Digital BW, The Print

"crepuscolino" <gianguido.cianci@...> wrote:
>
> Friday got some MIS EZN carts for my old C86 and started to play: K was only cart to be recognized. Left the eboni k in, replaced my old YMC from epson and all were recognized. Printed the head-testing zigzag pattern and saw no Y, ok M, gappy C and no eboni! 


You must remove the plug in the air inlets.



> I'd like to print nice BW on matte fine art papers. 
> I'd like it to be as easy as possible: have zero experience with profiling etc. 


The MIS "EZ" systems were set up for that market.

I set up the newer WorkForce 1100 in a similar manner but recommended using LK density for the midtone ink.  See http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/1100.pdf  It appears MIS did not follow my recommendation, so to avoid confusion with their approach, I'm calling the LK density "EZ" approach by a different name -- "K2-Quad."  It uses the K2 LK and has 4 black/gray inks.


> I'd like to maintain colour capabilities if possible. 


The K3 machines do the best job of color plus B&W.  Anytime you go for more flexibility, however, there are usually compromises.  I recently noted that I'll be making some Claria "black only" plus LM toned profiles.  But, no single channel printing like this can really deliver the smoothness of a full B&W inkset or one that has at least some dilute gray inks.  On the other hand, some love the black only ("BO") "tri-x" look.

The approach I'd say is the worst is to use high gamut color inks to try and make a neutral gray B&W.  

 
> Here are options I am considering:
> 
> 0. Clean or fix the c86?

Try the trick of putting Windex with amonia on the parking pad and having the head sit in it over night.  You get to the parking pad by pushing the ink changing button so the head moves to the left and then pulling the plug.  On older machines you can also just reach into the printer and move the large gear on the left toward you.  I moves a locking peg down to release the head.  At any rate, the amonia will dissolve dried in on the head.  After an overnight soak, do a head cleaning.  If OEM inks still give a bad nozzle check, you may have a head that is seriously clogged.  More work, like cleaning solutions in carts with some windex mixed in might work, but a C86 is not worth too much trouble.


> 1. A workforce 30. With epson inks. Durabrite on photorag 308?

Good color, bad B&W.

> Maybe using black only?

Not on a WorkForce -- no QTR support.  You need QTR for black only.

> Durabrite are pigments, so I expect decent archival quality?

They are probably the same as UltraChrome.  The Durabrite yellow, for example, was the same cart and chip as the 2400 yellow.


> 2. Above plus ezn inks again. Maybe buy empty carts and move ink from my now useless c86 carts? How hard would it be to switch back to durabrite eventually?


You can switch back and forth, but it takes probably 2 cleaning cycles to get all the color out of the heads.  It's a nuisance.


> 3. A slightly fancier epson with MIS inks but still using simply the epson driver?


That's what the MIS "EZ" and my 1100 K2-Quad systems are aimed at.  


> 4. A  fancy r2880 (or r3000? with rebate!), epson inks in ABW mode, no tinkering but most expensive. 


You'll still be doing some tinkering with the ABW controls to get the print to match the monitor.  

There is not perfect system that can do it all.  I think the "EZ" system wins the quality/effort and $ contest.  The OEM K3 wins the flexibility contest. (And dyes on high gloss, metallic papers win the "Wow" contest for cards and snapshots, but not for matte paper or fine art on the wall.)

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com