Dye vs. Pigment inks
Pigment-based inks are currently more archival than dye-based inks. This is due to the fact that the particles of pigment are larger than those of the dye in dye-based inks. It simply takes longer to break them down Of course the dye-based inks have a larger gamut—color range —than pigment-based inks. if you use good quality archival media, most high quality and wide format printers will give you very acceptable results.
Ink-Jet Media
Generally, the more expensive the media the better it is. Try a variety of media types and surfaces. Refer to the White/Black Point Data and Print Settings sections for specific tonal range information.
Color Management
Color Management is a must! We won't discuss it in this web site. See the Links page for links to sites regarding color management.
Get a good color management package that includes a colorimeter and spectrophotometer and profile you monitor and printers. You need to profile each media type you will be working with. A colorimeter measures light by separating it into RGB components. Colorimeters are used to profile monitors. A spectrophotometer measures the amount and color of light an object reflects. Spectrophotometers are used to profile printer/media combinations.
