InkJet photo printing became a mature technology within the last 5 years. Higher throughput by increased print speed and higher ink flow required a fundamental change of print media design for photographic prints made by InkJet printing. Since around 2000 a step-by step substitution of so-called swellable type media (low pigment and high polymer content - predominantly PVOH or gelatin) by media based on microporous ink receiving layers took place. Today all major OEM's finished the transition to microporous type media The main drawback of this transition is a fundamental change of the print durability properties. This is due to the fact that the open structures of the receptive layer now allow for the decomposition of dye based inks by environmental gases like ozone, NOx or SO2, resulting in an additional decrease of optical densities or color shifts on top of the regular lightfade degradation. This paper provides a review on how the environmental stability of photographic media changes with the use of different printing technologies such as InkJet, dyesublimation and silver halide. Influences of the inks in InkJet printouts as well as the influence of the media construction will be discussed. It will also present insight into internally developed test methods for the evaluation of gas-fade stability.
Stephan Moeller, Dieter Kaumkoetter, Wolfgang Schmidt, Gerd Papier, "A Review of the Evolution of InkJet Print Durability Against Environmental Gases" in Proc. IS&T Int'l Conf. on Digital Printing Technologies and Digital Fabrication (NIP23), 2007, pp 755 - 758, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2169-4451.2007.23.1.art00059_2