To simplify, are there dye-based large format (accepting roll paper) printers out there whose prints last as well as, say, regular lab prints? And because I already know paper has a lot to do with it, I will further say "using OEM papers".
TIA
As far as I know, Epson does not have a printer larger than 13" wide (the Epson R1400) that uses the most recent Claria dye set (perhaps Dano can confirm my remark or enlighten us if a wider carriage Epson model exists that can use the Claria dye formulation). Hp Vivera dye inks have been (and I think still are ) available in some 17 and possibly 24 inch Designjet models. Both the Claria dye set and the Hp Vivera dye set offer tremendous improvements in lightfastness, ozone resistance, and humidity fastness over the predecessor dye sets when using select papers. Fujifilm produces a dye set from it's Sericol subsidiary that is also on a par with Claria and Vivera dyes in terms of fade resistance and initial color gamut, but AFIK it is only available for the Fuji 400DL drylab series of photofinishing machines. Noritsu's drylab machines, as I understand it, use Epson dye technology, probably Claria or a close variant of it, but again, no wide format print capability seems to be available.
In Aardenburg testing, the Claria dye set when combined with appropriate media, is very comparable in early stage light fading rates to the very best traditional chromogenic color processes (aka, "regular lab prints" made on modern color photographic papers like Fuji Crystal Archive II"). However, Claria exhibits a non linear fading behavior which turns out to be a good thing for the typical photo consumer because the rate of fade slows down after an early initial stage of light exposure whereas traditional color prints continue to fade at about the same rate until they are badly faded. What this means to the consumer is that Claria clearly outperforms "regular lab print" technology when the fade rating is based on more easily noticeable levels of fade. Claria's weak link is the yellow dye, but again, the yellow fade rate slows down after an early initial hit. This non linear fading performance that is shown in the AaI&A test documents confirms what Epson itself published in a technical paper about Claria dye fade behavior. That technical paper used to be available on the web here:
http://global.epson.com/newsroom/tech_news/tnl0611single.pdfUnfortunately, the page has been removed, and I was unable to find this pdf document elsewhere on the Epson website.
Because the Wilhelm ratings are derived from a single endpoint factor for "easily noticeable fade" the early stages of fading in both the Claria and HP dye sets that would be of concern to more discriminating end-users are not factored into the WIR test ratings. Hence, both sets look like they are close to or on a par with pigmented ink sets in terms of fade resistance, but if you look at the total fading curve behavior, pigmented systems like Epson K3, K3VM or HDR, Canon Lucia, or Hp Vivera Pigmented ink, are in fact superior over all for fine art applications where an appropriate test score should be based on little or no noticeable fade rather than easily noticeable fade. This reality is a major part of the reason, IMHO, why Epson, Canon, and Hp have all concentrated on pigmented ink systems for the professional photography and fine art market despite other technical challenges like bronzing and differential gloss.
To summarize, all the major pigmented systems from the OEMs show better early stage and mid-stage light fade performance which is why it can be misleading to cite only consumer toleranced test scores for "display life" when comparing dye-based systems to pigment-based systems. If you are concerned about your prints retaining excellent color and tonal accuracy over time then high quality pigmented ink sets are currently the best solution despite other drawbacks, yet dyes are indeed getting better and better, and thus they still have a strong presence in the consumer photography market.
kind regards,
Mark
http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com