Digital BW, The Print

Jim,

>I have... just purchased a
>1280 and the MIS FS-N inks based on this specific thread and the
>logic behind it.

Which thread?  Are you going to print the FS-N inks on an 1280 without the
Piezo driver?  If so, I have attached my recommendations as of 3/28, below.
Note, however, that this is a bit experimental.  I have yet to see prints
done this way.

>So now I am ready to load the inks into the
>cartridges and I am stumped.  Do I NOT use the photo magenta and
>photo cyan inks at all?

The problem with the FS inks in hextone machines when using the Epson driver
is that there really are no light, photo position inks.  The FS inksets were
designed to run with Piezo software, and that software does not use the
light/photo inks.  Rather, it uses the full-strength inks in those
positions.

So, if you bought a "set" of FS inks, then the light/photo inks should be
the same density as the full strength ink of the same color.  You may be
able to check this with swab of the inks on some paper.

I hope this, including my 3/8 post, below, helps.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com
______________

How to print FS inks with Hextone printers and the Epson driver:

The FS inks are like Piezo inks and, in hextone machines, will work only
with Cone Editions PiezographyBW software -- UNLESS the ink positions are
altered.
Unlike the quad (4-ink) FS/Piezo systems, there is no way to control the
Epson driver from Photoshop to distribute the inks correctly with the inks
in the positions that Piezo uses (and that any current pre-loaded carts
use).

The "problem" with the hextone Piezo system is that the light ink positions
are not light ink.  They are the same density as the full-strength inks.
Thus, as the input value calls for darker inks, the Epson driver substitutes
the full strength ink for the "light" ink.  However, with ink densities that
are, in fact, the same, you end up with a flat stop.  There is probably no
way around this problem with the Epson driver and the standard Piezo/FS ink
positions.

If you want to use FS inks with a hextone machine, you have three choices.
First, buy a Piezo driver.  Second, buy a ColorByte ImagePrint 4 RIP (check
with that company first).  Third, change the ink positions and  use a simple
grayscale adjustment curve and workflow. Such a curve has been written and
supplied by Shilesh Jani.  The curve is named FS1280N3.acv.

"On Archival Matte and Photo Rag 308 gsm, the images are stunning" with the
FS-N inks according to Shilesh.

(Since I do not have a hextone machine yet, I have not been
able to test this curve and approach.  I will soon have a hextone (870) and
test and refine the approach.)

Here is the alternative FS-Hextone-Epson-driver ink positions I recommend as
of 3/28/02:


Black -- Use the MIS FS (or VM) black;

Cyan position -- Use FS cyan-position ink;

Light cyan position -- Use FS magenta-position ink;

Magenta position -- Use FS cyan-position ink;

Light magenta -- Use FS magenta-position ink;

Yellow -- Use FS yellow-position ink.  (The FS magenta-position ink may work
here also.  I'll test both of them.)

Print files in grayscale mode (no need to convert to RGB).  Have the ink set
to "color ink," however, to take full advantage of the smoothing effect of
all those hextone nozzles.  Apply the mild grayscale Photoshop image
adjustment curve FS1280N3.acv supplied by Shilesh. (You may want to a
modification of this curve to optimize your printer/paper combination.  The
mild grayscale curves are easy to adjust -- much easier than an RGB,
partitioned workflow.)

I think there is a very good chance that the FS inks in the above positions
in hextone printers will produce outstanding results.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com