Environmental Exposure

• Prolonged exposure to sunlight, florescent light, high humidity or high heat will have an adverse effect on the molecular structure of the inks. Bonds will begin to break, which destroys the vibrant color of the inks. This will lead to fading, which results in a yellowing or brown color of a print job, often seen in "Antique" finishes on photographs. Both dye and pigment-based inks are susceptible to environmental fading. The best way to prevent fading of your photos or documents when they are in storage is to keep them in a low humidity area with little light exposure, such as in a closet.
  
  

Ink Type

• There are two major types of ink used in digital printers today: dye-based inks and pigment-based inks. Dye-based inks are created by the dissolving of a color tablet in a water-like solution. These dyes have a fluid molecular arrangement which makes them significantly more susceptible to sunlight fading. Pigment-based inks are less susceptible to fading from environmental factors since their molecular structure is much more rigid. More of the pigment-based molecules are protected inside the molecular structure from the sun and humidity of the atmosphere.
  
  

Paper Type

• Various inks will respond differently to different paper types. Common paper types used for printing include plain white printer paper and photo paper. However, there are even different kinds of photo paper, such as porous or swellable, which can have an effect on fading. To prevent fading as much as possible, it is important to consider what kind of ink you have and choose a paper to match. For example, dye-based inks will spread out and try to be absorbed by the paper. They are ideal for plain printing paper, but will work less on glossy printer paper on which they will smear before drying. If photo paper needs to be used, porous is the best kind as it can absorb most of the dye immediately upon application.
  
  

Ink Color

• Many inkjet printers use dye-based inks. However, they do not contain every color of the rainbow an individual may want or need for their print job. Instead, the printer will create layers of color that, when mixed together, present the actual pigment an individual was trying to achieve. The four main colors that most inkjet printers have available are yellow, magenta, cyan and black (commonly referred to as CMYK). While all of these colors are subject to fading over time, regardless of the paper type chosen, some colors will fade differently than others. Cyan, or blue, will fade to yellow -- even in the dark -- more easily than yellow or magenta. Magenta, when exposed to high light exposure, will fade the fastest to a brown color, according to Epson.