NotXorc
New member
I placed some strips of black vinyl tape on a test print and then left it horizontal in the Florida sun for 4 months this summer. It was completely exposed to the elements and got high noon UV practically every day. After removing the tape, I could see only a slight shift in the blues and greens of the test print. If you didn't know where the vinyl had been, it would have been difficult to notice the hue shift. My print did not contain the full spectrum, so I cannot be sure that other colors will respond the same way.I have heard many positive reviews about the process. It can be striking when lit properly (examples above look beautiful). I have stayed away due to the lack of "archival" information. This is a sublimation process and noone knows how long they will last. Hopefully it will be positive.
As with many processes, YMMV. I would imagine variables such as the printer used, uniformity of heat transfer, etc. could all affect colorfastness. It's really a crapshoot, unless you can do your own testing and control the variables too.
Finally, do shop around when getting dyesub prints. As this medium is novel to most photographers, I think companies are making a very pretty penny in markups. My printer is charging less than half of what Bayphoto and ImageWizards ask for a 2x3' print. I have not seen the work of either vendor in person to know if there is a quality gap which justifies their higher price.