What a 200-Year Guarantee Actually Means

Most posters fade. Not dramatically, and not in the first year – but a print hung opposite a window will visibly shift within a decade. Reds go first, then the blues flatten, and eventually the whole thing looks like a photocopy of itself.

That is why we make a specific promise rather than a vague one about quality.

What the guarantee covers

Our 200-year guarantee refers explicitly to colour fastness – that is, protection against colour fading. It is a voluntary guarantee that we grant as the seller, in addition to your statutory rights and independently of any third-party claims. The exact wording is in our terms and conditions.

It does not cover mechanical damage, moisture, tearing, or what happens if you hang a print in direct, unfiltered sunlight for a decade. No ink survives that.

Where the durability comes from

Two things: the ink and the paper.

Pigment ink instead of dye. Dye-based inks dissolve colour in liquid – cheap, vivid, and unstable under UV light. Pigment inks suspend solid colour particles that are far more resistant to light. This is the same principle museums and archives rely on.

Paper that does not yellow. Acidic paper browns and becomes brittle on its own, regardless of the ink. We print on heavy archival-grade stock – either Lustrous Metallic (255 gsm) or Matte (229 gsm).

Metallic or matte

Lustrous Metallic (255 gsm) is a heavy metallic paper with a pearlescent sheen. It gives depth to photography and makes dark motifs – night skies, northern lights, deep water – noticeably richer.

Matte (229 gsm) is a heavy paper with a reflection-free surface, for lasting quality and timeless, detailed prints in museum quality. It is the better choice behind glass and for anything text-heavy or historical, such as our vintage posters.

How to make it last

Even archival prints last longer with a little care. Avoid hanging anything in direct sunlight – a north-facing wall or an oblique angle to the window is the single biggest factor. Anti-reflective glass with UV filtering helps if the wall is unavoidable. And keep prints out of bathrooms and unheated cellars: humidity does more damage to paper than light does.

Why we bother

A poster costs between CHF 16.95 and CHF 69.95. Nobody expects an heirloom at that price. But there is a difference between something that survives a move and something that has to be replaced because it no longer looks like what you bought. We would rather print the second kind once than the first kind three times.

You can read about the artists behind the motifs on our artist pages.