Epson 1280 & Canon BCI-6 ink tests

Epson Dye Ink Tests (Using Epson 1280 printer)

Canon BCI-6 inks tests

** Polar Gloss before it was upgraded to slow fading with dye inks

Test Methodology

Our independent test facility* has just released the data from our last test. They used an established technique of exposing our
samples to 50 kilolux of unfiltered cool light fluorescent light for 3 months (simulating a period of 25 years). Each patch has 12 unique
parts for measurement.

These tests do not account for other causes of image failure which we now know can have a significant effect. Measuring effects from
pollution (indoors and outdoors) and humidity are very difficult to qualify and are not addressed with our tests.

As before, the lab measures the deterioration of the intensity of all of 12 patches. When fading or other change has been recorded to
each a specific point, the sample is declared to have "failed". For instance, if the "Pure Cyan" test reaches a point of 30%
deterioration, that is the End Point for that sample regardless if no registered decline by any other of the 11 patches exists. The
bottom line: we are looking for the worst case scenario.

This does not mean that your image will "disappear", rather it will change a bit in shade which can be recognized by the human eye
especially if you compare to another identical image freshly printed on the same printer with the exact same settings as before.

Here is the specific test criteria for each paper:

Test	Patch	Parameter
Cyan Fade Magenta Fade Yellow Fade Black Fade	Pure Cyan Pure Magenta Pure Yellow Pure K Neutral	30% Loss 30% Loss 30% Loss 30% Loss
Cyan Fade Magenta Fade Yellow Fade Red Green Imbalance Red Blue Imbalance Green Blue Imbalance	CMY Neutral CMY Neutral CMY Neutral CMY Neutral CMY Neutral CMY Neutral	30% Loss 30% Loss 30% Loss + or - 15% change + or - 15% change + or - 15% change
Cyan Stain Magenta Stain Yellow Stain	Dmin Dmin Dmin	0.10 Density Change 0.10 Density Change 0.10 Density Change

*All tests conducted at the Image Permanence Institute of the Rochester Institute of Technology

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