MMG Notes is a page where I can discuss ideas while they are just ideas, respond occasionally to some feedback from members, and let you know what I'm thinking about before it reaches news-worthy status or gets consolidated into a formal paper or report. I will also reach out to my members when I need their advice, and give an opinion from time to time without feeling the need to dot every "i" and cross every "t".

Mark McCormick-Goodhart
Director, Aardenburg Imaging & Archives

Easy ways to find the new updates are to sort the lightfade test database on "Status" or "Next update" by clicking on the title field text. Look for the samples with "Status" equal to 60 Mlux-hr or "Next Update" equal to 2009-01-05 to find the updated test reports I added today.

I'm working on a News Page item about the MonitorChecker image target I just added to the AaI&A Documents page. The New post should be up by tonight or tomorrow at the latest. In the meantime, if you want to check out the MonitorChecker tool you will need to have a copy of Photoshop available. The target is Lab encoded for Photoshop. You can download the new file here as well.

I added six new test reports today. Three of the samples were made on an obsolete printer, the Hp Photosmart 7960. See test report #s AaI_20080716_SN001LF.pdf, AaI_20080716_SN004LF.pdf, and AaI_20080716_SN007LF.pdf or just sort the printer column and look for Hp photosmart 7960. It is constructive to test these samples as they represent the previous generation of Hp dye-based ink for its photosmart printer series just prior to the introduction of the latest Hp Vivera dyes. Hp did something admirable which rarely occurs in the OEM ink market. It retrofitted this older series of printers to take the newer Vivera magenta dye by releasing a no. "57+" cartridge which one can install in printers that originally took the no. 57 cartridge such as the Hp 7960. AaI&A will be adding some samples of the 57+ configuration soon. The 57+ magenta was engineered to improve upon the fade resistance of the high concentration magenta dye (ie., the magenta found in the 57 cartridge). Deep magenta, red, and blue colors are printed using the high concentration magenta dye.

Also added is another sample of Epson Claria dye technology printed on an Epson Stylus Photo RX680 printer on Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster – test report # AaI_20080722_SN001Lf.pdf. Compare this result to the same paper and dye set printed on an Epson Stylus Photo R1400 printer (report # AaI_20080222_SN001Lf.pdf).

Lastly, a very interesting new paper recently released by Hahnemuhle is in test - Hahnemuhle FineArt Bamboo 290gsm, printed on an Epson 7800 printer using the Epson OEM K3 pigmented ink set – test report # AaI_20080725_SN005Lf.pdf.

Sort the lightfade test database on "Status" or "Next update" by clicking on the title field text. Look for the samples with "Status" equal to 30 Mlux-hr or "Next Update" equal to 2008-12-20 to find the updated test reports I added today.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how many of my new subscribers use continuous ink supply (CIS) systems and are eager to submit samples. Yet it certainly makes sense because little objective information exists on third party pigment ink stability at this time.

Objectivity in testing is very easy. Objectivity in reporting results is much tougher because factors such as equal representation or "lying" by omission can bias even the most genuine of good intentions. The selection process for testing at AaI&A is largely the outcome of samples submitted by AaI&A members. However, it's my job to avoid the perception of unfairness which might be caused by uneven disclosure of the test results in the public versus private areas of the AaI&A website. It is my promise to you that I will weigh these issues of fair and balanced reporting carefully.

In that spirit, today I concluded that the various third party ink sets now entering testing need equal representation in both the public and private areas of the AaI&A website. Unfortunately, I don't have enough samples of third party inks in test to achieve that goal at this time. Because the AaI&A research is funded by subscription fees, the logical choice is to hold all of the third party ink data as private data for my membership, at least for the time being. Thanks for your understanding.

The very first batch of 20 samples that began light fade testing on January 10, 2008 has now reached the 50 Megalux-hour exposure mark in testing. This dosage is equivalent to approximately 25 years on display at the industry standard extrapolation to 450 lux average light intensity for 12 hours per day. I may make a News page post in a few days and discuss my own observations about the data. There is indeed a lot of data to look at.

For your homework assignment, I suggest sitting down with a good glass of 12 year old whiskey (or a six pack of beer if you're a Sarah Palin fan) and taking a close look at the subtle interactions going on between paper (i.e., the image binder layer chemistry) and the various colorant blends of the printed test target colors. As for differences between Canon Lucia ink versus Epson K3 ink or even the R1800 OEM ink, no clearcut winners yet, but there are two or three similar paper sets to compare. Enjoy!

I have added more samples yesterday and today in the Light Fade Test Results list. The quickest way to find them for now is to click on the list header for "Status". This will sort the list on the Status field in descending order. At the bottom you will find several 10 Mlux-hr level samples. These are the new ones I just added.

There are two new third party ink sets in test. One is the Image Specialist pigment set for Epson R800/R1800 printers, and the other is an InkjetFly Pigmented ink set (using Image Specialist black inks) also for the Epson R800/R1800 printers.

Also noteworthy are more Epson Claria dye-based samples and Canon ipf5000 and Epson 4800 printer samples on the new Ilford Galerie Gold Fiber Silk Paper. This paper is one of the latest generation "traditional fiber base photo" papers.

I am working on posting a set of new samples to the light fade testing database. AaI&A members can now view the 10 Megalux-hr test score (AaI_20080617_SN001Lf.pdf) for a glossy print sample of the new Fujifilm DL 400 Dry lab printer. I wrote about the DL 400 photofinishing technology in the recent AaI&A News page article posted on 2008-09-16. Additional new samples will be getting added today and tomorrow including some interesting third party pigment ink sets. Also, the 50 megalux-hour mark has been completed on the first batch of samples in test. The updates will begin to appear a little ahead of their October 10 schedule.

Tessa Gadomski, AaI&A's summer intern for 2008, sets up a new Epson RX680 "All-in-one" printer. Tessa had the printer unpacked, software driver installed, and making prints in about 30 minutes. The hardest part of the project may have been finding and removing all the blue tape from inside and outside surfaces on the printer! Photo taken June 17, 2008.

It's almost ready, but the new article needs a little tighter editing. It covers a fair amount of subject matter. The article will have information on the Fujifilm DL 400 "dry" minilab, a Fuji Frontier 390 "wet" minlab, and compares and contrasts retail one-hour photofinishing to home printing options such as the Epson RX680 all-in-one printer shown in the photo above. Some 600 dpi scans from portions of 4x6 inch prints will be included. They will help the viewer compare differences in image macrostructure.

This FujiFilm DL 400 unit was installed in June, 2008 at my local Ritz Camera store in Pittsfield, Massachusestts.

I've been studying current trends in consumer photofinishing. The Fujifilm DL 400 "dry" minilab represents an historically important transition from traditional silver halide wet processing (RA-4 process compatible systems) to modern inkjet technology. Retail stores that offer photofinishing services to their customers are going "green" or at least greener by switching from traditional silver halide photo papers to inkjet prints. I've learned some interesting facts that somewhat surprised me about the new DL 400 prints and will be posting a more extensive article about my findings on the AaI&A News page in a few days. Light fade testing is now underway as are some tests on the widely used traditional RA-4 process compatible materials (i.e., Fuji Crystal Archive II photo paper printed on a Fuji Frontier 390 minilab).

Reports for twenty samples that just reached the 20 Megalux-hour mark have been updated. The three Epson Stylus Photo 1270 printer samples are now public links. Color Accuracy Retention of these Epson 1270 samples is very poor. Tonal Retention is also down substantially, but the tests continue because it will be instructive to let the I* tone numbers fall even more.

Twenty samples that currently show 10 Mlux-hr status and are scheduled for update on September 10, 2008 will actually be ready by the end of this week. To date, all twenty samples have been members-only samples, but I will release the Epson 1270 printer samples to public status on this 20 Megalux-hour update. I initiated these largely obsolete printer/ink/paper tests because the printers, inks, and similar papers are still widely used in home photo printing today. The test results provide a good historical benchmark on the progress in dye-based inkjet technology and lightfastness since year 2000.

The dye set used in the 870/1270 series of Epson Stylus Photo printers and other later Epson desktop models such as the 890/1290 printers is Epson's previous generation of six-color photo inkjet dyes. It was claimed to have greatly improved lightfastness compared to Epson's original six-color set, but it quickly ran into trouble with consumers because its poor gas fade resistance on microporous papers undermined many consumers' chances of obtaining the stated "display life". Care must be taken to soon frame the prints under glazing (i.e., glass or plexiglass) prior to display in order to eliminate the risk of ozone-induced image fading. In 2006, Epson introduced a newer dye set named "Claria". During Epson's transition to its latest Claria dye technology, Hp also introduced a significantly more lightfast inkjet dye technology it calls "Vivera" dyes. AaI&A currently has examples printed with both Claria and Vivera dyes in light fade testing as well.

I was so close to the 10 megalux-hour pull time for the next batch of 20 samples in test, that I decided to hold off posting any 0 Mlux-hr test reports. Although 0 Mlux-hr posts can alert readers to what new items are in test, 10 Mlux-hr results have logged the first round of exposure. So, I'm putting the finishing touches on these new reports over the next couple of days. The new reports will begin to appear on the light fade test results list over the next three days.

Twenty new samples are soon to be added to the accelerated light fade list. They will reach the 10 megalux-hour exposure level on July 2, 2008. I will have all the test reports ready by the 15th of July at the latest. You may see some of new test reports appear on the list even earlier than July 2 with a status of "0 Mlux-hr". Although 0 Mlux-hr reports represent only the very start of the test and no exposure yet, their early posting to the list serves a purpose of letting people know what is coming. Also, if you open any of these 0 Mlux-hour reports you will be able to look at the sample description page including paper white and max black characteristics which is useful in product purchase making decisions.

I plan on making some of these new samples public at a later date, but for now they will have green links for members' download only.