Digital Prints

Knowing what we now know about the ability of printed images to fade, deteriorate,
degrade, and literally become shadows of their original selves, artists cannot simply shrug
off this issue of permanence, or call it “artistic freedom.” The legal term implied warranty
of merchantability (a warranty that the property is fit for the ordinary purposes for which it
is used) applies to artists and photographers just like it applies to makers of other products.
The answer is simple enough: anyone selling or distributing artistic print work should
determine and then include a full disclosure as to the methods and materials used, including
paper and inks. In 14 U.S. states, print disclosure is not optional but is set down as
law. For example, California’s Civil Code (sections 1742–1744.9) requires a “certificate of
authenticity” (C of A) that includes “a description of the medium or process, and where
pertinent to photographic processes, the material used in producing the multiple.”
In my opinion, it is the responsibility of every printmaking photographer-artist to learn
about and communicate the particulars of his or her print methods and how they affect a
particular print’s longevity. To do otherwise is unwise at minimum, and, if prints are being
sold, an actual fraud on the buying public and the entire community of other artists.
Study the technical data that’s available, do your own tests if you have to, and use the best
materials to make the best art you can.
We’ve now covered what I consider to be the basics of digital printing. Let’s now move to
Part II and the subject that everyone is talking about: inkjet.
Chapter 5 ■ Determining Print Permanence 177