HOME PRINTING Technique
Matthew Richards
Matthew Richards began his career as a broadcast engineer
for the BBC in London and for companies across southern
Africa. He then became a technical author, before moving
into journalism and photography, for which he’s enjoyed
assignments in the UK and worldwide. He currently specialises
in reviewing cameras, lenses and photographic accessories.hour or so before they feel fully dry. It’s
generally accepted that you should leave
them for 24 hours before framing, although
it’s good practice to leave both dye- and
pigment-based inks to dry for at least a day
before mounting them behind glass.
Getting back to longevity, it’s not
uncommon for dye-based prints to have
a life expectancy of 200 to 300 years
when kept in an album, and 100
years or so when mounted behind
glass. For protection, it’s also
worth noting that some framing
companies off er optional glass
with UV protection, which can
further extend print life.
Over the rainbow
While six inks are generally the most
you can expect in an A4 printer, large-
format printers often add extra colour and
grey inks to boost the gamut for colour
printing and to deliver enhanced mono
photo output. For example, the CanonPixma Pro-10S uses an additional red
ink along with multiple black and grey
inks, while the new Epson Expression
Photo HD XP-15000 dye-based A3+
printer retains a six-ink line-up but
ditches the usual light cyan and
magenta colours in favour of redThe Canon Pixma Pro-100S A3+ format
printer runs on dye-based inks and is
unbeatable for print quality on glossy
and semi-gloss or lustre paper