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Old February 20th 08, 03:28 PM posted to alt.collecting.juke-boxes
Dudley Simons
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Posts: 1
Default Title Page question for NSM Firebird II ESV

wrote:
I am in the process of making my own title pages up using a template I
have built in MS Excel and printing them on photo paper. Since I am
using a glossy paper that is only one piece (Photo & tracks) unlike a
normal two piece job, do I still need the protectors? If So would it
work to sub in cut to size transparency film (used for overheads, its
5 mil thick)?



Hi

I have lurked here for ages soaking up the groups wisdom and day
dreaming of having enough sapre cash and enough space for a classic juke
box, a couple of old pin tables and a bar billiards table (I suspect the
latter may not have made it across the pond as I thnk it is a native of
the UK) and finally along comes a subject I may actually be able to
contribute to!

Before you go to the trouble of printing out all of your titles and
fitting them into the juke you may want to do a little test to see how
lightfast the print out is. I am assuming that you are using an inkjet
printer as you mention using glossy photo paper.

Inkjet printing can be archival if stored under exacting conditions but
I doubt that in the light and warm atmosphere inside a juke appears on
the paper manufacturers list of ideal conditions )

What you need to do is print out a greyscale ie a rectangle filled with
ink that goes from base white through to 100% black. Ideally the
greyscale wants to be about 6 inches or more wide. If you cannot create
a continuous greyscale a series of boxes filled with varying amounts of
grey will do. Cut the strip into 3 so that you effectively have 3
greyscales. Put one back into the pack that the paper came in, put one
inside the juke in the same approxiamate position as the labels will be
in and fix the last one on the outside of the window. After a week or
two gather up the 3 strips and lay them side by side to see how much
fading has occured. The one in the packet is your control or reference
strip which should have not faded at all. I would expect the strip
inside the juke to exhibit more fading than the one outside as the
atmosphere inside the juke will most probably be much warmer and contain
much higher level of gases arising from the cleaners, lubricants and
construction materials used inside a juke box - it has its own micro
environment. I would expect these to behave in a similar way to
airbourne polution which is known to have a marked effect on inkjet inks.

You can improve the life expectency of your prints by using the correct
ink and paper combination for your printer, ie if you have an Epson
photo quality printer using their ultrachrome K3 inks - use Epson
Premium Glossy paper and not something that costs a couple of dollars
for a hundred sheets from your local office supplies store.

You may be able to laminate the inkjet paper which would effectively
keep the atmosphere away from the ink and paper but you would still have
the (albeit reduced) effect of light to contend with.

Of course if you are using a printer which uses the dye sublimation
process or a toner based system the above is pretty irrelevant!

The above is based on many years of using ink jet technology as a
professional photographer.


Just my ten pence worth.


regards


Dudley


Senior Photographer
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge
England
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