fine art or for-sale prints.
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