Just as you wouldn’t paint a car with nail polish...

...or paint your nails with even the best exterior latex...

...you wouldn’t make fine art prints with Easter egg dye.

	If Michelangelo had painted the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling with photo dye ink, it would have measurably faded by 1582...

	Rembrandt’s The Presentation in the Temple would probably have lost its lustrous garnet hues by, oh, somewhere around 1660...

	And, had Monet’s Wild Poppies been of photo dye, and not oil, the flowers might have more resembled dirt by 1901 or so...

	Not that photo dye ink is all bad. It has its uses. You just need to know when to use it and when to totally avoid it. You need to know what other names it goes by, in case you think that “water color” or “organic” or “archival dye” inks sound like a trio of loyal friends. You need to know what’s best for your art, your name, your career... and then do that.

Why should we care about ink? That’s sort of like asking “why should we care about paint?” or “what’s the big deal about paper?” Why do the types of supplies we use matter?

Just as every artist has his or her own personal answers for those inquiries, so does each one have individual career needs – specific and subjective goals. So, an artist’s choices about work are important, from stylistic elements to materials. To the decision to print. To what kind of ink to use.

Because Irelock exclusively produces fine art giclée prints – as opposed to more traditional types of prints like lithographs – we’ll focus on the three types of printers available here. Each printer uses a separate kind of ink – giving rise to the phrase “Not All Giclées are Created Equal!” Let’s sort out and clarify, shall we?

The Epson 9000
This printer was Epson’s first 44-inch commercial proofer, and the first system to combine wide format with a 1440x720 dpi for photographic output. Great progress over what existed before! Its photographic dye inks provide maximum gamut range, giving photo quality out the wazoo.
In addition, the 9000’s text and line art rivals an Imagesetter, and its 11-nanogram Dual Density Droplet technology and Micro Piezo® six-colour ink delivery make for vibrant prints. Epson upgraded and enhanced the inks in this printer to increase the lightfastness rating from seven years up to 26 years, a big improvement.
The 9000 does have a few drawbacks – especially for printing fine collectible art. Remember the words of wisdom about photo dye ink? It does fade rather quickly. Although 26 years sounds like quite awhile, that rating reflects ideal conditions. Sun and fluorescent lights are devastating to photo dye ink. This type of ink is also water soluble, and should be avoided for certain applications. Ask. You’ll be glad you did.

The Epson 10000 and 10600
Ah, now these printers are an artist’s dream. With the same 6-colour inking and high resolution as the 9000, the 10000 and 10600 are 100% pigment inkjet printers – the first of their kind– producing waterproof prints with a lightfastness rating of 200-plus years. No kidding. Epson really did a number on their pgrades, including an Intelligent High Capacity Ink System (more output, less cost per print) and metamerism reduction technology – giant steps forward for giclée makers.
The 10000 and 10600 also incorporates a wide gamut range, acceptable to the large majority of photographers and artists. That said, we must bring a particular gamut range limitation to light. Probably 80% of the artists who have Irelock print their work are willing to live with this catch, simply for the sake of the longevity they want for their prints. The one relevant weak point of the 10000 and 10600 is in reproducing reds and yellows; the original’s vibrance simply can’t be achieved. It comes darn close, but it’s not exact. Hues we can nail. For vibrance... well, we need...

The Epson 9600
First available in 2002, the manufacturer touts this one as a “milestone in pigmented ink technology.” Irelock anticipated its release and jumped right onto a waiting list.
Check this out! The color gamut is huge, rivalling today’s standard dye ink technologies (see the 9000). Credit its Micro Piezo® seven-colour inking and variable four pico-liter droplets. And, the resolution on this baby is a whopping 2880x1440 dpi!
Epson continues to update its designs; the 9600 offers true border-free printing, dramatically improved mid tones and high-lights, reduced metamerism and a new print engine that handles virtually any media. The 9600’s UltraChrome® ink prints are waterproof (so very important!) and lightfastness rated at up to 100 years.

Here at Irelock, we’ve used it, played with it, put it through the runners, and we love it. Plain and simple, it is a nice printer. The cons, then? Slightly higher cost per print, somewhat slower print engine, relatively difficult paper loading, and a lower lightfastness rating than the 10000 series. And it only comes in one exterior color. But that’s OK. It’s what’s on the inside that matters.

So. Three kinds of giclées at Irelock: Photo Dye Ink Giclées, Pigment Ink Giclées, and UltraChrome® Ink Giclées. And now you know how giclées are unequal. It’s the ink.