Do Dead by Daylight Art Prints Fade Over Time? Causes and Prevention

Quick answer

Dead by Daylight art prints do not fade on their own. Fading almost always traces back to UV light, heat, moisture, or a combination of the three. If you want to prevent art print fading, keep the print out of direct sun, frame it behind UV-filtering glazing or glass, and hang it in a room with stable temperature and humidity. Move a print the moment you notice color shift, because fading is cumulative and cannot be reversed.

You bought a print because the artwork looked sharp on day one. A year later the blacks look gray and the reds look dusty. That is dead by daylight art print fading, and it is one of the most common complaints collectors have about paper-based merch.

The good news is that fading is predictable. If you know what causes it, you can diagnose your own print and decide whether to change how you display it, reframe it, or accept the wear. This guide walks through the symptom, the likely cause, the corrective action, and the point where you should stop trying to save a print.

Symptom: what fading actually looks like on a print

True fading shows up as a loss of saturation, not a sudden change. Reds drift toward pink, blacks drift toward charcoal, and skin tones go flat. You will usually notice it first on the lightest areas of the image, because the ink has less density to lose there.

Compare your print to a photo you took when it first arrived. If you did not take one, compare it to the product image on the store page. Yellowing is a different problem: it usually means the paper itself is aging or absorbing contaminants, not that the ink is fading.

• Photograph every print when it arrives so you have a baseline for comparison.
• Check the edges first; fading often starts where light hits the paper most directly.

Likely cause: UV light is the number one culprit

Ultraviolet light breaks down the pigments in most consumer-grade inks. Even indirect sunlight through a window carries UV, and it adds up over months. A print hung across from a bright window can show visible shift within a year, while the same print in a hallway with no direct light may look unchanged for years.

Fluorescent and some LED fixtures emit small amounts of UV as well. That matters if your print sits under a desk lamp or a display light for hours a day. Art print UV damage is cumulative, so short daily exposure still counts.

• Move the print out of direct sun before you do anything else.
• Use UV-filtering glazing if the print must stay in a bright room.
• Rotate prints seasonally if you have more art than wall space.

Likely cause: heat, humidity, and where you hang the print

Heat accelerates the chemical reactions that break down ink. Hanging a print above a radiator, near a kitchen, or in a bathroom exposes it to temperature swings and moisture. Humidity can also cause the paper to cockle, which distorts how light reflects off the surface and makes colors look duller than they are.

If your print is framed, moisture trapped behind the glazing is a real risk. A frame with no backing board or a sealed frame in a humid room can trap condensation against the paper. That is not fading in the ink sense, but it looks like it and it is harder to fix.

• Keep prints away from radiators, vents, and bathrooms.
• Aim for a room with stable temperature and moderate humidity.
• If you frame a print, use a backing board to limit moisture contact.

Corrective action: what you can actually do once fading starts

Fading cannot be reversed. Ink that has lost pigment does not come back, and no spray or coating will restore the original color. What you can do is stop the process and prevent further loss. Move the print to a darker spot, reframe it with UV-filtering glazing, and keep it out of humid rooms.

If the print is valuable to you, consider a digital backup. Scan or photograph it at high resolution before it fades further. That gives you a record of the artwork even if the physical copy continues to age. For inexpensive prints, replacing the piece is often cheaper than reframing it.

• Reframe with UV-filtering glazing if the print is worth keeping.
• Scan or photograph the print now as a digital backup.
• Do not apply sprays or coatings; they can damage paper and ink.

Prevention: how to protect art prints from sunlight before fading starts

The simplest prevention is placement. Hang prints on interior walls that never receive direct sun. If you want a print in a bright room, put it behind UV-filtering glass or acrylic and keep it out of the direct path of a window. Sheer curtains and blinds also cut UV significantly, though they do not eliminate it.

If you rotate your display, store the prints you are not hanging flat, in a dry, dark place. Avoid attics, basements, and garages, where heat and humidity swing the most. A portfolio box or a flat file works well. For a full storage routine, our guide on storing Dead by Daylight collectibles covers the same principles.

• Hang prints on interior walls away from windows.
• Use UV-filtering glazing in bright rooms.
• Store rotated prints flat, dry, and dark.

When to stop trying to save a print

If the print has already lost noticeable saturation across the whole image, reframing will not bring it back. At that point you are choosing between keeping a faded piece for sentimental reasons or replacing it. That is a fair choice either way, but be honest about which one you are making.

If the paper itself is yellowed, stained, or warped, the problem is the substrate, not the ink. Those issues are generally not fixable at home. If the print was a limited release and replacements are gone, treat the faded copy as a display piece rather than an archival one, and store it away from light from here on.

• Replace the print if fading is widespread and the piece is still available.
• Keep a faded print only if it has sentimental value, not resale value.
• Do not spend money reframing a print that has already lost most of its color.

Print fading diagnosis: symptom, cause, action, stop point

• Symptom: colors look washed out but the paper is clean: Ink pigments have degraded, most likely from UV exposure. Move the print out of direct light immediately. If the shift is mild, reframing with UV glazing can stop further loss.
• Symptom: paper is yellowed, stained, or wavy: The substrate is the problem, not the ink. This usually points to humidity, moisture trapped in a frame, or poor-quality paper. Home fixes rarely work here; consider replacing the print.
• Symptom: fading is even across the whole image: Long-term cumulative exposure. The damage is done and cannot be reversed. Stop investing in reframing; replace it or keep it as a sentimental piece.
• Symptom: fading only near one edge or corner: A localized light source, such as a lamp or a window, is hitting that area more than the rest. Rehang the print or move the light source before the rest of the image catches up.

Products that pair well with a print-care routine

• Dead by Daylight - Laptop Sleeve: Available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, with the 13-inch listed at LENGTH 13 1/2 inches, WIDTH 10 1/2 inches, HEIGHT 5/8 inch. If you store prints flat between rotations, a sleeve gives you a padded, dust-resistant layer that keeps paper from rubbing against other items.
• Dead By Daylight Soundtrack Volume 2 (Black Splatter - USA Record Store Day Exclusive): Fulfilled by Return to Analog Records and ships separately from other purchases, shipping from Canada. Vinyl and prints share the same enemies: heat, humidity, and direct sun. If you display both, keep them in the same stable, shaded area and expect separate shipping if you order together.
• Dead by Daylight x Castlevania Retro Hoodie: Available in multiple sizes and inspired by the Vlad Tepes and Dracula storyline. A hoodie is a low-risk way to show fandom on your body while keeping your paper prints out of daily wear and handling.

Dead by Daylight art print fading is almost always a placement problem, not a product defect. Keep prints out of direct sun, frame them with UV-filtering glazing when they live in bright rooms, and store the ones you rotate flat and dry. If the color is already gone, replace the print rather than chasing a fix that does not exist.