Canon ChromaLife 100 fade tests with Red River Paper
Read Our Print Life Results for the Canon ChromaLife 100 with Red River Paper
Fade Resistance Tests for Canon ChromaLife 100™
Paper
Estimated
Print life
(no glass protection)
UltraPro Satin 2.0
9 years
UltraPro Gloss 2.0
9 years
Premium Matte
12 years
Summary and Thoughts
Canon's latest dye ink, ChromaLife 100, is promoted to perform well in terms of print life - albiet with several specific display condition requirements. Canon claims extended print life up to 20 years on a Canon paper when displayed under UV glass and controlled environmental conditions.
Our test on UltraPro Satin using ChromaLife ink increased print life by at least a factor of two as compared to previous Canon dye inks. Though we do not feel ChromaLife is an "archival" ink per se, the image life improvement coupled with outstanding color saturation makes this ink a dynamic player in the market.
I have been buying paper from Red River for a few years now. I really like the variety of papers to choose from, some I haven't seen offered from other companies. They will go out of their way for you. I once called and asked about a certain paper. They were out of the size I needed and offered to trim the size they had to the size I wanted. I doubt very seriously that would happen anywhere else. I will continue to buy here because as I said, It's a great company with great service.
Papers with the Archival designtation can take many forms. They can be glossy, matte, canvas, or an artistic product. These papers are acid free, lignin free and can be made of virgin tree fiber (alpha cellulose) or 25-100% cotton rag. They are likely to have optical or fluorescent brightening agents (OBAs) - chemicals that make the paper appear brighter white. Presence of OBAs does not indicate your image will fade faster. It does predict a slow change in the white point of your paper, especially if it is displayed without UV filter glass or acrylic.
Archival Grade Summary
Numerous papers - made from tree or cotton content
Acid and lignin free base stock
Inkjet coating layer acid free
Can have OBAs in the base or the coating
Museum Grade Paper
Papers with the museum designation make curators happy. They are made from 100% cotton rag content and have no optical brightener content. (OBA) The base stock is acid and lignin free. The coating is acid free. This type of offers the most archival option in terms of media stability over time.
Museum Grade Summary
100% cotton rag content
Acid and lignin free base stock
Inkjet coating layer acid free
No OBA content
Photographic Grade Paper
Photo Grade products are designed to look and feel like modern photo lab paper. Most photo grade media are resin coated, which means they have a paper core covered by a thin layer of polyethelene (plastic) . Plastic gives the paper its photo feel, stability (flatness), water resistance, handling resistance, and excellent feed consistency.
Prints on photo grade media are stable over long periods. With pigment inks in a protected environment, you can see up to 80 years on-display life. All RC papers are Photo Grade for two reasons. Plastic content is not technically archival by museum standards. Also, the inkjet coating of all RC papers is slightly acidic. It facilitates instant drying and does not actually change the stability of your inks over time. Virtually all RC papers have optical brightening agents (OBAs).
