That family portrait taken last summer will be enjoyed by your children, your grandchildren, and maybe even your great-grandchildren—that’s the real magic behind the science of HP photo printing! Join us for a tour on paper testing. You’ll be entertained and (hopefully) more than a bit impressed. Most importantly, you’ll know that you made the right choice in trusting HP photo papers to keep your memories from fading.
Knowing what photos will look like in 50 or 100 years is a complicated science. HP relies on our Image Permanence Labs, as well as the independent Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc., to test the factors that might degrade photos—so that you can rely on HP photos to preserve your memories.
Science lab
Putting our money where our fade-resistance claim is, HP has built two world-class Image Permanence Labs in San Diego, CA, and Corvallis, OR. It’s here that our skilled scientists develop new test procedures to better predict image permanence—giving you worry-free printing that will preserve your precious photo memories.
In addition to HP’s own testing, which is based on the Wilhelm Imaging Research (WIR) methodology, HP also submits its products to WIR on a regular basis. HP considers the procedure developed by WIR to be the de facto industry standard. In fact, other digital photography leaders like Canon, Epson, and Fuji have also used the general WIR methodology to test for fade resistance and to substantiate fade predictions. Results gathered directly in WIR’s lab allow direct, fair comparisons between brands—a level playing field for manufacturers and our customers.
Meet the Wilhelms
Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. researches the stability and preservation of traditional and digital color photographs and motion pictures. WIR also provides consulting services to museums, archives, and commercial collections on the long-term preservation of still photographs and motion pictures.
Henry Wilhelm, co-founder, president, and director of research, was a founding member of the American National Standards Institute/ISO subcommittee IT9-3, responsible for developing standardized accelerated test methods for the stability of color photographs and digital print materials.
Carol Brower Wilhelm, co-founder and vice president of Wilhelm Imaging Research, studied fine-art conservation at Pratt Institute and became proprietor of the Conservation Matting Studio in New York City.
Together, they authored the landmark book, The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs: Traditional and Digital Color Prints, Color Negatives, Slides, and Motion Pictures.
Learn more about the test methods and results of Wilhelm Imaging Research at www.wilhelm-research.com.
Predicting the future
What do permanence scientists do? They predict the future! By taking a look at the actual conditions your photos experience, scientists can develop special tests that accelerate each factor that might degrade photos over time. Let’s take a closer look at some of these methods:
Environment Reproducing the temperature and humidity conditions that photographs are exposed to in a typical home as well as extreme environments, these HP environmental tests ensure that HP photos can be safely stored or displayed in a variety of conditions. However, as with all photo technologies, it is always a good idea to store photos in a cool, dry place to extend their life as long as possible.
Fade to failure When any lab, including WIR, makes a permanence estimate, they have to define when a photo has faded "to failure"-the point at which it fails the test. To get an idea of how stringent WIR failure criteria really are, take a look at how similar the failure point square looks compared to the original unfaded square on the left*.
Indoor display light level This is the estimate, based on a variety of research, of the amount of light, or lux, that a photo is exposed to in an average day in a bright, well-lit home or office. Nearly all manufacturers assume approximately 450 lux for 12 hours of daylight per day. Photos are tested at light levels 35 to 200 times this light level (while still maintaining real-world temperature and humidity) to accelerate the fading process. With these accelerated results, a real-world display life can be calculated based on the 450 lux assumption.
As you can see, HP photo papers go through extensive research and an intensive testing process (taking up to four years to fully develop a single paper design). That’s how dedicated HP is to providing high-quality photo papers to preserve your images for many years to come. Now go … print some pictures and enjoy your HP Premium or HP Premium Plus photo paper.
Printable version
