Why Test?
Printed products that see sunlight, moisture, and heat are subject to the damaging forces of weathering, while indoor materials are exposed to artificial lighting and sunlight through windows.
Will your graphics and products retain their color and appearance under sunlight? Indoor lighting? For how long? Does your new raw material supplier have the same quality as your previous one? Has something changed in your process that might affect its light stability? Don't guess when you can test.
Q-Lab serves hundreds of customers in dozens of industries that relate to printing and graphic arts, including:
- Printing Inks
- Inject Technology
- Paper & Other Printing Needs
- Dyes & Pigments
- Digital Photography
- Retail Signage
- Art Media (Pencils, Paints, Charcoals)
Store and retail display lighting conditions are often simulated in Q-SUN xenon test chambers. Xenon testing is a popular choice for printed products because of its accurate sunlight simulation, ability to control light spectra via optical filters, and versatile, easy-to-use flat specimen tray. For outdoor applications, the Q-SUN can be tailored to simulate direct sunlight and moisture. Studies indicate that Q-SUN testing correlates well to outdoor exposures for some printing inks.
Our Exposure Testing Services for Graphic Arts
Florida & Arizona Natural Outdoor
While accelerated light stability and weathering chambers are a key weapon in the fight against the forces of sunlight, heat, and moisture, nothing beats the real thing: outdoor testing in one of Q-Lab's benchmark outdoor testing facilities. Q-Lab's South Florida and Arizona Desert sites provide the ultimate test of your printed product's outdoor durability using natural conditions.
Accelerated Laboratory Weathering
Accelerated laboratory weathering testing is an efficient and effective way to evaluate the durability of ink, pencil, and printed materials, designed to accelerate your weathering testing process to provide you with accurate and reliable answers.
Q-Lab's accelerated weathering and light stability testers simulate the primary light and weathering conditions that degrade all types of printing and graphics arts products, causing:
- Color Change & Fading
- Loss of Adhesion
- Delamination
- Yellowing
Many test standards exist to ensure lightfastness and colorfastness of artist pencils and paints. Visit Q-Lab’s Standards Search page to browse standards and find the right test for your product.
Additional Testing for Graphic Arts
Under Glass Exposure
Most types of glass filter the most damaging short-wavelength UV light, but interior-use materials still can degrade due to UVA and visible light. Printing inks are often tested behind window glass for resistance to sunlight. Under glass exposures are available at Q-Lab’s benchmark sites in Florida & Arizona for similar types of applications.
Automotive Interior Materials (AIM) Box
AIM Boxes are under-glass enclosures that simulate the sunlight and heat found inside an automobile. These important environmental stressors result in color change, cracking, peeling, oxidation, or loss of strength of materials in car and truck interiors. AIM boxes can accelerate these stressors by tracking the sun throughout the day. AIM boxes are suitable for mounting large components like instrument panels, seat cushions, and steering wheels. Small, flat specimens can also be mounted to test samples like interior trim.