ASTM D3424-09
Standard Practice for Evaluating the Relative Lightfastness and Weatherability of Printed Matter

Standard No.

ASTM D3424-09

Release Date

2009

Published By

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Status

Be replaced

Replace By

ASTM D3424-11

Latest

ASTM D3424-11

Scope

Lightfastness or weatherability for specified periods of time is pertinent for certain types of printed matter such as magazine and book covers, posters and billboards, greeting cards and packages. Since the ability of printed matter to withstand color changes is a function of the spectral-power distribution of the light source to which it is exposed, it is important that lightfastness be assessed under conditions appropriate to the end-use application.

The accelerated procedures covered in these exposure methods provide means for the rapid evaluation of lightfastness or weatherability under laboratory conditions. Test results are useful for specification acceptance between producer and user and for quality control.

The xenon-arc lamp with an appropriate filter system exhibits a spectral-power distribution that corresponds more closely to that of daylight than the carbon-arc. In turn, accelerated tests using xenon-arc apparatus may be expected to correlate better with exposure to natural daylight than do those using carbon-arc apparatus.

To accommodate variations in light intensity among days, seasons, locations, or instruments, duration of exposure is preferably expressed as the radiant exposure in specific bandpasses rather than time. In either case, the inclusion of an appropriate control serves to minimize effects of variations in test conditions.

Color changes are not a linear function of duration of exposure. The preferred method of determining lightfastness or weatherability is to expose the prints for a number of intervals and to assess the time or radiant exposure required to obtain a specified color difference.

For a given printing ink, lightfastness and weatherability or both depend on the type of substrate, the film thickness of the print, and the area printed (solid versus screen). Therefore, it is important that the nature of the test and control specimens correspond to that expected under actual use conditions.

Note 28212;Specifications D 4302, D 5067, and D 5098 provide useful guides to the lightfastness of pigments in several types of artists'' paints after 1260 MJ/m² total window glass filtered solar radiant exposure (equivalent to about 2 or 3 months'' exposure to window glass filtered solar radiation in accordance with Practice G 24 at a tilt angle of 45 degrees). However, because of major differences between printing inks and artists'' colors, especially in applied film thickness, it cannot be assumed that the lightfastness categories of printed ink films containing these pigments will be comparable to those indicated in the three specifications.

1.1 This standard describes procedures for the determination of the relative lightfastness and weatherability of printed matter under the following conditions, which involve exposure to natural daylight or accelerated procedures in the laboratory:

1.1.1 Method 18212;Daylight behind window glass,

1.1.2 Method 28212;Outdoor weathering,

1.1.3 Method 38212;Xenon-arc apparatus with window glass filters to simulate daylight behind window glass,

1.1.4 Method 48212;Xenon-arc apparatus with water spray and daylight filters to simulate outdoor weathering,

1.1.5 Method 78212;Fluorescent lamp apparatus to simulate indoor fluorescent lighting in combination with window-filtered daylight......

ASTM D3424-09 Referenced Document

• ASTM D1729 Standard Practice for Visual Appraisal of Colors and Color Differences of Diffusely-Illuminated Opaque Materials
• ASTM D2244 Standard Test Method for Calculation of Color Differences From Instrumentally Measured Color Coordinates
• ASTM D2616 Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Visual Color Difference With a Gray Scale
• ASTM D4302 Standard Specification for Artists' Oil, Resin-Oil, and Alkyd Paints
• ASTM D4674 Standard Test Method for Accelerated Testing for Color Stability of Plastics Exposed to Indoor Fluorescent Lighting and Window-Filtered Daylight
• ASTM D5067 Standard Specification for Artists' Watercolor Paints
• ASTM D5098 Standard Specification for Artists' Acrylic Emulsion Paints
• ASTM E1331 Standard Test Method for Reflectance Factor and Color by Spectrophotometry Using Hemispherical Geometry
• ASTM E1347 Standard Test Method for Color and Color-Difference Measurement by Tristimulus (Filter) Colorimetry
• ASTM E1349 Standard Test Method for Reflectance Factor and Color by Spectrophotometry Using Bidirectional Geometry
• ASTM E284 Standard Terminology of Appearance
• ASTM E991 Standard Practice for Color Measurement of Fluorescent Specimens
• ASTM G113 Standard Terminology Relating to Natural and Artificial Weathering Tests of Nonmetallic Materials
• ASTM G151 Standard Practice for Exposing Nonmetallic Materials in Accelerated Test Devices that Use Laboratory Light Sources
• ASTM G153 Standard Practice for Operating Enclosed Carbon Arc Light Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials
• ASTM G154 Standard Practice for Operating Fluorescent Ultraviolet (UV) Lamp Apparatus for Exposure of Materials
• ASTM G155 Standard Practice for Operating Xenon Arc Lamp Apparatus for Exposure of Materials*， 2024-04-19 Update
• ASTM G24 Standard Practice for Conducting Exposures to Daylight Filtered Through Glass
• ASTM G7 Standard Practice for Atmospheric Environmental Exposure Testing of Nonmetallic Materials
• ISO 9370 Plastics - Instrumental determination of radiant exposure in weathering tests - General guidance and basic test method

ASTM D3424-09 history

• 2011 ASTM D3424-11 Standard Practice for Evaluating the Relative Lightfastness and Weatherability of Printed Matter
• 2009 ASTM D3424-09 Standard Practice for Evaluating the Relative Lightfastness and Weatherability of Printed Matter
• 2001 ASTM D3424-01 Standard Test Methods for Evaluating the Relative Lightfastness and Weatherability of Printed Matter
• 1998 ASTM D3424-98 Standard Test Methods for Evaluating the Relative Lightfastness and Weatherability of Printed Matter