Influence of Light on Typographic and Colorimetric Properties of Inkjet Prints

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of light on changes in typographic and colorimetric properties of inkjet prints in order to establish an appropriate typeface style and type size for business correspondence to ensure information permanence. The prints were made with six inkjet printers from different manufacturers on four different office papers. Four different widely used typefaces (one old-style, one transitional, and two sans-serif) in five different sizes (6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 pt) were tested. The resistance of printed business correspondence to light was evaluated according to the ISO 12040 standard by means of Xenotest Alpha (Atlas). The differences in CIELAB values and the total colour difference were determined spectrophotometrically. The differences in typographic tonal density and wicking of typefaces were measured numerically with image analysis. The obtained results show the smallest typographic tonal density at the old-style typeface. After the exposure to light, the biggest difference in typographic tonal density was observed at one of the sans-serif typefaces. The most noticeable difference in typographic tonal density occurred at type sizes 6 and 8 pt.