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displacedwolf wrote:A question about printing methods and archival quality. I imaging that an ink-jet printer with ink-jet paper is a better choice than a Laser printer or photocopier. I guess this because of the imprint of the text left on plastic sleeves and the inside of three-ring binders. I doubt I can afford (nor need) the 'best' archival quality paper and ink, but does anyone know what would be a really, really BAD idea? Is laser printing that catastrophic if it's not laid up against plastics?
I'm a newbie and certainly no expert, but as a calligrapher who's used a laser printer, a photocopier, and an inkjet printer, I think I may be able to answer some of this.
Laser printers and photocopiers both lay the toner on top of the page. With time (sometimes a very little time), that ink will flake off. Heat and/or humidity will transfer the toner to whatever it's stored against. Heat is what the laser printer uses in the first place to adhere it to the original page.
The ink used in inkjet printers soaks into the page rather than riding on top of it. I don't know if it has acid in the toner which is what eats through paper over decades. I do know that it's not enough for your paper to be acid-free, your ink must be as well. This is why some of the ancient illuminated manuscripts have 'windows' in them where the calligraphied text has fallen away: the ink was made from gall that had acid in it that ate through the paper.
I do know that inkjet ink is NOT waterproof. If the page gets wet, the ink runs. I've used a spray fixitive (available at any craft or art store) to fix the ink and I know that's enough to waterproof it so I can use pigment pens and acrylic on it. BUT even with the fixitive, the inkjet ink will smear if you're aging the paper with walnut ink or anything waterbased and you get the paper wet enough.
That said, I'm happy enough to use inkjet toner and the fixative for everyday designing because I'm not expecting my work to last hundreds of years. If I want something that will do that, I'll use an acid-free paper and waterproof ink and calligraphy the thing.
I do NOT trust laserprinter toner to last any time at all: in less than ten years, if the pages are kept in humidity and/or warmth, the letter will stick to each other and when you turn the pages the ink will have adhered to a page/position it shouldn't.
If I'm bookbinding something to last, I'll use the inkjet printer for the pages and then "fix" them. Laser printers are good for less temporary/loose bound projects, like book manuscripts submitted to publishers.
There are printers out there that print in waterproof ink, but they're not available at Officemax or Costco. If you'd like the name I can get it from a printer I know, but they're not cheap.
As for paper, OfficeMax and Office Depot carry a good acid-free stationary for use in laser printers/inkjets. Wassau is also a good paper to look at if you want archival. The parchment I love to use is only $10 a ream, and it's acid free. You'll need access to a good stationers (like Kelly Paper in the west) and be able to get your hands on the actual paper to tell what weight/brand you prefer to use. The usual office supply franchises are horrible when it comes to good paper. They don't even carry an acid-free 11x17, and I've used too much typing paper that's yellowed in ten years to trust any of it that's not definitely acid free.
