DSF

I have done lots of rock slates with photos on them but have been asked if they are suitable for outdoor use ie grave sides. I wouldnt want to say yes to someone then a few months later they come back to me and say they are faded. Can anyone advise me please ? thanks

Yes, the image will fade if directly placed in UV sunlight. Coatings are available to extend the life but I'm not sure how effective these are.

Justin;110289 wrote:Yes, the image will fade if directly placed in UV sunlight. Coatings are available to extend the life but I'm not sure how effective these are.

OK, thanks for that. What would I be looking for If i wanted to try one of these coatings out ? I have only ever done stuff for indoor use using sublimation balnks. I have heard about coatings but dont have any experience of them. I am looking to expand so I guess its time to fine out lol

Lightfastness is funny , pigments inks have a better light fastness than Dye sub inks due to the pigment content being more resistant to UV. HOWEVER its all about the substraight its on typicalls Epson inks have a bluewool scale of approx
6-7 on a decent media, this is only 116 - 250 days of OUTDOOR lightfastness. If you have papers that have more acid or UV content this is reduced HOwver maybe the people are willing to replace the slate every 6 months in which case its not a problem .

During a good summer they can fade fast in direct sunlight, I chucked some out on the garden at the start of one summer, by the end of the summer all but one had faded a lot, one appeared fine...odd!

It reminds of Back to the Future, when Marty's life slips away as the photo fades. Are you really going to put relatives through all that bereavement again as their slate fades?!

On the serious side, I would expect it to fade eventually as all printed images do.

I think it depends on the finish on the slate.

Matte finish slates will not last as long as gloss. We made a few about 2 years ago with our gloss slates and these have been outside ever since and look the same as they did the day we put them out there. They are black and white images (not sure if there is a difference between b&w and colour inks) but we have found matte finish will only last around 12 months ish. Still a good length of time but my preference is gloss.

Hope this helps.

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