Digital BW, The Print

Nick,

>Well, luck apparently isn't with me.

Could you scan and e-mail to me a 21-step test file print done with the vm
inkset/workflow so that I can see what the problem looks like with you
system?  If you are interested, I'm sure people on the forum will mail some
test strips to you so that you can see if it's just your printer, the 1160
in general, or the entire approach that produces the results you find
objectionable.

>... For black-only, I want the intensity of the
>Epson OEM black cartridge with better stability,
>at least behind glass or in a plastic sleeve in the dark.
...

The blacker they are, the more they fade and color shift.  I think that the
Piezo and VM/FS blacks are the best combination.  (They appear to be the
same ink.)  The Piezo/VM/FS black is much more neutral and stable than the
Piezo midtones, which appear to contain substantial dyes.  So, if they are
dark enough for you, the pigmented Pzo/VM/FS ink will give you about as good
a stability as there is.

One step blacker is the Generations black.  It may contain substantial dye,
however, and it does fade and color shift more than the Pzo/VM/FS black, in
my tests.  However, I'd assume it is still much more stable than the Epson
black.  After all, I think Generations inkset is up to "75 years" in its
fade testing results.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com