 When I present this paper, I thought that we were able to conclude our investigation in the fading stability of these things, but we were out of time, money, sorry, so the investigation is not concluded and it is not on my mind, so I'm sorry, but I'm going to try to put some light on this issue. As we've seen so far in this symposium, in photography we usually understand that plastics are used as support in their many forms. However, this time I will speak about plastic use in photography as ink binder, that is plastic uses, image forming substances for digital printing. In particular, I will talk about plastic inks that define two of the inject technologies used for printing photographic artworks nowadays. These are, on one hand, thermoplastic inks, or rather the plastics used as binders in Daisulimation printing system on textile substrates. Also there are other inks called thermoplastics, for example for xerografy or industrial printing, but our interest today is only on the ones used for fine art digital printing on fabric. And secondly, photoplastic inks, or better the plastic used as binder for direct printing system on any kind of support. As I understand the use of plastic as binder for image forming substances is more recent, for example we have the general use of pigmented inks that led the way for the implementation of synthetic erasings as binder for finer photography. But first of all in this talk what is really important is understand the use of plastic inks to create photographs on unconventional support, that is other support than paper. Here you can see on your right a printed austen feeder with photoplastic inks and without printing on the left. It is printed with a pictorial abstract image but it serves as an example of what I am trying to explain. The idea to point out is that these inks are designed to produce photographs on non-conventional support and this fact is making, as I understand, a big change in finer printing. In this picture you can see an example, photoplastic inks on the background and round light boxes with thermoplastic inks. Photoplastic inks on aluminium that has been fold to make a kind of sculptor. Gallery made with photoplastic inks on glass, big format light boxes with photoplastic inks on plexiglass and these are thermoplastic inks in tubular light boxes. As everybody knows the photographs on paper printed with pigmented inks seems to have the highest stability and is fading but despite this fact they are usually provided with external protection elements to ensure durability. In the first place they used to be mounted on a secondary support using some kind of adhesive especially with big format photographs and also they used to be protected with glass or plexiglass in particular for these large format photographs. Beside these two protected elements we can find frames but they are made in many shapes and depending on the will of the authors in presenting and protecting their works. We find that this photograph of high resistance to fighting if they are not protected in some way can be affected in their durability with physical problems, maybe you need handling their work for exhibition. But what will happen if a commercial agent of a photographic lab approaches an author with the possibility to use new printing system that enables to create images on any support without using intermediate paper and other shapes to attach the part and with such a hardener that is no longer necessary to protect the whole set with plastic glass. Moreover if the author wants the image can be printed directly on plexiglass. In addition the image is printed with UV inks, a term that creates a lot of confusion because it implies that the inks are able to withstand UV radiation which is not entering through. And these inks make the images resistant to shock and scratches. All these money savings say the commercial agent without losing good quality. On the other hand what would happen if another commercial agent from another lab offers the possibility to get your photographs printed using a white format system that allows you to roll up your photos for easy transportation and they can be exhibited anywhere with simple functioning system without secondary support or extra protection because the photographs do created can be laundered and ironed to always have the same look. I don't know what could be your answer but in Spain more and more authors are using this technology especially to create photographs for exhibition. Here is a sample on the left you can see the edge of the image printed on paper with a secondary support of Daibon and the plexiglass atop. In the middle is just the Daibon with the inks on top and on the right is the showing effect for the fastening system of the image with thermoplastic inks. In any case we must not forget that the inks I am talking were created to solve the industrial needs of visual communication where the main interest is to consume images and not the durability. Ok and this point I am going to briefly explain how this printing system works, thermoplastic inks. So we are talking about inks used by a hybrid printing system inject and sublimation used to print on textile support which are commonly known as the sublimation inks. In many cases this inks do not really sublimate, more likely they are diffused on the support. Anyway this hybrid printing system in a first step print the image with micro droplets of ink on top of textile support while it moves forward leaving a weak image in color and contrast on the top. The image has not been yet formed so that to get the image formed the textile support pass through a hot calendar to activate the image formation reaction and you have done the image that has been forming. Upon heat induction two things happen, on one hand with heat the structure of the synthetic fibers of the support react to allow the dies dispersed within them. And at the same time the dies are chemically fixed to the new binder. When cool the synthetic fibers return to their normal state trapping the image. Those we have that the fabric is not tinted. Actually the image is cut within the support synthetic fibers. I emphasize this fact because it is essential for understanding the behavior of these inks in relation to fighting under durability. On the other hand we have the photoplastic inks. These terms refer to the inks used by direct printing system. The industry like to call these inks UV inks curable tarnate hardener UV inks. This is because this process needs energy from an ultralisor in order to get the synthetic polymers form. The term photoplastic refers to the cross inks development by the effect of light energy that activates binders chemical composed reaction to form solid synthetic structures for polymerization. With this technology the image formation process is also divided into parts. Similar to those of the previous system. The first part is the deposition of ink. And right away here you have two UV lamps apply energy to get the image form fixed in the same place where the drops are set. What is important to say is that the final composition of the resulting binder might be variable depending on the trademark of the ink, but above all depending on the type of the ink used for different needs. This will explain a little bit later. In summary these are the two processes features. They are mainly created for printing on unconventional media. Both of them need energy induction for image formation. The colorants are trapped in plastic binders. This is just about the production system. Now I am going to analyze the things in terms of photographic qualities, their morphology and the perspective of durability. To analyze their photographic quality I am going to show you some visual examples. On your left you can see a light box one meter and a half in diameter. It is a print on textile support with thermoplastic inks mounted on a round frame with lead bark light. And on the right you can see a two by two meter photograph printed on white dive bone with photoplastic inks hanged by an aluminum chassis. In a first approach they seem to have good image quality and as we get closer to the one on your left the feeling is still good. I am going a little bit further. It is easy to notice the rub and the web of the fabric. As I already said the ink is diffused by the effect of the formation, the diffusion. The drug left get expand into the support mixing one with the other and leaving a kind of continuous tone image. So we have a good quality image within a texture. And the other at a general view shows good image quality but when we approach we start to discover... Sorry, it was one... But when we approach it we start to discover deposit of inks. It is important to notice that this example, the one on your right, is six years old. When the injector could only print with drop of 14 picolitos. In this example the dot effect is much clearer since the support is a high gloss dive bone with a non porous surface. So the ink droplets remind on the very top of the support leaving a defined feel of its dot. A few years ago this machine printed with very large drops between 17 and 14 picolitos. And today the images are printed with drop of six picolitos, which give them a special natural look evident in the diffuse areas. These are some examples of a new exhibition we have written in Spain in January. These photographs were printed with a Canon machine called Arizona. They are really good quality images. To understand a little bit more this type of photographic object is necessary to analyze the morphological structures. In relation to the thermoplastic inks, as you know now, the point is that the binder for the dice is divided part in the support and part as particles of solid regimes dispersed in different vehicles before the image is formed. I need to point out that when we started to study this type of thing with water-based dyes of inks, but as we went into the matter we found solvent dyes of ink, eco-solvent dyes of ink, oil-based dyes of ink and the last latex dyes of ink. The main difference between inks is the dispersion element for the synthetic resins. These dispersion elements, solvent, oil, latex, water do not make a big difference on the type of ink that get formed after processing. This is because after heat most of the additives and dispersion vehicles evaporate and only remind resins, colorants and colorants bind them to the synthetic fibers of the fabric. And this is the point that really matters with thermoplastic inks in terms of life expectancy, the composition of the fabric. Initially when we used to... Initially they used to be fabrics only made by polyester fibers, but also there are other fabrics being used which contain mixture of fibers in different proportions as cotton to provide both touch and durability or a combination of polyester and polyamide for strength and elasticity. The idea is to create textile support with flexibility to withstand high stress and high performance against stirring. Also in general all textile support are made with water proof and fire proof treatments that confer great resistance to biological contamination and against five risk situations. And also most fabric used for digital printing were in the printing phase coatings with optical bleaching substances to increase and improve the feeling of image quality. So in terms of preservation it is important to know the fabric composition because it actually becomes part of the ink. On the other hand, photoplastic inks consist of a series of mine elements, oligomers and monomers for the initiator or catalistic photosensitive colorants, pigment or dyes, modifiers and additives. The resins consist of oligomers to which lower viscosity monomers are added. A photo initiator is add to these resins to catalyze the reaction by absorbing the energy of an ultraviolet source. The reaction cause the creation of reactive species which bind each other to form a cross-link film, that is polymerization of the binder. Finalmente, the inks contain more or less other elements to make them more or less flexible, more or less viscous, more or less resistant to abrasion, etc. The most important components of these resins, monomers or oligomers are acrylic elements. I have many formulation according to the different use designed by the companies that make them. For example, fujisericol in IJC ink series, that are used with the Arithona direct printing system made by Canon. How different formulation? IJC 255 is a smooth ink for printing small details but with less bonding capacity to the support. If we go further in the numbers IJC 256, 257, 258, we get better bonding capacity but more viscosity, so less photographic quality and less brightness. Anyway, these are some of the most common acrylic polymers, most of the oligomers. Epoxic acrylic increase, increase reactivity, hardeners and chemical resistance, alifactic utherin acrylic increase, increase flexibility, touchness. Polyester acrylic increase wetting, decrease viscosity. Acrylic acrylic increase, increase adhesion. These ink are 100% solid. This means that they contain non-valid elements, nothing to evaporate. When correcting, all the chemical elements are polymericized. This, upon completion of the reaction for the image formation, what reminds is a layer of acrylic polymer containing the colorant. The last part to be considered in order to get a better idea of the capabilities of this artwork to last over time by looking at the morphology is the colorant. The information I could find in the case that photoplastic inks are generated basis on pigment. For example, in one of its publications we can read the Afra graphic UV and UV ink is highly pigmented UV curing ink. And in Ulta, another well-known company says on its website that its UV inks contain pigmented substances. However, thermoplastic inks are composed by dyes. Unfortunately, I was unable to find accurate information about the dyes used for thermoplastic inks on textile supports. But as I understand, by the way these prints are made, it seems easier for the industry of inks to use dispersed dyes for thermoplastic inks. Although I have found a company here in the United States that is developing what they call nano colorants which are pigmented basic thermoplastic inks for textile support. So there is market for high quality thermoplastic inks. Ok, looking to all these information inks seems that these two inks have structural composition that makes them resistant to environmental changes. Polyester and acrylic binders have quite good stability to withstand humidity, warm and pollution. Also they have strength enough to resist shock, scratches and tears. And they have sufficient chemical resistance to withstand the use of solvents and soaps. And making some tests we have found that they have good enough stability against flooding but I can give you accurate information by now. Now you have a better idea of these photographic inks and the objects that they can produce. And if you want I bring some example with me and you can take a look right there. Ok, thank you very much. Sorry, I'm missing.