Trust your cherished memories and important documents to Original HP supplies
Whether you’re printing photos of your family and friends or archiving documents for your personal records, HP designs its printers, ink, toner, and papers so that your prints will last reliably.
- Print permanence refers to how well a printed document or image lasts over time—whether it fades when exposed to light, heat, humidity, or airborne pollutants.
- Durability refers to how well a document resists damage from handling, such as smearing.
How HP measures print permanence
HP conducts internal testing—and contracts independent testing—to validate product permanence and durability. Original HP Ink and Toner and HP Papers must meet rigorous tests.
Photos
HP uses its own set of tests based on extensive experience in photo printing technology and knowledge of how HP customers use photo prints. HP also uses established, independent test labs such as Wilhelm Imaging Research, to test ink and photo paper products.
Indoor light fade resistance1
Photos printed on glossy and satin HP Photo Papers resist fading for generations when printed with Original HP Ink and displayed under glass. Wilhelm Imaging Research defines a generation as 25 years.
Quick dry2
Photos printed on HP Photo Papers provide quick-dry prints that are ready to frame right away. Dry time is determined by no ink transfer to the piece of plain paper, placed between the roller and the sample, under 10 seconds from leaving the printer.
Acid free3
Your memories are preserved on acid-free HP Photo Papers. Based on HP internal testing according to ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R2009) Standard.
Important documents
Many documents demand the permanence and durability required for stored files.
HP uses established, independent test labs such as Wilhelm Imaging Research to conduct accelerated dark storage tests on plain paper to determine if a document will retain its black text and colour quality.
Dark storage4
When documents are stored in folders, drawers, or file cabinets, they are not exposed to light. Tests conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. indicate that documents printed with HP pigment-based black and pigment-based colour inks printed on HP BrightWhite24® paper stored in the dark will achieve WIR Dark Storage Permanence Ratings of “Greater Than 200 Years.”
In addition, tests conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. indicate that documents printed with HP pigment-based black and dye-based colour inks, including HP 67 inks, printed on HP BrightWhite24® paper stored in the dark (assuming that the document is stored in a file folder, in a box, and is otherwise protected from possible ozone exposure and contact with water) will achieve WIR Dark Storage Permanence Ratings of “Greater Than 100 Years.”
Acid free5
HP Home & Office Papers are acid free for longer lasting documents. Based on lot testing conducted by Sylvamo Corporation per ISO 9706. See iso.org/standard/17562.html.
Faster drying6
HP pigment inks are specially formulated to produce faster-drying documents when using HP papers with ColorLok® Technology. Based on internal HP testing of Original HP pigment inks on ColorLok® papers vs standard uncoated papers.
Additional testing standards for cartridges
In addition to HP and Wilhelm Imaging Research testing for photos and important documents, HP relies upon industry standardisation bodies, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which develops procedures used to test and compare products.
For documents: Original HP Inks are designed to meet permanence and durability requirements of ISO 11798. Certification to this permanence standard means pages printed with these Original HP Ink cartridges are archive-ready due to their fade resistance and durability properties. This includes good optical density, legible appearance, lightfastness, water resistance, no transfer to other pages, resistance to wear, resistance to heat, and no impact to the mechanical strength of the paper. See results for HP 923 924 925 Ink Cartridges here. See results for HP 936 937 938 Ink Cartridges here.
For certifications: The Research Institutes of Sweden, an independent organization, test printed page samples following ISO standards and issue certificates for specific cartridges. HP submits page samples for many ink and toner cartridges in order to document the fade, water, and smear resistance of the printed pages.
You may search for ISO 11798 durability certificates on HP products at the RISE web site for ink, black toner, and colour toner.
Related links and resources
Learn about Original HP supplies
HP toner archivability overview
Dark storage document permanence statement
Disclaimers
- Based on HP internal testing and/or testing by Wilhelm Imaging Research. Photos printed on glossy and satin HP Photo Papers and displayed under glass.
- Photos printed on HP Photo Papers, tested at HP.
- Based on HP internal testing according to ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R2009) Standard.
- See http://wilhelm-research.com/hp/WIR_Dark_Storage_Permanence_Statement_for_HP_2017-11-07.pdf. Updated June 12, 2023.
- Based on lot testing conducted by Sylvamo Corporation per ISO 9706. See http://www.iso.org/standard/17562.html.
- When using HP Papers with ColorLok® technology. Based on internal HP testing of Original HP pigment inks on ColorLok® papers vs standard uncoated papers. See http://www.colorlok.com.