Fujicolor Crystal Archive paper was rated top in a silver halide print longevity test by Wilhelm Imaging Research. It had the highest Display Permanence Rating amongst silver halide colour prints made with digital minilabs’ lasting 40 years under glass. In comparison, the equivalent Kodak paper managed just 19 years, and the worst performer in the test managed just 4 months. Food for thought when you next have your photos printed at a minilab…

Fujifilm UK Press Release

A recent study of 6x4 inch prints by Wilhelm Imaging Research in the US has discovered that there can be a colossal 200 times difference in the longevity of a photographic print, depending on how the print was produced.

Fujicolour Crystal Archive prints had the highest Display Permanence Rating amongst silver halide colour prints made with digital minilabs from retail outlets and online print providers. For example, a Crystal Archive print framed under glass would last 40 years, whereas its Kodak silver halide counterpart managed just 19 years and the DNP Centuria paper only 17 years.

Some of the cheaper dye-sub papers were assessed to last just two or three years, while the worst performer in the test managed a mere 4 months.

Little thought is often given as to ‘how’ the prints are produced, and therefore consumers have the same high expectations as they had for prints made from film. In other words, they ‘expect’ them to last a long time.

For the majority of digital printing materials (paper and inks) purchased by consumers for home printing, little or no data is provided to guide them as to the permanence of the printed image. There is therefore no way of comparing one product with another.

The following abbreviated data is based on predictive test methods developed over the past 30 years by Wilhelm Imaging Research and offers the test results for 28 different products in the 6x4 inch consumer print category. Included are inkjet prints made with dye-based and pigmented inks, silver halide colour prints, dye-sub prints and a xerographic colour photographic process.

Prints were tested for their resistance to all factors that can cause deterioration, including exposure to light on display and storage in albums or other locations away from light. The tests utilise the Arrhenius test method long employed by Fujifilm, Kodak and others in the photo industry.

The prints were also tested for Unprotected Resistance to Ozone and for exposure to high humidity and water.

Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper
Designed to produce high quality and long-lasting colour prints on both analogue and digital printers, the latest version of Fujicolor Crystal Archive stands head and shoulders above its competition.

The paper uses a unique combination of advanced silver halide emulsion, coupler and layer design technologies to deliver enhanced colour reproduction, white purity, image stability and ease of handling.

Additionally, when coupled with the high speed Fujifilm frontier minilabs it enables users to achieve super-fast processing, resulting in a dramatic improvement in productivity.

The main features are:
1) More vivid colour reproduction allowing the retention of beautiful colours such as subtle shades of green, vivid blues and reds.
2) More brilliant whites, plus improved highlight details.
3) Excellent image stability during long-term dark storage (over 100 years) and 40 years behind framed glass. It also has a sharply improved storability with respect to nitrogen oxide, ozone and other gases.
4) Improved handling characteristics, giving better tolerance for processing unevenness and pressure-induced density variations.
5) High productivity, when used in conjunction with high speed Frontier minilabs.

The paper is designed to be processed with Fujicolor Paper process CP-40FA, CP-43FA, CP-47L, CP-48S and CP-49E, or RA-4 type processes. Surfaces of Glossy, Lustre and Matte are available in roll sizes from 3.5inches to 50 inches wide in various lengths up to 500m depending on width. Sheet sizes range from 24 x 30.5cm to 76.2 x 102cm.

Full details are available by contacting Fujifilm on 01234 217724.

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