Digital Photo Printing - Tips for Making Your Photo Prints Last Longer

Photographs taken with film can fade with age, but digital photos retain the same color and clarity every time you view them on the computer screen. Your digital photos can last forever if you take good care of them. Below are some tips for printing, storing, displaying and archiving your digital photos.

Digital Photo Printing Tips

Inkjet printers that are especially configured for printing color photos will offer six or more colors to provide superior color gradation as well as color matching. If you're planning to print a lot of photos purchase an inkjet printer that has separate ink cartridges for each color and includes photo inks.

The type of ink and photo paper that you use can have a significant effect on photo lifespan. The standard photo ink for inkjet printers will typically last a maximum of 20 years. Inkjet photos always fade faster than photos done in a photo lab or a digital photo printing kiosk. Photo labs use a special ink that is archival quality and can last over 100 years. Kiosks use a dye-sublimation process where layers of film are fused onto a special paper. These are more expensive but the prints that are produced are dirt and water resistant and last up to 5 times as long as inkjet prints.

If you are looking for superior quality photo prints use the glossy photo paper that is recommended by the printer's manufacturer. These papers are configured to work best with the printer's inks to offer the best quality and longest lasting photo prints. Always use premium inks and photo papers to create prints for gifts or display purposes.

If you're looking for an alternative to printing your own digital photos, then try these merchants:

VistaPrint: offers full-service, full-color printing. They're affordable, fast, easy & convenient to use. Vistaprint offers the best pricing on custom printed business & consumer products like announcements, brochures, business cards, folded cards, calendar magnets, folders, greeting cards, invitations, labels, letterhead, magnets, photo cards, post cards, return address labels, rubber stamps, stationary, pens, T-Shirts, hats, car door magnets, window signs, yard signs, rack cards, checks, websites, thank you’s, holiday/greeting cards, wall calendars & more.

: PhotoWorks offers customers the ability to create gorgeous presents made even more special because they feature personal photos and memories. Their quality products include: Photo Books, Photo Cards, Photo Gifts and Photo Calendars. Visit Now!

Photo Storage Tips

Memories may fade over time but you don't want the same to be true of the digital photos you print. No photo print is going to last forever and contact with artificial and natural light, pollutants in the air, and the humidity of the environment in which a print is stored will all cause it to fade over time.

• Avoid Direct Sunlight - Never leave your printed photos in direct sunlight. It's even a bad idea to store photos under bright indoor light. Harsh lighting causes the ink to break down and the pictures quickly begin to fade.
• Avoid Heat - Like sunlight, heat will also cause the ink to break down faster than normal. It's best to store photos in dark, cool areas where you won't have to worry about temperature fluctuations.
• Avoid Humidity - It's obvious that water is bad for pictures, but even humidity can permanently damage your digital prints and speed up deterioration.
• Avoid Air Pollution - High concentrations of pollutants and ozone in the air will significantly increase deterioration in your digital prints. Even if you live in an area with relatively low air pollution, it's still a bad idea to leave your photos constantly exposed to the air.

So how do you protect your printed photos from all these potential hazards? The best method is to put your pictures in photo albums with clear protective covers. The clear covers protect the photos from moisture and air pollution, and keeping them in an album prevents fading and exposure to light.

If you don't want to use photo albums, you should find sealable containers to store photos in as they will also protect the digital prints from light, moisture and pollutants. No matter what method you use to store your photos, make sure you keep the albums or containers in cool, dark places to avoid temperature fluctuations.

Photo Display Tips

A print displayed on a brightly sunlit wall may fade faster than you would expect it to. Similarly, a print displayed behind glass will last considerably longer than one in contact with the air.

You can extend the life of your printed photos by putting them in frames with glass panes. This will help moderate the humidity, air exposure and effects of light. Display your pictures in areas that will not be exposed to a lot of sunlight. And most importantly, keep backups of the digital version of the photo. Even if the photo is lost or destroyed, you can always make another copy.

Tips for Archiving Digital Photos

• Use a quality brand memory card for temporary storage.
• Transfer the photos to your computer as soon as possible.
• Use generic photo formats (.jpg or .tiff) for file storage.
• Keep backups and test your backup files.
• Don't edit original photos - edit a copy only.
• Label, organize and sort your photos for archival storage.