Digital BW, The Print

Thanks! Are these other inks already pre-diluted, or are there instructions
for that, also?  (I don't mind the extra cost or the extra work.  We are
more concerned with quality than anything else.)

BTW, I noticed that you have a donate button on your instructions.  Is that
through paypal, and which email address?
On Sep 7, 2012 6:10 PM, "Paul Roark" <roark.paul@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> Pamela Holt <pamela39934@...> wrote:
>
> > ... do you have a longer-lasting replacement for the MIS dyes?
>
> Most of my prints are made with either MIS carbon pigment inks (see
> http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Eboni-6.pdf) or Epson/Noritsu dyes
> (see http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/1400-Claria-Noritsu-2K2LK.pdf
> and http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/1400-Claria-BW.pdf).
>
> I do not have a replacement for MIS dyes in the sense of having a
> source for a dye ink that is as inexpensive as the MIS dyes. However,
> I'm willing to pay more for better performance. So, I buy the Noritsu
> carts -- 500 ml for $187. This is about 1/3 the cost of buying black
> Claria carts. When it's diluted to make an "LK" dye ink, it's much
> cheaper than Claria. Most, however, would probably not want to mess
> with these large volumes and amounts. So little color is used in B&W,
> that I buy Claria carts for some positions.
>
> > Are the dyes different from the MIS inks?
>
> Yes. MIS makes a variety of inks. I use mostly their carbon pigment
> inks. MIS has dye inks, but I do not use them. The only dyes I've
> used that I am comfortable with -- and only for markets where
> longevity is not the main criteria -- are the Epson/Noritsu dyes.
>
> Traditional dyes are much weaker than pigments. I do not recommend
> them for serious B&W work. That said,
> http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com/ has tested the Epson Claria and HP
> dyes. Based on these tests and my own work, I am comfortable with
> the Claria dyes, which appear to be the same as what Epson sells into
> the Noritsu minilab market. The Claria Black Only, when sprayed with
> Print Shield produced test results that are in the general range of
> Epson UC color pigments (unsprayed). This is an interesting result,
> to say the least. That was the point of the testing information I
> summarized in http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Claria-Fade-Tests.jpg.
>
> I am unsure whether any third party company has access to dyes that
> have the advanced chemistry needed to match the Epson Claria dyes. No
> doubt, sooner or later there will be equally good dyes on the market
> for the smaller re-sellers, but the burden, in my view, is on them to
> produce credible tests that show the comparative longevity of their
> dyes. Until I see credible evidence of good longevity, I will assume
> the performance is closer to the traditional dyes. I hope we do see
> some comparative testing of third party dyes that show they are, in
> fact, able to match the Claria dyes. I don't enjoy paying more for
> inks than I need to.
>
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com
>  
>


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