We offer two primary types of prints:  photographic prints and canvas prints.  Photographic prints are produced on quality photographic papers while canvas prints are printed onto thick water resistant canvas.

One of the characteristics used to judge the quality of a photographic print is how long it will last without any detectable loss of clarity, color, or other deterioration. This is referred to as the lifespan or permanence of a print. The lifespan of a print is normally measured in three different environments: in harsh conditions (the print is subjected to extremes of heat, humidity and ultraviolet light), in normal indoor display conditions (as you might have on your living room wall, for example), and in ideal conditions (where the print is stored in a dark, humidity and heat controlled location). For most people contemplating purchase of a decorative print the second category is the most relevant.

Most prints that are purchased from the local camera store (or drug store, etc.) have an effective lifespan in normal display conditions of approximately 10 years. This can vary somewhat, but in general the display life of these prints is almost always well under twenty years. At some time after this period you may begin to see slight fading or discolorations in the print. As the print ages it will naturally exhibit more fading and discoloration. The prints will last longer if stored in the family album, but even here they will begin to fade and discolor after only a couple of decades.

Prints that have historically been offered by professional photography labs have a lifespan of around fifty years. Some prints have a lifespan of sixty-five years, while others will last around forty years before there is any detectable change in the print. Because these are better quality prints they tend to fade much more slowly than the average camera shop print. It may be many decades after the print begins to fade before the print begins to take on an overall washed out or faded appearance.

These professional photography lab prints were the industry standard just a few years ago. They were the longest lasting prints available and were the standard by which other prints were judged. Some of these prints, including Cibachrome prints (funny name, great prints - the name has been changed to Ilfochrome), were considered to be the absolute best prints available. These are still excellent prints, but the quality of these prints has been eclipsed by the new guy in town, digital prints.

While some still debate the relative merits of film versus digital technology, there is one area where digital technology is unsurpassed and that is in preparing and printing photographic images. Traditional film techniques pale in comparison to the quality that can be achieved through digital processing. The vast majority of professional photographers who make their living from selling prints now produce their prints digitally because these prints simply cannot be matched by any other print technology.

The typical professional photography lab print is made with a resolution of 300 dots per inch. This provides enough color dots per inch that your eye can blend them together into a smooth image. Without some form of magnification you cannot see this many individual dots in an inch. Digital prints are normally produced on high quality printers at 360 dots per inch, yielding an even richer and more pleasing print.

But, you are asking, what about the lifespan of these prints? The lifespan of a digital print depends, in large part, upon the paper used to produce the print. In nearly all cases, the lifespan of these prints far exceeds even the absolute best professional lab prints.

Here are the papers and life spans that you can expect from our prints.

Ultrasmooth Fine Art Paper is made using 100% cotton paper that is much thicker than normal paper, lies absolutely flat, and produces exquisite prints. And, without resorting to spraying chemicals on the surface after the print is made, it is the longest lasting paper available today.

Canvas prints are made using 100% cotton canvas with a tight weave that is then treated to ensure longevity of the print.  Because it is a woven material there is naturally some loss of detail on a canvas print, but canvas often provides an artistic flavor to an image that cannot be duplicated by normal photographic prints.  Whether you select canvas for its artistic look or Ultra Smooth Paper for its increased detail is a matter of personal taste.

For our standard prints we use Premium Luster paper because of its excellent color reproduction and soft luster finish.

Image contributors decide what prints they wish to offer and select the papers they feel produce the best prints of their images. You can view the fine art prints offered for an image by selecting the Fine Art tab while viewing the image. Prints offered under the Prints tab are produced on Premium Luster paper.

When you purchase a print from Munson Photographic you are purchasing one of the absolute best prints available today. We do not compromise on quality and this is most important at the very core of our products, our outstanding quality prints. You can be sure that any print you purchase from Munson Photographic will offer you unabated viewing pleasure for many, many decades to come.