On the subject of prints lasting a lifetime, you’ll need to consider more than just the printer itself. The paper and inks make a huge difference as well. If you have a photo printer from Canon, for example, be sure to buy long-life Canon photo paper. Read the paper box carefully before you buy - most vendors have different grades. Kodak, for example, does a good job of explaining on its box how long its different paper types will last. As you would guess, the most archival-quality papers are the most expensive.
You should also buy inks from that same printer vendor. Tests have proven that what the manufacturers say is true - their own inks and paper perform much better in their own printers than do generic brands. That’s because the printer vendors can develop everything to work well together. Epson paper used in a Canon printer won’t work nearly as well as it would in an Epson printer, generally speaking.
What if you like getting your prints made at a shop like a drug store? There too, you need to ask questions and notice what kind of paper they are using. I like to go around and test different places for quality. You will find that usually, you get what you pay for. Turn the print over and read the back. Does it say anything about archival or long-life print? You can pay attention and ask questions, and choose the place that will give you long life prints.
Lastly, you might want to protect your prints from the two things that will fade them fastest: air and sunlight. Believe it or not, putting them behind glass or in an album (acid-free of course) will preserve them more than anything. The humidity, pollutants, ozone, and other particles in the air break down the paper, inks, and coatings. Sunlight of course is another factor. Any light source can fade images, but strong sunlight is the usual culprit. Once again, glass helps cut down UV rays. You can even buy special UV glass.
But realistically, who can afford to frame all their prints? And who wants to store them away in a dark vault, when the whole point is to enjoy them? A good tip is to rotate your photos between protected storage and the glass frames, so you get to view new ones all the time. Know that those ones stuck on the fridge with no protection will likely suffer from exposure. Even in the worst conditions, however, todays photo printers can deliver images that won’t fade for decades, if you purchase the long-life papers and inks.
A last thought - if you are making prints to display for your own enjoyment, rather than to give away, you might consider buying a digital photo frame, which rotates through your photo collection onscreen. Digital frames have drawbacks, for example the time getting pictures into the frame, but it’s an alternative. You are wise to be making prints as well, though. We like to say that in 100 years, that digital frame will be long gone and obsolete, but anyone can view your prints. Low technology is sometimes still the best!
