Evaluating the Ozone Resistance of Inkjet Prints: Comparisons Between Two Types of Accelerated Ozone Tests and Ambient Air Exposure in a Home

摘要

This paper addresses the questions of whether there are significant differences in the observed accelerated fading of inkjet prints when they are exposed to ozone generated either with electrical corona discharge or ultraviolet radiation, and how these accelerated tests compare with exposure to ambient indoor air containing commonly encountered levels of ozone. These questions must be answered before an accelerated ozone resistance test method is adopted. While previous ozone fading experiments have shown general agreement between the accelerated test methods, prints from only a limited number of inkjet technologies were studied, and some differences were noted. The study presented here includes a larger variety of inkjet inks, including pigmented inksets, a variety of media, and a post-treatment protective spray. The results indicate that for a wide range of inks and inkjet media, ozone induced fading is independent of the method of ozone generation. In general, these accelerated ozone tests correlated well with "real world" gas fading experienced in a non-air conditioned home located in a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts during the summer months of 2004.