Lost in the Ozone: Epson Photos Fade

Epson Offers Work-Arounds to Fading Photos

So what should you do if you own one of these printers? Epson makes several suggestions.

First, the company recommends protecting photo prints from air in glass frames or acid-free, archival photo sleeves. However, that could be inconvenient. As another PC World correspondent writes, "Imagine a family vacation photo-shoot of a hundred pics, all requiring being framed or placed in a sleeve!"

Also, if you're using Epson's Premium Glossy Photo Paper, you may want to switch to a different type of paper for now. The Premium Glossy Photo suffers more from orange shift than Epson's other papers. It produces its bright, rich look by trapping ink on a surface barrier--where it is most exposed to ozone--instead of letting it soak in, which would mute the colors.

Several photographers using Epson's 870 and 1270 report the same orange-shift with other brands of high-quality barrier paper. Less glossy papers delay the fading. Epson recommends its Matte Paper-Heavyweight or Photo Paper. However, photographers also find the orange-shift occurs on these more porous media, though more slowly.

Finally, if you can't live without glossies, Epson in October plans to release a Premium Glossy Photo paper that has an antioxidant to block the ozone's effects. McCoy says photos printed on the new paper "will last four to six times longer." Four to six times longer may satisfy some users, though not all--particularly those who live where the orange shift occurs in days or weeks.

Buyback, But No Recall

Those alternatives are why Epson has not recalled the 870, 875DC, and 1270, which the company maintains are fundamentally not flawed.

"It's a usability issue," says McCoy. He insists the printers "work as stated." In other words, Epson views the orange-shift only as an inconvenience that doesn't render the printer unusable. (See PCWorld.com's review of the 870: "Get Your Own Private Fotomat.")

However, Epson realizes that convincing 870, 875DC, and 1270 owners to change papers or protect every print is as impractical as releasing updated drivers. Instead, the company is willing to buy back the printers. As McCoy says, "If you're unhappy, I'm not going to argue with you; I'll refund your money. We will do what it takes to make you happy."