Digital BW, The Print

The Epson 1400 printer with Eboni-6 is such a good platform that I've re-installed Eb6 in my 1400 and will post a number of profiles for both the Epson driver and QTR.  The profiles for the 1400 will be posted at http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/1400-Eb6-Profiles.zip.  I will also update the PDF on Eboni-6 -- http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Eboni-6.pdf -- so that it focuses more on the 1400.

One of the profiles currently in the Zip file is a QTR profile for the relatively new Epson Hot Press Natural (no brighteners) matte paper. It has a maximum Lab B rise from the paper white of only 1.5 Lab B units.  One Lab unit difference is barely perceptible.  While the un-brightened paper will look "creamy" next to a brightened one, if the mat board is natural paper, the overall image will look quite neutral.  This Epson HP paper is now my top recommendation for the neutral end of the tonal range Eboni-6 can reach.

Note that at 60 Mlux-Hrs of exposure in the Aardenburg Imaging fade testing -- http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com/ -- the 1800 Eboni test is doing very well indeed.  Comparing only the central test patches (41 through 60), the delta-e of the 60 Mlux-Hr Epson ABW mode print is 5.2 times that of the Eboni print.  

I focus on the central tones because that is where the colors and fading will be seen, and my point is to emphasize the advantages of 100% carbon pigment printing.  In the highlights the paper is a major contributor to the results.  The paper delta-e is higher (not as good as) the carbon image delta-e, but better than the ABW delta-e.    Additionally, the deep shadows are excluded because they tend to be influenced by the Epson carbon MK, which is as good as Eboni (but warmer).  Additionally, one does not see much color in the shadows.  Again, my point here is to emphasize that 100% carbon is the way to get a stable print.  Along these lines, I note that the Piezo Carbon sepia is, in the midtones, as stable as the Eboni.  Again, it's the carbon.  (With the Piezo inks the Museum K didn't seem to do quite as well for some reason.)

Note that Eboni-6 has not been tested by Aardenburg Imaging.  Some think more dilute inks do not test as well as concentrated ones.  That was true with dyes, but may be much less of a factor with carbon pigments.  See http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/CarbSepia-Density-v-Delta-e.jpg for the delta-e distribution of Peizo Carbon Sepia, which is a dilute carbon inkset.  (The data is from the Aardenburg Imaging fade test of the inkset.)  Factoring out the effects of the paper white from the carbon is not easily done.  It may be mostly the paper that is causing the slight rise in delta-e in the highlights.  In any case, the very dilute nature of the carbon inks in the highlights does not seem to alter the picture very significantly.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com