# Quality Dry Photo Paper Fujifilm or Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper



## charleslee1984 (Jan 1, 2012)

Happy New Year! All

I am looking for a photo paper that can last longer than others. Blacks may be the best printing lab in Canada, some of them use Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper, and others use Quality Dry Photo Paper Fujifilm.

Does anyone know which one lasts longer?

Could anyone give me an online store that use fade resist ink and paper? Or who knows which print paper is better than others? (fade resist)


----------



## Rephargotohp (Jan 2, 2012)

You are talking about two completely different types of paper and process. Fuji Crystal is a Digital C or "Lambda" type paper.It is Silver Halide true photographic paper which is Exposed by an RGB Laser. no "INK" involved

Fuji Dry Photo paper is a 4 Ink Inkjet lab paper

Fuji Crystal has one of the best longevity of all prints , depending where yu look rated at 60 - 70 Years

Fuji Dry Photo is a Dye Inkjet paper. I couldn't find specs on it but since it is dye based I wouldn't expect it is that great. Some Pigment based inks and papers for Inkjet can have Longevity as long as Silver based papers

Kodak Endura Papers are rated at 100 Years +/- 40 years. But have been criticized for cooking the numbers by using lower power light for their test conditions.
n
The real story is, it will depend what YOU do with the image which will determine it longevity. If you get a print and thumbtack it to your wall and it gets 4 hours of direct sun, it will last a year if that.

Longevity requires either storing it in a dark dry place or if you actually display it, do so under museum glass and in an area that doesn't get much if any sunlight

If it wasme and Longevity was my #1 criteria, Iwould find a great lab that uses Fuji Crystal papers and a good source for museum glass


----------



## charleslee1984 (Jan 2, 2012)

Thank you for your reply.

Do you know soccer or basketball trading card for collector? I think it's the same process as postcard. How is the longevity of trading card or postcard? Is it longer or not than Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper?





Rephargotohp said:


> You are talking about two completely different types of paper and process. Fuji Crystal is a Digital C or "Lambda" type paper.It is Silver Halide true photographic paper which is Exposed by an RGB Laser. no "INK" involved
> 
> Fuji Dry Photo paper is a 4 Ink Inkjet lab paper
> 
> ...


----------



## Rephargotohp (Jan 2, 2012)

Most time trader cards are "Press Printed" which another orocess in itself. The paper is differnt weights of Card Stock. The process is usuaully 4 (CMYK) or possibly 6 color printing. These type of prints have a smaller color gamut than photographic prints. UV coatings can be applied to extend the Longevity of the prints.

Honestly, I don't know what the Longevity of this process is. I suspect it may be quite high since this is basically how Magazine and  photo books are printed. But I just don't know a number


----------



## Helen B (Jan 2, 2012)

Aardenburg Imaging has a lot of independent test results on various print methods. Fuji Crystal Archive, which is a dye-image paper (there is no silver in the image), doesn't fare as well as many inkjet printer/ink/paper combinations, particularly the pigment inks. It is very important to note that an ink itself has no single archival rating - the predicted longevity is affected by the printer (and its driver), and the paper ie how the ink is laid down on the paper and how it interacts with the paper.

The Fujifilm Quality Dry Photo Paper is usually used with 4- and 5-colour minilab inkjet printers, using dye-based ink (CMYK or CMYKb, 'b' being light blue).

Aardenburg test data shows that the two Fuji papers mentioned (ie FCA and FQDP) have similar predicted longevities - ie not very good in comparison to most pigment ink systems. The FCA results do depend on the processing chemicals, of course (it is usually exposed on RGB LED or RGB laser printers, but the LED/laser choice shouldn't make any difference to the longevity).

How much are you willing to pay, and how much does this matter to you? Pigment inkjet prints are usually more expensive than the methods you have mentioned. You may want to consider buying a printer if you want maximum predicted longevity.

Re baseball cards: The yellow and magenta inks used are probably not particularly fade-resistant. I suggest that you keep them in the dark or behind UV-resistant glass or acrylic ("Plexiglass").

Best,
Helen


----------



## charleslee1984 (Jan 2, 2012)

Thank you Helen B. As a postcard that we can buy in post office (I think it's the same process, ink and machine with trading card, press printer? correct?), is its longevity longer than Kodak or Fuji prints (I mean fade resistance)?





Helen B said:


> Aardenburg Imaging has a lot of independent test results on various print methods. Fuji Crystal Archive, which is a dye-image paper (there is no silver in the image), doesn't fare as well as many inkjet printer/ink/paper combinations, particularly the pigment inks. It is very important to note that an ink itself has no single archival rating - the predicted longevity is affected by the printer (and its driver), and the paper ie how the ink is laid down on the paper and how it interacts with the paper.
> 
> The Fujifilm Quality Dry Photo Paper is usually used with 4- and 5-colour minilab inkjet printers, using dye-based ink (CMYK or CMYKb, 'b' being light blue).
> 
> ...


----------

