Kodak Cites Wilhelm Research For Inkjet Print Longevity

By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 2/11/2008 8:15:00 AM

New York — Kodak’s inkjet all-in-ones deliver the “highest level of print permanence” of any photo printer currently on the market, according to Wilhelm Imaging Research (WIR).

Prints produced on Kodak’s all-in-ones using Kodak ink and paper can endure for longer than 125 years in an album or more than 100 years when displayed out in the open, WIR reported.

Kodak had been critical of the independent Wilhelm Imaging Research group in the past, objecting to its test methodology. In 2005, WIR criticized how Kodak marketed its Ultima Inkjet Paper, saying that claims of “100 year” longevity were “misleading.”

In announcing his firm’s test results in a Kodak-hosted press conference in New York, WIR founder Henry Wilhelm said he used precisely the same test methods that WIR has always employed. The study of Kodak’s printers, like many of WIR tests, began as independent, non-commissioned research, Wilhelm said.

“It’s really something of a historic moment and will hopefully lead us to work together more closely in the future,” Wilhelm said.

Kodak also said that it had sold more than 520,000 printers since February 2007. For 2008, the firm plans to double the number of retail outlets — both in the United States and overseas — that carry its inkjet product line, said Robert Ohlweiler, COO of Inkjet Systems.